Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Sanctuary

In memory of Susan

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This lovely day of sanctuary is sponsored annually by Jen Douglas in memory of her beloved friend, Susan von Beck Turner, on her birthday. Jen shared this message about her gift:

“Susan was a tireless animal advocate. She was unable to find a boarding facility that was suitable for her big Newfie mix, Cardiff, so she decided to build her own. She bought a piece of land, cleared it herself and built ‘Cardiff’s Lodge’ catering for bigger dogs, where the dogs could be outside playing and walked on hiking trails instead of being cooped up in a kennel all day. It was a dream vacation for dogs. Sadly, Susan passed away on October 16, 2014 and the world is a worse place without her.”

Jen, thank you so much for helping to ensure Susan’s legacy lives on and for including the chimpanzees’ and cattle in celebration of the wonderful person she was. We so appreciate all you, James, and your family have brought to the lives of the chimpanzees.

Burrito:

Willy B:

Flying Foxie and other assorted tales

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The Seven got off to an early start on Young’s Hill this morning, taking advantage of a short break in the near-constant rain we’ve been having this winter. Jamie took some of her breakfast to go, perhaps leading Missy to regret not saving any of her own.

Negra and Foxie waited for their neighbors to appear in the chute.

Missy and Burrito completed the first of many patrols.

Honey B, Willy B, and Mave continue to be enthralled with their new mirror. Honey B gazed at her reflection for a while this morning and later watched herself chew gum.

She managed to look dignified in all of the photos I took today, but the rest of the time she was making all of her human and chimpanzee friends laugh with her antics.

Willy B has been spending his time in front of the mirror investigating some teeth that appear to have gone missing.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the chimps have started to develop a new routine, the highlight of which is the pre-dinner display. Most of the chimps engage one another through the windows between the playroom and chute but Foxie has developed her own signature move, which involves pant hooting in front of the Howdy Door and then launching into a running double kick. After each kick, she listens intently for a response from the three on the other side of the wall. If she hears them, she screams and runs to her group mates for reassurance; if there’s no response, she launches another assault on the door.

While Foxie can work herself up into a frenzy this way, her friends don’t take her too seriously, as evidenced by Annie’s nonchalance.

Sanctuary and Enrichment

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As many of you all know, there are many different ways to enrich a chimp’s life. And here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest we have many different forms. We provide toys that the chimps like, blankets for nesting, food puzzles, and forages. We try really hard to find the chimps favorite items such as boots/books for Jamie, dolls for Foxie, wooden blocks for Burrito, Slinkies for Willy B, and etc. We also try to have their favorite produce, but also make sure they have a variety so they do not get bored of what they eat! Most importantly, we provide an outdoor area for the chimps to go outside. To see the chimps run freely and see no bars above their heads is Sanctuary to me and I hope them too.

As you will see in the video Anthony moved a giant mirror from the Greenhouse to the Mezzanine. We knew Willy B, Honey B, and Mave liked looking at themselves through our phones and cameras, not unlike us, it is natural for us to look at ourselves while we pass a mirror. Just as we thought the three loved it! It even makes a great displaying tool! Honey B spent a lot of time looking into it, climbing on it, and swinging it around. The other section in the video is of the seven chimps walking around the perimeter outside on Saturday. Jamie and Burrito lead the walk, Missy sprints to catch up, eventually Foxie joins at the last leg of the walk, and it ends with Jamie and Foxie chasing each other down the Hill. I quietly finish the walk with Burrito. I was reflecting on that walk and I am so thankful to see the chimps exploring their outdoor area and looking so carefree. Whenever I see Burrito walking around the Hill it warms my heart that he has healed so well and all the girls will walk around with him.

Snow in the winter is another great way to enrich the chimps! Last night it dumped snow, when I went to open Young’s Hill for the seven this morning the chimps ran out to grab snow.

Negra:

Burrito:

Little Foxie:

Annie:

Mave in the Middle

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Yesterday afternoon, the three “new” chimps (Honey B, Mave and Willy B) were so engrossed in a session of play wrestling that they almost forgot about dinner.

