Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

outreach

The Third Annual Kittitas County Pride Parade

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Last Saturday, we participated in the Kittitas County Pride Parade. No wind or rain was going to stop us, thankfully the weather held out just long enough! This event is something we look forward to every year! The Pride Parade is always fully of energy, joy, and so much love. As Diana mentioned in her blog, we share our float with Primate Awareness Network (PAN) every year, all of the students and volunteers are so creative, making our float so fun and colorful. It’s fun to watch this event get bigger and better every year, that includes the people that walk with us, but also the parade itself gets bigger. Every year I round the corner to our little downtown, I am filled with so much pride, the crowd is full and you can feel the love and support. It’s heartwarming to see our community celebrate and come together! You can hear the cheering and encouragement. And isn’t that what community is all about?

It makes me so proud that CSNW can be a part of something like that!

I have to give a big thank you to all the staff, volunteers, and Ozzie and her family. Ozzie and her family made so much food, not only for all the parade participates, but also for all the volunteers and staff that had to stay behind and work that day. The menu was exquisite and the food was superb! This amazing event could not have happen without everyone’s support whether they were in the chimp house, decorating the night before, or walking in the parade. Thank you to everyone for all of your hard work. I can’t wait for next year!

Ozzie’s Menu:

Vegetarian Rainbow Sandwich (aka: Annie She’s A Rainbow Sammie)

Vegan BLT ( The Willy B. LT)

Sunbutter, Jelly & Jalapeno ( The Little George)

Avocado & Maple Glazed Tempeh ( The Elegant Mave)

VEGAN BLACKBERRY, BASIL AND RICOTTA PRESSED SANDWICH (The Jamie Summer Sammie: aka The Bionic Chimp!)

Vegan Ranch Chickpea Wrap (The Rayne Wrap)

Heirloom Tomato Sandwiches (aka The Missy Special)

Tomato, Basil & Artichoke Picnic Sandwich (The Farmer Jo)

Chickpea Shawarma Wraps (The Spicy Burrito)

Cranberry Chickpea Salad (The Queen Negra) (served in an iceberg lettuce leaf of course!)

Sweet Potato & Avocado Tartine Sandwiches ( The Deep Cy)

Herbed Vegan Potato Salad (The Foxmeister General)

classic vegan macaroni salad ( The Dora Explora)

Grilled Corn Salad (The Tezza)

Sweet and Spicy Smashed Cucumber Salad (Gordo’s Greenhouse Salad)

Raw Vegan Taco Salad (The Lucky Deluxe!)

Vegan Banana Pudding (The Honey B-Good)

Coconut Layer Cake

A bag of GF choc chip cookie

Seedless Watermelon

Dr Pepper

Polar Sparkling Water

Chips, Dips and Pretzels

Benny:

Few of the many decorations:

The float and crew:

Happy Pride Month!

Burrito Takes Over The Live Stream

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Today, we let you all watch one of the most exciting events that takes place at the sanctuary every day: lunch.

For those of you who were busy during the live stream or were unable to connect via Facebook, you can watch the recording here. (Unfortunately, it’s not possible to embed Facebook videos directly into the blog post.)

Despite some early technical obstacles, I was eventually able to broadcast a live feed that showed the Seven foraging on Young’s Hill, their outdoor enclosure. I then brought my phone to the Greenhouse so that the chimpanzees could join in on the chat. Burrito, of course, was interested in playing chase and seemed intrigued by the Facebook video being sent to all of you from the palm of my hand. As usual, he stole the show.

It was great to see so many viewers join in on the broadcast, despite the short notice and connection troubles. I tried to answer some questions during the stream while Diana typed out additional responses from the sanctuary’s office. I wasn’t expecting so much engagement (170+ comments in 24 minutes!), so I will do my best to address any additional inquiries throughout the day.

Thank you all for your patience, interest, and support!

Here are some still photographs to accompany the today’s events.

Annie:

Negra:

Honey B:

Burrito:

The Neighbor’s Horses:

And, finally, an intimate moment shared between Honey (one of our resident cattle) and one of the neighboring mares:

 

What’s Your Favorite (Nonhuman) Animal?

