Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

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She’ll Let You Know

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This video is a perfect example of how Jamie gestures to let you know what she wants. If you couldn’t tell Jamie was a bit busy managing the humans today, as per usual. I love Jamie because she isn’t afraid to let you know what she wants. She obviously has no problem telling us what boots she wants us to wear, what books to give her, which piece of pepper she wants, or get the gator now! Most of Jamie’s communication is through gestures like pointing or slight head nods. In the video you can see I had picked out a boot in hopes that it was the one she had in mind. Sometimes we get lucky on the first try, other times you have to keep trying them on. She usually has a favorite pair that we try first! If she doesn’t like the boot, book, or whatever it is Jamie wants she will keep pointing until we get the right one. Occasionally she likes the boot, but wants a different person to put it on! It’s the best feeling when you have been trying to figure out what Jamie wants and then all of the sudden you get the combo! It’s a total rush because all we want to do is please her! Finding out what Jamie wants is just a small way to make her life better and we are happy to do it.

It’s December 1st which means we will start slowly adding Christmas items to the wish list, so keep your eyes peeled!

Foxie with Dora the Explorer:

We Made it!

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Hooray, we made it to the weekend! I for one am exhausted this week, between the chimp’s Thanksgiving and the human’s we are all wiped. I was asked a lot this week what I am grateful for. So I thought I would share a few things that I am especially grateful for.

1. I am grateful for our expansion to be able to take in more chimps. It has been an extraordinary experience to get to know these six incredible chimpanzees!

2. I am thankful for the chimp’s health. This pandemic has been overwhelming and very stressful. The lengths that we go to protect these chimps are obviously working and we are so fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people to help protect them.

3. I am forever and always grateful to be able to care for these sixteen remarkable chimpanzees. To help provide a safe and enriching life for them is a true honor.

4. This year I was extremely thankful to be surrounded by the people that I loved. So many of us were not able to do that last year, which makes this year even more special!

Enough mushy stuff, let’s look at some photos! I was able to capture some photos over the last week. Not all the photos make it to the blog, fit the theme, or sometimes we capture a moment throughout the week!

I think this photo perfectly captures Jamie. She is beautiful, extremely intelligent, funny, always thinking, and has moments of letting her guard down.

This photo of Burrito was taken last Friday when it had just snowed. So, of course Burrito’s mouth is full of snow!

Negra sleeping peacefully in her nest.

Sleepy Rayne napping in the front rooms.

Willy B laying down watching his soaps having a nice afternoon!

Cy, I mean look at this guy!

Cy and I were playing chase the other day, we had to take a break and play with the foot box a little!

Gordo stopped to check himself out through the camera.

Her firehose is only fit for a queen. Let us all hail Queen Lucky!

Feels like Sanctuary

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Today really felt like sanctuary, I mean everyday does, of course! But everyday is different, each chimps mood varies, what they feel like doing, or not doing. Today was full of patrol walks, laughter, exploring, displaying, excited breathy pants, and of course a few non shifters ;). The beauty of sanctuary is choice and with that choice gives them a sort of freedom, not the freedom they should have and very much deserve, but the closest freedom they can have. Some days I will catch moments that just make your heart want to burst with joy, like Jamie chasing Foxie on Young’s Hill. Because those moments are what sanctuary is all about!

We just updated our wish list for Wildlife Toybox. They have some really fun durable enrichment, we especially need the mirror cover for our “Looky Lou”!

Rayne says goodnight!

Snippets

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Here are a few moments that I captured on my phone throughout the past week.

People often ask if it’s difficult to care for chimpanzees without being able to touch them outside of the very limited contact we have through the mesh. Perhaps it’s a function of the institutional cultures in which we were trained, but it’s not something I really think about. Nor do I care much about it when it does cross my mind. They have their world, we have ours, and there are clearly-defined, logical rules for the areas where those two worlds meet for the sake of everyone’s safety. The way we interact with the chimps in our care becomes natural and comfortable for both them and us, and pushing those boundaries does nothing but put our own desires above their best interests.

That being said, there’s not a person on earth that’s seen Mave in action and not wanted to be enveloped in her soft, fuzzy embrace.

So sue me.