Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

rescue

Greenhouse Napping

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It’s hard to remember, but the space that we now call the greenhouse used to be the chimpanzees’ only outdoor area.

building without Young's Hill

Karen and Don Young visited in 2009, and we conceived the idea of encasing the caging in removable polycarbonate panels so that the chimpanzees could enjoy this space year round! The Youngs kicked off donations for this project and we raised the rest of the greenhouse funds at our 2009 auction.

Construction began in late 2009 and early 2010 (because what better time to embark on a construction project than winter?!). Those were some cold construction days, as Jim Spencer I’m sure still remembers.

greenhouse construction in snow

The result for the chimpanzees was so worth it! The greenhouse is their favorite area year round.

greenhouse in snow

When the weather starts to warm up in the spring, J.B. removes some of the panels, leaving the roof, so the chimpanzees enjoy their summer lounging in an indoor-outdoor space.

web jb removing greenhouse panels view youngs hill

Then, around this time of year (today, for example), J.B. buttons up the greenhouse for the winter, so the chimpanzees can enjoy the cooler months in the protected area that heats up with the rays of the sun, or, in the case of today, keeps out the rain.

Today, Jamie enjoyed nesting and napping up high on the platform today, where it’s warmest, as it poured and blew outside:

Jamie sleeping on platform

Jamie at rest

Jamie close up under blanket

Jamie with eyes closed

And, of course, she also ventured onto Young’s Hill during breaks in the rain.

Jamie standing on Young's Hill

Happy Birthday, Mary Ann!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Patrick and Carrie Hardie in honor of Mary Ann Hardie with the following message:

“It’s Mary Ann’s special day – warm wishes for a wonderful birthday from your big sister and brother-in-law.”

Patrick and Carrie, thank you so much for all you do for the chimpanzees! We are so touched that you would think of them in honoring Mary Ann on her birthday. Mary Ann, from all of us at CSNW, we hope you have a beautiful day full of all the things you love most – your own day of sanctuary. Happy Birthday!!

Jody always seems to know just how to enjoy every minute of her life:

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Safety in numbers

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Hank the hawk continues to use the sanctuary as his hunting grounds. But while the chimps were once scared of him, some of them are starting to enjoy having him around, if only for the excitement that he provides.

This morning, Missy was sitting quietly on a climbing structure on Young’s Hill.

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Foxie was nearby, with troll in hand.

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Missy approached Foxie and reached out her hand, holding it under Foxie’s chin.

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Then suddenly, she stood up, climbed down the ladder, and swung on the fire hose.

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She leaped off the fire hose and into a full sprint toward the top corner of Young’s Hill, where the hawk had been perched just days before.

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As soon as she reached the top, she turned and ran back to the climbing structure.

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And swung on the fire hose again.

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The other chimps took notice of Missy’s antics and started to move towards the top of the hill. Missy continued jumping, leaping, and tight rope walking while they gathered.

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They began to congregate on the platform closest to the top of the hill.

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They all looked around for any sign of the hawk.

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Finally, Jody walked toward the corner to get a better look.

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But Jody, it seems, does not share Missy’s sense of adventure. Not yet, at least.

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For now, she’d rather play it safe.

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Rainy day

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Sometimes on a rainy day, all I want to do is cuddle up with a blanket or two and read a good book or even take a nap. That has not been the case for Jamie today. She has kept herself quite active with the help of volunteer caregiver Becca, despite the rain. She has already walked around Young’s Hill four times in between heavy rain periods. And when it did start raining harder, she took action right away and ran the rest of the way around the hill.

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When she was not walking around Young’s Hill, she was flipping through magazines and inspecting some of her boots. And she even allowed herself some down time to sit quietly.

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Waiting for the boss

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The chimps spent most of the morning inside due to the rain. When it finally let up, Missy ran straight for the far corner of the hill. Something was up.

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Jody followed after her but seemed nervous about getting too close.

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They both looked around for reassurance.

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Annie was perched safely on the bridge, and showed no interest in putting herself in danger.

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And Neither Foxie nor Burrito showed any willingness to come down from their platform to join the patrol.

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Finally, Missy spotted Jamie at the bottom of the hill and asked for her help with an outstretched arm.

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Jody’s hair was standing on end (also called “pilo erection”), showing her nervousness. She approached Missy for reassurance.

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Neither seemed to have the courage to get any closer.

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At one point, Missy got spooked and decided to bolt, leaving Jody all by herself.

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Lucky for her, help was on the way.

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With Jamie on the case, Missy decided to rejoin the group.

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They headed toward the top corner of Young’s Hill.

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As it turns out, the subject of their apprehension was a hawk that had been roosting on one of the fence posts. The chimps promptly scared it away.

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Jamie is so cool in moments like these. While Missy ran around frantically and Jody looked on helplessly, Jamie calmly strutted her way up the hill, totally confident in her ability to protect her home from invaders. I guess there’s a reason why she’s the boss.

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Droopy lip vs heavy lip

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My all time favorite chimpanzee facial expression is the “relaxed face with drooped lip.”

Jody is famous for her drooped lip face. In fact, I discovered today that if you do a google image search for “drooped lip chimpanzee,” the first three images that come up are of Jody!

But there’s another set of perhaps not as famous lips among the Cle Elum Seven – those of Negra. Rather than classic drooped lip, we like to describe Negra’s lips as “heavy.”

Below are some examples of each. What do you think is more charming – Jody’s drooped lip or Negra’s heavy lip?

 

JODY:

Jody drooped lip face profile

web Jody in grass drooped lip face YH IMG_2441

web Jody sit on structure YH drooped lip IMG_3467

web jody relaxed face drooped lip GH (dm) IMG_8183

web Jody close up drooped lip Young's Hill YH IMG_5486

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Jody drooped lip while walking

 

NEGRA:

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web_Negra_lie_under_blanket_catwalk_lip_protrude_pr_dg_IMG_4616

web Negra room four close up arms crossed lip out looking toward window

web Negra funny lip close up outdoor area IMG_0112

Negra heavy lip with eyes closed

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Portraits

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As volunteers at CSNW advance in their training, there comes a point when they are tested on their ability to identify the chimps. Understandably, this can cause some anxiety. After all, when you are new to being around chimps, you can’t help but focus on how different they look from us, instead of how different they look from each other. At first you look for prominent features and try to put them together like a puzzle:

Missing ear + Big belly + Bald head = Negra

Missing toes + Heart shaped brow ridge + Hairless forearms = Jody

Perfect posture + Intense gaze = Jamie

Notch in ear + Kind of looks like Shrek = Annie

Slight build + Troll in hand = Foxie

No neck + Silvery back = Missy

Testicles = Burrito!

But then one day it all comes together, and instead of seeing individual features, you see personalities. Instead of seeing parts, you see people. And you wonder how on earth you could have missed it before.

Missy:

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Jody:

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Negra:

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Jamie:

Jamie_cropped_close_up_profile_YH_jb_IMG_3976

Annie:

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Burrito:

Burrito_cropped_YH_look_near_camera_jb_IMG_3931

Foxie:

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