Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Rayne

Life

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I’ve had this thought for awhile that is really just a vague notion in my head. More of a feeling, really. I haven’t been able to articulate it even for it to make a lot of sense to me, but I going to give it a try. Maybe someone who reads the blog can take the notion and form it into something more solid and eloquent.

Our sanctuary if fortunate to have loyal and long-term supporters. People who have been following the stories of the chimpanzees for years. People who feel a genuine connection to the individuals in our care. This blog, as we’ve said many times, is a labor of love. It helps us process events, articulate feelings and ideas (sometimes poorly, like now), and share the personalities of the sanctuary residents in a personalized way. It’s been a gift for me, and I’m so grateful for those who tune in – whether on an everyday basis or just from time to time.

I often wonder what it is that keeps people engaged, including myself.

I think it’s because what we really write about and share is just… life. Life, with it’s ups and downs, challenges and celebrations. In life you never know what the next moment will bring.

We have the unique privilege of seeing and sharing life through the lens of these amazing beings who are so incredibly resilient, who surprise us every day and help us grow and understand our own lives from a different perspective.

That’s it. It’s a simple idea, but somehow profound in my mind.

Here’s Rayne climbing to the top of Ryan’s lookout with Gordo below early this morning:

 

Today, we put out a few buckets with watered down Gatorade as part of the forage on the hill. Foxie went right for a bucket and drank it in one sitting:

Missy did the same:

 

While Foxie, Missy, and their group were foraging on Young’s Hill, Rayne, Lucky, and Gordo were hanging out watching them on the Bray:

Holy Sheet!

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We recently asked for a few new sheets on the Wish List. As some of you might know, Rayne and Honey B seem to really like sheets, whether they are used for nesting, fashion, or playing! So overall bedding sheets are a great form of enrichment! The chimps can only have the flat sheets due to the elastic on the bottom sheets, however once we received and checked that they were chimp approved we put the sheets out on Rayne’s side. It was the first thing Rayne grabbed as you will see in the video! Honey B likes to think outside of the box, so she decided to use her sheets a little differently! If anyone has new/gently used top sheets they would like to donate for the chimps, we would be happy to take them off your hands!

Rayne with new sheets:

Just pictures of Rayne:

Jamie also likes to use them for nesting:

Now for the bonus photos!

Jamie scored big today on the forage, she only wanted corn apparently:

Negra was happy with her one ear of corn:

Jamie grooming Negra while Missy grooms Jamie:

**Reminders corner** Don’t forget we have lots of stuff still on the Wish List for Gordo’s birthday! Yesterday, we started selling tickets for HOOT!, you can join us in-person on September 9th or virtually! We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone, don’t miss out on the early bird pricing happening right now!

Big Day on the Bray

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Today was a big stepping stone for all the residents at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We felt that all the chimps on both sides of the building were ready to be out in their respective outdoor areas at the same time. For those who may not be familiar, Foxie’s group has a two acre outdoor habitat called Young’s Hill and Rayne’s group has a newly built outdoor habitat called The Bray. These areas are two separate spaces where the chimps can go outside as they please all day and when they look up there are no bars above their heads. We had been alternating access until Rayne’s group seemed comfortable outside and had a good understanding of the double electric fence. Until today!! In unknown situations we often plan in case something turns into an emergency, but we really just anticipate that there may be a lot of yelling back and forth or displaying and we just hoped for the most anticlimactic scenario, which luckily for us, it was sooo anticlimactic. Both groups were so calm and seemed to act like they have been doing this all along. What were we so worried about?! However, just because it was calm didn’t mean they didn’t interact or notice each other!

Gordo seemed to be mesmerized by Foxie, obviously, look at her! He was a little pilo and couldn’t take his eyes off her. And that cute little Foxie was just confidently strutting her stuff around Young’s Hill. Foxie was so brave, not a hair standing on end, she was even going for a perimeter walk on her own for a bit which Gordo seemed to be kind of following her from the Bray. We weren’t sure Willy B was even paying attention enough to notice Jamie’s group had access to Young’s Hill, but maybe 7 to 10 minutes later he spotted Jamie and was mesmerized, just like Gordo! Willy B was even venturing out onto the grass to get a better look, but Jamie was playing it cool and pretending she didn’t notice. Honestly, it was great to see both groups out foraging and not reacting to each other! Obviously, every day will be different with different reactions, but this was a great way to start!

Gordo watching the neighbors, specifically Foxie from afar:

Willy B realizing Jamie is on Young’s Hill:

Jamie foraging on Young’s Hill and pretending not to notice Willy B:

Terry and Rayne foraging on the Bray and spying on Jamie’s group:

Rayne:

Terry on Esher for a better view:

Cy could not be bothered, he was just enjoying the forage:

I will leave you with Bubba <3:

Switching Things Up

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This morning, we decided to switch things up! In our “normal” schedule for sharing outdoor access, Jamie’s group goes out onto Young’s Hill from the time we show up to work until after lunch time (that is if Jamie allows us to close the Hill then). Once we have permission from Jamie and do a head count to ensure everyone is off Young’s Hill, we then allow Cy’s group access onto the Bray. This is a short term schedule until both Cy’s group gets more comfortable with the Bray and Jamie’s group gets more comfortable seeing the group of nine out there. However, the Hill and the Bray are two completely separate areas.

We wanted to experiment trying morning time Bray access for Cy’s group to see if a change in schedule would peak interest in other individuals who haven’t gone out yet. Though Mave, Dora, and Honey B didn’t go out, it was great enrichment for Jamie’s group! I am sure we will try this a few more times, as well as other ideas along the way. But really I think that they just need time. Once Cy’s group was off the Bray we did an early lunch forage for Jamie’s group, which everyone seemed to enjoy, especially Negra!