It’s somewhat unusual for all three of them to play this intensely at the same time. In fact, it may have been the most vigorous bout of rough-housing that I have seen them partake in. Mave took a quick break but was soon back in the midst of all the action, chuckling and somersaulting around. For a few minutes, it looked as if the other two might absorb fuzzy little Mave to become one gigantic megachimp amoeba, which is both concerning and adorable. At one point, Mave seemed to surface for air in between bouts of laughing into Honey’s thigh. Even Willy, who is normally quite serious when not dropping jaws with his slinky moves, let the ladies turn him into a total goof.

Of course, I featured this surprising and heartwarming event in yesterday’s blog.

Happy Birthday, Sharon!

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Sharon Saknit! Sharon shared this lovely message about her gift:

“It’s my birthday and I’d like to celebrate by giving back to CSNW!”

Sharon, what a generous gift to share your special day with the chimpanzees and the cattle! We truly appreciate getting to celebrate with you and the difference you’ve made in the lives of those who call the sanctuary home. Happy Birthday from all of us! Especially your handsome Pal, Willy B! 😉

Willy B!!

 

The Month of Love

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I spent the last few weeks fretting over our ambitious budget for 2020. It’s a dramatic increase from past years as we prepare for further expansion by adding staff and increasing all operational funds to care for more wonderful chimpanzees who will arrive this fall if the construction and the funds come together.

I will send out an e-newsletter next week to entice people to join our Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy programs, but I wanted to share the accompanying video with blog readers and social media followers first (see video above).

You all are the dedicated loyal supporters who follow along with rapt attention. Many of you are already Chimpanzee Pals, and a small handful are Bovine Buddies. Maybe you’ll consider adding another chimpanzee or bovine to sponsor?

You can also share the video and tell people why you are supporters – you’d be surprised how helpful it is to refer other people to the sanctuary!

Since you are still here, I’m guessing you want an update on the day today. I am more than happy to tell you that it was a great day.

It was cloudy and drizzling in the morning and I did not expect anyone to go outside, but Honey B, Mave, and Willy B spent time in the chute, and, in the other group, everyone but Negra took a walk around the hill despite the damp weather. They went counter-clockwise, for those keeping track.

Burrito was not very speedy, but he walked the entire perimeter. Foxie slowed down her brisk pace to stay with him, which just completely melted my heart.

When Foxie came back to the greenhouse, she took some time to release a troll doll from bondage:

Two things to note about the photos of Foxie: 1. That gray hair that J.B. mentioned yesterday! 2. The gorgeousness of Foxie brought out by the camera lens that was gifted to us off of our wish list. I love that camera lens!

While you are pondering which chimpanzee and/or bovine to sponsor, we could also really use some more Safeway gift cards from our wish list. It turns out that ten chimpanzees consume a lot more food than seven chimpanzees, and we find ourselves supplementing the weekly donated produce from Darwin’s Natural Pet Products via Charlie’s Produce quite regularly these days.

Thank you for everything you do to share your love of the sanctuary! Stay tuned for more videos and information for the month of love!

 

Until Tomorrow

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Today was unseasonably warm. The girls took off shortly after breakfast for the first of many patrols.

Burrito, on the other hand, cursed the mild weather and set out to eat every last patch of snow before it was too late.

Recently, the Washington State Department of Transportation released an image from their camera on Sherman Pass that some say looks like Sasquatch. If I didn’t know any better, I might think it was Burrito in search of more snow.

One of highlights of each day for the chimps is the moment the two groups are “reunited” at a distance. During the colder months, the outdoor enclosures are closed off at night so they can only call back and forth to each other through the walls. But each morning they meet again, and the displaying and flirting can be intense.

Here, you can see Mave and Willy B entering the chute while the Cle Elum Seven emerge from the greenhouse onto Young’s Hill with the remains of their lunch.

Burrito, Jody, Jamie, and Missy:

Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Jamie, and Missy:

Foxie and Jamie (look how gray Foxie is getting!):

Negra and Foxie:

Eventually both groups begin to resume their normal activities, checking on each other from time to time until they eventually go to bed for the night. Tomorrow, we’ll go through the whole routine again.