Today we celebrated July 4th with the chimpanzees!
It was a whirlwind of a day. Tons of food, fun and sunshine.
We hope that those of you who choose to celebrate the 4th have fun, and most of all STAY SAFE!
Party
More footage from the Trifecta Jubilee
Yesterday was such a lovely party for everyone. As Ellen said, there was so much footage, we had to split it into more than one video. Her video yesterday captured Negra at the celebration, and today’s captures Terry plus some coconut antics.
We didn’t leave Jody out of the celebration. I put some fresh flowers in the little vase she holds – some lavender and columbine from the side garden by the house.
And here’s Negra with a birthday rose:
And one more shot of her in the afternoon:
When I walked back to the house after the chimps’ parties, I came across this deer sneaking a treat from the cherry tree. Everyone should have a treat on such a special day!
Trifecta Jubilee 2026
Today is one of the biggest holidays on the CSNW calendar, the Trifecta Jubilee! Today we celebrate Negra and Terry’s birthdays, as well as the arrival anniversary of the Cle Elum 7. Today’s video follows Negra as she celebrates her 53rd birthday.
With Negra’s mobility challenges over the past few months, we weren’t sure if we would get to celebrate another birthday with her. We have enjoyed every minute we got to spend celebrating with her today, and tried to fill her day with all of her favorite things. Today’s menu included coconuts, lychee, figs, romaine lettuce, sugar snap peas, Hawaiian rolls, cornbread, pancake hearts with whipped peanut butter, mini banana cream pies, sparkling cider, banana leaves, and homegrown grape vines from Caregivers Diana and JB’s house, as well as roses from Caregiver Sabrina’s garden. Dinner is coming up, and will include baked sweet potatoes and coconut whipped cream.
The most rewarding part of the day was seeing Negra get to spend another few hours with her whole group, something she hasn’t been able to do since her mobility first declined in March. She gets daily visits from several friends at a time, but has not lived in the whole group due to the risk of fighting and Negra either not being able to get away, or accidentally getting hurt while trying to get away. We decided early on in navigating her mobility challenges that the risks of a fall in the playroom were too great to give her access, and the playroom is an important space for the group as a whole. To reduce the risk of having her with the whole group today, we closed the group out of the playroom and then let Negra out into the greenhouse with them, and everyone was able to enjoy the party together. Afterwards, they relaxed and groomed until it was time to go back inside.
I think it’s safe to say that Negra enjoyed her day. Turn the volume up to hear many happy food squeaks!
Little Dora’s Big Day
Today we celebrated Dora’s 37th birthday!
Dora was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) on June 6, 1989. Her records say that her mother was Stella and her father was Les. She has many half siblings, including Gordo in her own group, who had the same father, and several chimpanzees at other sanctuaries including Pumpkin at Save the Chimps in Florida.
When LEMSIP closed in 1996, Dora went to Wildlife Waystation along with over 30 other chimpanzees.
When Wildlife Waystation closed in 2019, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest continued our planned expansion to make a home for another group of chimpanzees in need. Dora arrived with the rest of the “Lucky Six” on June 26, 2021.
In celebration of Dora’s birthday today, her group (which includes Dora, Cy, Terry, Rayne, Gordo, Lucky and George) got to enjoy whole mangos for breakfast, as well as Honey B, Willy B and Mave. What a special treat!
Unfortunately, due to Annie’s allergy, Jamie’s group did not get mangos, but they were pretty happy with their whole strawberries!
There are so many things to love about Dora (just ask Mave!). She is quick to engage her chimp friends in play (and the humans sometimes too!). She is beloved by those who know her (George took a little bit to learn this lesson during intros), which has allowed her the flexibility to move between groups and maintain her friendships as we navigated the separation of Honey B, Willy B, and Mave from Cy’s group. She brings the fun (sometimes with a side of pokey fingers and her signature head bobble) and quirkiness too!
Happy birthday, Dora!
George’s 22nd Birthday Video
As promised, here’s some video of George’s 22nd birthday party.
In other news, Terry rejoined his group this afternoon following a couple days of isolation and rest to recover from having some teeth extracted. More on that tomorrow!
Mango Special!
Cy’s birthday celebrations continue in today’s blog video with…mangoes!
Rayne’s 36th Birthday Party!
Rayne loves smoothie and other fruity drinks, grapes, cherry tomatoes, small purple potatoes and picture books, so that’s just what she got for her birthday! Happy birthday to our beloved friend!
