Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Rayne

Rayne Rayne Don’t Go Away

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I think many followers often wonder how we identify the chimps. It’s a fair question. Once you know them you will feel silly for ever having a hard time telling them apart. We obviously look at physical features, behavior, and even body language. For instance, when Foxie goes out onto Young’s Hill, even when she is far away I can see it’s her by the way she walks. She is quite stomp-y. I can also identify her by her sexual swelling that we describe as a bow tie at the end, her white beard, her tiny figure, the intensity in her eyes, and a very sassy personality. We can not go off of things like areas they commonly nest or if a particular chimp is holding a doll because we have fake Neggie’s among us and from time to time Jody carries a doll around. But for you viewers you only get photos and videos which can be hard. So I thought in this blog I would help you all identify a new member of ours, Rayne!

Rayne has kind and curious eyes, when you look into them you feel a sense of calm.

Rayne has a longer face and slender body. Rayne also has a white beard. She seems to have bigger ears than the others in her group and has a pronounced brow-ridge. Rayne also has a lack of freckles. Rayne’s forehead is also a little ashy, which we hope to be able to help with :).

Rayne also looks like Tatu. For those who do not know Tatu, she lives at the Fauna Foundation in Quebec Canada. Rayne and Tatu are also sisters! I worked with Tatu for many years and I see a lot of Tatu in Rayne.

Rayne’s sister Tatu knows sign language. Tatu is very articulate when she signs. Rayne’s long fingers remind me of Tatu’s.

I hope this helps everyone identify Rayne a little better!

Afternoon Photos

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Today was the first day The Lucky Six were out of quarantine! They have been in quarantine since they have arrived and during that time we took turns working with them each day. So it was nice to be able to pop over from time to time today and say hi! You will notice a lot of my photos are of them, as I was taking advantage of this. Sometimes it’s hard to get photos in the first half of the day since we are busy cleaning. This afternoon I spent some time walking around between the three different groups to see what photos I could get. Not only did I get some photos this afternoon, but a relaxing grooming session with Jamie and a play session with Dora!

Sweet Dora drinking from the extra tub of water we set up in their enclosure.

Gordo relaxing in one of their Playrooms.

Rayne was all about finding good resting spots today.

Lucky watching me from above.

Cy flipping through one of his magazines.

Cy taking a little break from looking at his magazines.

Jamie waiting to have a grooming session with my boots.

Foxie and her doll resting in the Greenhouse.

Honey B with her makeshift table and chair.

Morning Greetings

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Even though today is Sunday, it’s my “Monday” and I always look forward to coming back from my weekend and seeing the chimps again. We are so lucky as caregivers to be able to greet and be greeted by these amazing individuals. I love seeing how they all spend their mornings and what we can find them up to.

Some mornings are full of greetings and today was one of those days. Jamie was in a playful mood and wanted to play chase! We ran back and forth a couple times and then it was on to a short game of chase with Burrito. As everyone knows, he is ALWAYS ready to play. Negra was still lounging in her nest in the Greenhouse, but sweet Jody was waiting to greet me. As I moved along, Honey B was ready for a long game of chase! She wanted to play chase from the ground floor up to their Mezzanine. The Mezzanine is located above their front rooms and involves us climbing a ladder to get to the top level. Since I had to take the long route, Honey B would patiently wait until I got to the top and then would run back down.

As I was walking around the outside of building, Terry was excitedly waiting to say hi from a distance. Cy gave me a quick greeting from above, but went back to reading his morning magazine.

Each morning before we let the chimps onto Young’s Hill we walk around outside of the fence line to make sure everything still looks intact. Not only are we greeted by the chimps in the morning, but sometimes the cattle as well! I found them along my walk this morning and here are some photos.

Honey

Betsy

Nutmeg

Meredith

Here are some photos from the rest of the day!

Missy on the hill.

Jamie making sure things are in order.

Burrito making everyone’s heart melt.

Honey B always watching.

Willy B enjoying his night bag.

Willy B with his PVC peanut butter tube.

A photo of Rayne from last week using a box as a foot rest.

Gordo making good use of the same box.

Theme Scheme

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There is no real theme for today’s blog. Who needs a theme anyways! I just have these great photos I wanted to share with you all.

The beautiful, sophisticated, and distinguished Rayne.

Terry, Terry, Terry. He is too much!

Dora! Dora is so sweet. I posted this photo recently on our Instagram, but I thought it needed to be shared here too.

Mave with her legs crossed, giving that laid back feeling.

Yesterday was pretty warm. Honey B looked as though she was melting into her nest.

And of course Honey B shredding on her skateboard.

This morning as I let the seven onto Young’s Hill they all immediately race out to get a glimpse of the new neighbors.

Jamie spying.

Burrito standing bipedal so he could get a better look.

This guy Cy is the whole package! He is sweet, playful, a big goof, well read, and quite handsome.

Tiny a.k.a Foxie.

Negra was pretty silly today. She even let me snap of few close ups of her!

We are truly lucky to be able to spend some time with Lucky.

Don’t forget to check out the Amazon wish list. We have added a lot of books. The Lucky 6 seem to enjoy reading books and magazine just as much as Jamie!

They’re Here! They’re Here!

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Today was a wild and crazy day, but they are here. They are home! Words can not describe how excited we are to get to know Cy, Terry, Gordo, Lucky, Rayne, and Dora’s personalities more. For right now they are settling in well. I have to warn you, Cy is going to steal your heart, well Terry too. And maybe Lucky. Oh, Rayne and Gordo! Well, and then there is Dora. She might steal your heart too. We are so exhausted so us humans are going to go home and sleep!  We will share more tomorrow :).

Lucky was the first to go into the playroom. She so brave and after exploring Playroom 3 she ran straight out into Green House 3.

Rayne <3

Terry <3