We have exciting news! We’ve been nominated in The Seattle Times, 2023 Best in the PNW Contest! Help us win this contest by voting today! You can vote once every day through June 30th by clicking here. CSNW is listed under the Services and Nonprofit category.

Negra did pretty well! She got a whole eggplant, sweet potato, and an endive and went straight back to the greenhouse to get cozy in her nest!

Foxie and her blue haired baby:

Burrito and Missy enjoying their forage together:

Missy and Foxie eating tomatoes:

Annie:

Burrito with a whole kohlrabi:

We put out a nut forage on the Bray for a little extra motivation. Willy B was very motivated!

Rayne was also able to score some nuts:

Look at this handsome Cy Guy:

Don’t forget to vote for us!

The Morning After Jubilee

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After yesterdays festivities, today has been pretty low-key for everyone. I think both chimps and humans are exhausted from such an awesome day of nonstop partying! If you didn’t see yesterdays blog, STOP EVERYTHING you are doing and look now! And if you missed Diana talking about Negra’s story, be sure to check that out too! Don’t forget that until the end of June all donations will be doubled until we reach $30,000. Follow this link to learn more about how you can help us reach our goal!

Cy on the Bray:

Lucky hanging out by the hammock:

Gordo heading back from exploring:

Willy B:

Guess who!

It’s Rayne!

How did we get so lucky to have such a sweet and kind soul like Terry?! It has been so fun to watch Terry grow in just the few years he has been at CSNW and watch him make new friends. I am not sure if we share this often, but he is quietly good friends with Honey B (maybe don’t tell Honey B). I often will see them on the cameras grooming or hanging out in the same area together. She even grooms with him from time to time! And I don’t know if I have ever met a gentler chimp than him. What I am trying to say is that Terry is just such a nice guy with a really good heart <3.

World Environment Day 2023

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Today is World Environment Day! World Environment Day has been held annually on June 5th since 1972 to raise awareness on issues our environment is facing and how to combat them. The events are also hosted by a city or nation to lead the theme and festivities. This year is being hosted by Côte d’Ivoire with the theme Solutions to Plastic Pollution with the social media hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution.

Here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we try as much as we can to limit our footprint on the environment. From composting uneaten foods to recycling paper to reusing items for chimpanzee enrichment, we are conscious of what we use, how we use it, and how to properly dispose of it. Through the TerraCycle programs, we have boxes setup throughout the sanctuary where staff and volunteers can get rid of used gloves and masks, which are then shipped off to be recycled. We also use Tru Earth laundry eco-strips. These strips if concentrated laundry detergent help us keep the chimpanzees’ blankets smelling fresh without the use of big plastic jugs detergent usually comes in. In fact, the packing itself is zero waste and can be composted. Did you know, the people were gracious enough to set up a fundraising page for us? Every purchased made at this link, 20% will be donated to help with the chimpanzee and cattle care!

For World Environment Day, I had a plan to have photos of the chimpanzees with today’s browse: wild roses!

The chimpanzees were faster than I had anticipated. After giving them access back to their Greenhouse after cleaning, Jamie’s group left nothing buy stems of the once beautiful roses. This photo of Jamie finishing off the last rose was all I was able to capture.

I apologize, but you will just have to imagine the chimpanzees with roses.

After all the roses were gone, it was time to relax. I couldn’t tell though if Burrito was relaxing or planning his next scheme.

(Hint: it was a scheme that involved a lot of play.)

On the other side of the sanctuary, Cy’s group had an amazing day on the Bray. The weather was perfect. The sun was out. The temperature was warm but not hot. And there was a breeze that would come through every so often.

Cy looking on as Rayne and Gordo explore Ryan’s Lookout.

Rayne and Gordo marching along.

Cy soaking up some sun.

Lucky looking out to the valley and river below the sanctuary.

Rayne waiting for the train to pass by.

While most were out on the Bray, some elected to stay behind and groom in the shade.

Mora!

Mave even was able to go into full relaxation mode.

The Rayne Attraction

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Rayne seems to be very well-liked within her group, but also among the humans that care for her too. I don’t know if everyone is aware of how obsessed we are with Rayne, well, besides Rayne herself, she is probably aware of how awesome we think she is. There is something about her, it feels like Rayne can handle just about anything with grace. I think we are all drawn to her self-confidence. She can stroll out onto the Bray, something so unfamiliar and scary, and later leave with all the confidence in the world, like it was just another day. She is truly a friend you want to have around. Rayne is not afraid to stand up for her friends, she will encourage them to go out of their comfort zone even when it seems scary, and reassure her friends in times of need. Rayne really is a sweet and gentle soul, but when she does decides to display, oh man, is it epic! The other thing we love about Rayne is how socially savvy she is. Raynie can somehow allow Honey B scream and chase her during a conflict and miraculously redirect into play. She is always finding ways to bring out Willy B’s silly side, but also accept him for the socially awkward chimp he is. Personally, I think she is incredible because she seems to take people as they are: the good, the bad, and the in-between. Rayne also reminds me of my friend Tatu, who is her half-sister, and for some reason it brings me comfort.

Another thing we love about her is her sense of fashion sense. It is unreal!

Rayne standing bipedal on the Bray as a train goes by:

I don’t know how we got so lucky to know a chimp like Rayne:

Bonus photos!

Lucky on the Bray today:

Willy B in the grass <3:

Foxie with 5 dolls:

Annie watching her noisy neighbors:

Can you believe Negra is turning 50 this year? As many of you might know, our Trifecta Jubilee is coming up on June 13th! We will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Cle Elum Seven’s arrival, Terry’s birthday, and of course Negra’s 50th birthday! On Saturday, June 10th at 2pm, we would love for you to join us for a virtual Sit Down with the Co-Directors!

Birthday Girl Herself, Queen Negra: