Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

rain

By and Down the Atmospheric River

by

The Pacific Northwest is currently under an atmospheric river. No need to fear for our humble sanctuary though. Being on the high ground has it’s advantages. Atmospheric river or not, it still hasn’t stopped the chimps from going outside.

Foxie
Burrito
Rayne taking in the view of the Yakima River from the Bray.
Not the actual scene she was gazing upon, but close—just another viewpoint from the cattle’s side of the sanctuary.

Though the rain isn’t finished and we have several more days in the forecast, I just really wanted to celebrate and applaud my fellow staff members and volunteers who braved the floods and mudslides to make it in today. I know to them it may not seem as much, but it’s the world to the residents here. I have met some pretty gritty people in my life, but the caregivers here, both staff and volunteer, are exemplary gritty. Braving the down pours, floods, walking through the mud and muck around the sanctuary, I admire each and every one of you and all that you do for the chimpanzees, cattle, and each other.

And one last photo of one the the most handsome individuals you could ever meet for good measure:

Cy

Walking in the Rain

by

We all had an adventure on this walk the other day!

It was fun to join the chimpanzees getting caught in the rain.

It reminded me of the very first heavy rain that the Cle Elum Seven experienced. Thanks to this blog, you can learn more about that experience here: Rainstorm Bravery

The photo of Missy in the doorway, watching the rain is still one of my favorites:

Missy in doorway during rainstorm

Look at these photographs

by

Today has been a busy, busy day in the chimp house! I managed to get some photos today and hope you enjoy them!

Cy:

Foxie was out on Young’s Hill this afternoon when it started raining. Her and her Blueberry doll hurried in.

I tried to be artistic here taking a photo of Honey B behind the leaves that frame the chute.

Lucky:

Mave (let’s ignore the troll mask in the background nearly ruining the photo):

 

 

A Man for All Seasons

by

I’ve gotten used to the fact that Burrito now goes on more walks (or runs, actually) than Jamie, but I still can’t get over how comfortable he’s become in inclement weather. Earlier this week we had snow off and on throughout the morning, and when Burrito told me to meet him outside for a run around the hill I was sure he would be disappointed when he got out there. But he was undeterred.

When you’re not moving fast enough, Burrito will stand bipedally and clap to goad you on.

Eventually we just sat near the top of the hill, watching the snow drift down across the valley as it slowly accumulated atop the hair on his head and shoulders.

We took several walks in the mist this morning, along with Missy and Jamie. But when the mist turned to a light, steady rain I was sure they would all want to curl up in a nest indoors. Not Burrito. We hiked back up the hill together in the rain, and every once and a while he would turn backward as though he was ready to head home, only turn turn again and race further up the hill.

He thought it was hilarious.

 

Rainy Memories

by

You have probably heard about, or maybe you are experiencing, the dramatic storm that is hitting the Pacific Northwest today.

The majestic Cascade Mountain Range protects Cle Elum from a lot of the wetter weather that our friends to the west in the Seattle area receive, and we are certainly not getting the extreme rain and wind that is expected closer to the coast. Nevertheless, it rained ALL day today, and it’s still coming down.

This is what the chimpanzees were up to today (similar to many of you, I suspect):

 

Jamie watching the rain from the greenhouse:

Jamie looking out of greenhouse

Don’t worry – Jamie managed to get a walk in before it really started to come down.

 

Annie nesting in the front rooms:

Annie in nest

 

Yesterday, Margaret, a friend and supporter who has known the chimpanzees since their arrival, reminded me of the first time the chimpanzees experienced a real rainstorm at the sanctuary. Margaret was volunteering that day. It was almost exactly eight years ago.

I wrote about the chimpanzees’ experience and posted photos in the blog post Rainstorm Bravery. This was three years before Young’s Hill was complete and before the greenhouse panels were on, so the rain came down right into what is now the greenhouse.

Imagine your very first experience being able to go out into a rainstorm (or just watch from the safety and comfort of your bed). Though they were in their 20s and 30s, everything in their sanctuary life was just so new to the chimpanzees.

Today, the rain doesn’t faze them too much, but when we get thunderstorms or other out-of-the-ordinary weather, they do still react. One of my favorite experiences at the chimp house was watching Burrito do a “rain dance” in 2013.

In honor of the power of weather, the connection that we have to our environment, and the inner chimpanzee in all of  us, I’ve reposted the video below.

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm as you wait out the storm.


Save