Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

primate rescue

Stand-Up for Chimps – so fun!

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Thanks to everyone who came out to the Nonprofit Comedy Night that helped raise money for the Cle Elum Seven, and thank you to the comedians who donated their time to entertain us. I had a great time! Based on the laughter, I would hazard to say that everyone had a great time. It was nice to see people who had only “spoken” through the blog and the forum meet each other in person. And it was so nice for me to meet some new supporters. The raffle was a lot of fun and the slideshow was cool to see on the big screen. Thanks goes to Margaret for getting prints of Jamie’s artwork as well as cards she made together for us to sell that night – both were a hit! We’ll have to do it again!

Keith at the mike (not doing stand-up, just thanking folks) with Burrito on the screen behind.
Keith (not doing stand-up, just thanking folks) with Burrito on the screen behind.
Comedian with another photo of Burrito from the slideshow on screen.
Comedian with another photo of Burrito from the slideshow on screen.

Rainstorm bravery

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It hadn’t really occurred to me before today, but it hasn’t rained in any significant way since the chimpanzees arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Today it poured.

When J.B. and I heard the playroom erupt in alarm barks, we realized the chimps may have never seen a rainstorm before! We went into the human area and saw the chimpanzees intently staring out the windows upstairs. When the rain started to slow down, some brave chimpanzees began to approach the doorway to the outdoor area.

Missy seemed most curious…

Missy standing in doorway

Annie followed Missy’s lead…

Annie sitting in doorway

It was Jamie who finally ventured outside…

Jamie right before going outside after rain

She immediately came back in to dry her hands…

Jamie drying her hands

And the rest of her…

Jamie putting cloth over head

What a great new experience for everyone!! Missy also took a couple of steps outside. Jamie went back out, wearing the cloth over her head, and Annie remained content sitting in the doorway. The other chimpanzees looked out the windows – maybe next time they’ll decide to go out too.

Foxie’s daughter

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Shelly C. is having trouble posting comments this morning, and wanted us to be sure to send this link of a photo of Angie, Foxie’s daughter. Angie is being cared for by Save the Chimps and will soon be making her journey to their beautiful sanctuary in Florida. Here is a link to her short bio, which includes a photo: http://www.savethechimps.org/bios_angie.asp

We at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest have plans to find other children of the chimpanzees under our care – we just haven’t had the time to do so yet, so thank you Shelly C. for finding Angie! It is so wonderful to learn that Angie is safe at another sanctuary and will soon be moving to Florida where she will live in a large social group and spend her days on an island.  I’ll see if I can find out any more information about Angie – just from the brief description, it sounds like she has a lot in common with Foxie.

July 4th Forage

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We set up a great forage in celebration of the 4th for the chimpanzees tonight. On the menu: large paper bags full of lettuce and cabbage leaves with a surprise baked apple hidden amongst the greens, and individual buckets with vegan hot dogs, corn on the cob, and watermelon. Diana

Annie - 4th of July4th of July forage

Foxie with hotdog - 4th of July

Jamie with baked apple - 4th of July

Negra with hotdog - 4th of July

Jamie and choices

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Jamie is someone who could be referred to as a “character.” She clearly likes attention and demanded a lot of it from me and the other Direct Care Committee members who accompanied me on my first visit to Buckshire to meet the chimpanzees. Jamie was the most gregarious of the group and was full of energy. She was clearly pleased to have the rapt attention of new people and really enjoyed having her feet tickled (with newspaper) and playing chase.

The first physical feature that I noticed about Jamie was that her belly had almost no hair. This was obviously due to “over-grooming” – Jamie picks out the hair on her belly and the skin underneath the hair. Over-grooming is considered a form of self-mutilation and can be the result of a stressful, unpredictable life or a sign of utter boredom. Often, this type of behavior gradually disappears when a chimpanzee is moved to a sanctuary which provides a stimulating environment.

A big element that is missing from the day-to-day life of the chimpanzees at Buckshire is the lack of choice. Born into captivity, Jamie’s entire life has been determined by the humans who claimed ownership over her. Her early years were spent as a “performer” in a circus, and then she was passed on to the biomedical research industry. There are very few opportunities to make choices in her daily existence at Buckshire. For Jamie, I believe this will be the biggest benefit to her new life at CSNW. I imagine that once she figures out that are so many things that she can do and ask for, she will probably be quite demanding of the time and energy of the staff at the sanctuary. And they will, no doubt, be elated to indulge her desires.


Diana