Come along for a play date with the coolest girls at CSNW, plus a special guest appearance!
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Annie’s Dance Card is Full!
It’s such a joy to watch Annie kicking up her heels!
Today, as caregiver Anna and I were cleaning the playroom, Anna commented that there was some serious chimp laughter coming from the front rooms. Sure enough, I found Annie and Burrito whooping it up!
Missy was sitting close by. I figured she was annoyed with the tomfoolery. Little did I know, she was simply waiting for her turn to be silly with her dear friend Annie. Pretty sweet!
Reminder:
Sunday, August 25th was the second installment of the HBO docuseries Chimp Crazy, which is available to watch on MAX. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance will once again be hosting a discussion this evening after the episode (August 27, 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET) to explore Episode 2: Gone Ape. Register to join the second installment in this discussion series “Primate Perspectives: Unpacking Chimp Crazy. We will talk about the contents of episode two and the history of the use of chimpanzees as pets and the current pet trade in monkeys. We will be recording it this week, so if you register but are unable to join, we will send you a link to the recording.
Bubba’s Big Day
We’re incredibly fortunate here at CSNW to have such a wonderful community of generous donors. Their thoughtfully sent items bring endless joy to our chimpanzee residents. Recently we received a toy CAT dump truck and we immediately knew who would love to add this this toy truck to his collection of odds and ends.. Burrito!
We set up his new toy by the juice pool where we could get a good view of the action and Burrito did not disappoint! Once all the food puzzle enrichment was gone he quickly zeroed in on the new toy and immediately started dragging it around the playroom with him. With his new prized possession in tow, along with his trusty hammer, Burrito spent the morning exploring with his truck and hammer wherever his adventures took him.
Moments with Annie
Is there anyone sweeter than Annie? I think not!
Take a few minutes to share some moments with our beloved Annie. From a play session with Burrito, to a lovely afternoon breeze in her nest, a drink from the hose (perfect for summertime!) and a shouting match with the neighbors!
Sounds like a pretty good day, to me.
Something in the Paper
Let us give Ellen one more round of applause for her amazing Olympics inspired blog! It has given us ideas for many more!
Okay, I thought I might share a nice moment with our friend Gordo, I was lucky enough to have Ellen be able to capture the moment so I could share it with you all, otherwise you might not have believed me when I tell you all about it. Last weekend we put out a ton of paper, no like, a TON specifically in front room 7 for Cy’s side! Jerrol’s spoils us so much, not only do we have an amazing partnership with them but they have a lot of packaging paper, which they so kindly collect for us! We use paper for a lot of enrichment, but also we like to give it out as an option for nesting material as well. As I said we put most of the paper in front room 7, a place the chimps like to gather because they can see into the foyer and check up on what we are doing. However, one front room is a tight space for a group of 9. Sometimes if the space gets crowded it can make other individuals nervous. But something in the paper made everyone get the silly-es, including Gordo! It started off as Lucky and I grooming while caregiver Ellen interacted with Terry! I noticed Lucky’s nail was a little jagged, so I asked if she would wait until I got a nail file. Once I had multiple files in hand because, you know, you never know if you will need more with chimps. Lucky and I spent our time grooming each other and she enjoyed me filing her nails. Later, Lucky was getting silly and I start to play poke her with a nail file and then eventually a bamboo stick. Lucky thought this was so fun! But none of us could have guessed what happen next. Gordo came in to front room 7 on a mission, a mission to be poked! I spent 10 minutes playing with Gordo!
We often play chase with Gordo and can get him to play a silly game from time to time. But this play session was something I have not quite experienced! He wanted to be poked, shake his head, invite Dora to play while I play with him, he was laughing, and a little wild! Gordo is know for spitting while playing, while this may not be desired I like to think of it has a high honor because you are part of the play, especially with Gordo. It seems to bring him joy and that is what we are here for! You may see in the video that I do keep trying to play with Lucky because we got abruptly interrupted by Gordo, but I also couldn’t miss the opportunity! You may also see several other chimps join in the paper fun! Something was in the paper and it was something amazing to witness! So thank you Gordo for letting me be apart of that!
Don’t forget, today is the last day for Christmas in July! Thank you to everyone who has participated! Our chimp house is so full of supply the sanctuary needs such as: enrichment, medicines, and other necessities! So please, if you haven’t already check out our Christmas in July drive and help empty our wish lists!
The Holdouts
We’ve given you a lot of Mora B footage as of late…
Are you tired of all the ridiculousness? Are you sick of all the play faces? The joy, the laughter, the shenanigans?
Are you sick and tired of Mora B?
Say it with me, folks.
HECK NO!!!
These girls just tickle us caregivers, even if they do create a longer cleaning schedule.
This clip does not include Mave, as she opted to stay in the chute while her sidekicks whooped it up in the front rooms.
So…how do we refer to a Honey B/Dora combo? What say you?
Also, be sure your sound is on – you won’t want to miss all the laughter!
If you’d like to help supply the sanctuary with food, enrichment, medicines, supplies, and other necessities, please check out our Christmas in July drive and help empty our wish lists!
The Many Uses of a Ball
Burrito is one of the most fun chimpanzees I have ever met and, don’t tell my other chimp friends, but he is absolutely the funniest. One of the most endearing things to me about Burrito is how he can have fun with just about anything. A sock? Perfect for playing tug with the humans. A headband? Get over here Missy, let’s see how far we can pull it! A slinky? Obviously the perfect accessory for the foot or leg. A stuffed animal? The best for tossing around. A bandana? The ideal size for covering your face while playing with your friends. It goes on and on! Burrito is also, to my recollection, the only chimp I have ever heard laugh while playing by himself. I have heard him laughing and gone over to see who he is playing with, only to find him laughing at the silly things he is doing all by himself.
A very silly upside down Burrito
We recently received 3 stuffed knots, which each form a ball shape, as a gift for the chimpanzees from a generous donor. Since they have stuffing, we gave them to Burrito’s group as some of the members of the group of 9 eat stuffing, and therefore can’t have it. We started by giving them one ball, and Burrito had the BEST time with it! He quickly discovered every possible way to play with it. He stretched it out so it could fit over his body, he knocked it around like he was kicking a soccer ball, he put one of the stretched out bands around his foot and pulled it around behind him, he threw it as high as he could into the air and caught it on the way back down, he hugged it tight, and he bounced on it! We gave him the other two toys today, and he has been enjoying them throughout the day, somehow finding even more new ways to have as much fun as possible with them. Check out today’s video to see Burrito with his beloved new toys. Many thanks to the donor that sent them to us!
If you’d like to spread more joy and fun like this among the chimps, the cows, and their caregivers, consider joining us in celebrating summer by helping to empty our three wish lists for Christmas in July!