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Texas, of course, is a long way away from Washington state. Heck, West Texas is a long way away from East Texas. (In case you were wondering, Cuba, Guatemala, Idaho and Michigan are all closer to the nearest point in Texas than that location is from the farthest point in Texas. Let that simmer, folks.)

That piece of geographic knowledge is one of the reasons why we caregivers were both impressed and thrilled to receive holiday cards from some very thoughtful elementary students who live, of all places, on the plains of Odessa, Texas.

None of these amazing young people in Mrs. Bille’s fifth grade class at Travis Magnet Elementary have ever been to the sanctuary. I’m not sure if any of them have ever seen a chimpanzee. Still, they have enabled us to decorate our veterinary whiteboard with colorful cards filled with holiday cheer, encouragement, and kindness. Their messages really warm up the foyer. For example, students wished that Missy enjoys lots of tomatoes this year, that Honey B. stays brave about all the new things in her new home, and that Burrito has lots of fun playing tug-of-war with J.B. With their help, we will do our best to make these things happen.

In my opinion, Mrs. Bille deserves some sort of award for organizing such an exceptional gift to the sanctuary (and for being one of our biggest supporters and fans, year after year).

All of the messages are directed towards individual chimpanzees and demonstrate how each student is familiar with the personalities and backgrounds of their respective favorites. It’s comforting to see young people from far away expressing empathy for and interest in the chimps, and it amazes me how much individual students seem to identify with individual chimps. It seems that they are well on their way to becoming bright and responsible adults, and I’m sure they would all make amazing chimpanzee caregivers someday.

When I was their age, I used to pester my parents constantly because I was so interested in animals, nature and science. Luckily, my family was supportive. They bought me used zoology textbooks and atlases, took me to educational programs at the local zoo, purchased a subscription to National Geographic and even sponsored sanctuary animals for my annual Christmas gift. My parents still love to joke about the night almost three decades ago when I tiptoed into their bedroom, opened my father’s eyelids with my stubby toddler fingers, and barked “Dad, what’s your favorite jungle animal?!” When he responded that he liked lions and instructed me to go back to bed, I informed him that lions inhabit open savannas and aren’t adapted to live in jungles. I didn’t go back to my room until he changed his answer to tigers.

Perhaps this is why one holiday card in particular made me smile. The bright red, glittery card reads:

To: Betsy
From: Isabelle
Have a happy mooadays.

Dear Betsy, I love your name. And I love cows. They’re my 6th favorite animal. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

Well, Isabelle, you should know that Betsy had an outstanding Christmas. She and the other cattle got alfalfa and minerals, two of their favorite winter treats. She held still while I brushed her fuzzy winter coat, and then licked all of the salty minerals off of my sleeves. We’re excited for the new year because Betsy and the others will get a huge new pasture with lots of green grass after the snow melts. It’s because of people like you and your classmates that cows, chimpanzees, and all the other nonhuman animals out there have a chance at a good life after being wrongfully used by humans. Keep up the good work, Isabelle.

Betsy.

Also, Isabelle, I am shocked that cows are only your 6th favorite animal. Why are they so low on the list? Which animals are ranked 1-5? Feel free to send us another card with your faves.

Here are my zoological power rankings:

  1. Spider monkeys. They’re a lot like chimpanzees AND they have amazing tails.
  2. Cows, obviously. This includes all cattle because Nutmeg is a steer, not a cow.
  3. Chimpanzees. They would be higher on my list if I didn’t have to clean up their messy playroom every morning.
  4. Trash pandas (also known as raccoons).
  5. Goats.
  6. Quahogs (a type of clam). They live longer than any other animal and they remind me of the place where I grew up, by the ocean.
  7. Wolverines. Their scientific name means “the gluttonous glutton” and I identify with that. They’re also stocky, athletic and fierce, like Missy.
  8. Spotted hyenas. They got a bad reputation from the Lion King, but they’re very smart and have an interesting society. The female hyenas are in charge of the whole group.
  9. Red pandas. They’re super chill. If taking care of primates ever becomes too stressful, a friend and I plan to start Red Panda Sanctuary Northwest (RPSNW). Stay tuned.
  10. Leaf-cutter ants.

Thank you all for your support and for loving the chimps (and cows).

Happy Mooadays to all of you and a Happy Moo Year to everyone! Feel free to comment with your favorite nonhuman animal species.