Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

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Rainy Day Activities

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It’s been a very rainy day at the chimp house, but don’t worry, no day is boring when you are around chimpanzees! This morning, I heard chimp laughter and walked in to see Honey B and Dora playing with Mave supervising.

The afternoon rolled around and it was still raining and chilly. This time when I walked in to the front rooms, I found Cy grooming a certain someone. I won’t say who, because there will be a quiz in today’s video! They didn’t seem to notice my presence, so I sat down to enjoy the peaceful moment with them.

I am so happy to be a part of this team and to get the privilege to witness these moments of sanctuary and share them with each of you. I hope you enjoy today’s video, and find some inspiration from the chimps to find the best in even the dreariest of days!

Playful Negra

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We don’t know exactly how old Negra is. Our records say she was captured in Africa in 1973, other records indicate 1968. As far as we know, she was immediately placed in a biomedical research facility in the United States after her capture. She remained the property of the biomedical industry until 2008.

We celebrate Negra’s birthday on June 13th, the day the chimpanzees arrived to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. The 3rd anniversary of the chimps’ arrival and Negra’s 38th (or so) birthday is just one month away!

Regardless of her exact age, Negra is not a young chimpanzee, and it’s always a joy to see breaking out into play. She and Foxie had been playing for several minutes before I could get to the camera. When I did start filming, Jamie was banging on the fencing and didn’t seem very pleased, but she soon decided to give up on reprimanding me and instead joined in on the play.

My favorite part of the video below is Negra’s foot stomp towards Jamie. Foot stomping is a common chimpanzee play behavior, but this is one of the very few times I’ve witnessed Negra do it.