Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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A Very Merry Chimp House Christmas

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We have been counting down for twelve long days (and planning for even longer) and it’s finally here! Today, we celebrated Christmas with celebrations that included wrapped presents, stockings, fireplaces, and a feast with baked sweet potato, fresh green beans, berries, and vegan Field Roast! What a day.

To all of the supporters who donated items from our wish lists for today’s celebration – a very hearty thank you from all of us! We could not do what we do without all of you who support us from home- you are truly the founders of the feast!

No matter what holiday you celebrate, or if you don’t celebrate at all, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season! 🙂 Stay safe, stay warm, and enjoy this special time of year!

Annie enjoying her Christmas Feast:

Annie taking a nibble on the Christmas tree:

Burrito enjoying his holiday drink:

Jamie checking out what she got in her stocking:

Jamie enjoying the drinks!

Jamie and Missy sharing a sweet moment in the greenhouse:

Missy:

More on the Christmas Celebrations & photos from Cy’s side coming tomorrow! Thanks, Jenna. 🙂

On the Eighth Day of Christmas…

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On the eighth day of Christmas, the chimps received cozy blankets. I think you all can guess who put these blankets to good use!

Special thank you to:

CeeCee M. for bidding on cozy fleece blankets for the chimps!

And thank you to everyone who has donated blankets to us over the holiday!

It’s Negra, of course:

Negra in her morning nest. She greeted me and then went back to sleep :).

On the Fifth Day of Christmas…

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Can you believe we’re already at Day Five of our Christmas countdown?! It’s hard to believe that Christmas Eve is this next weekend, even though our foyer is beginning to look like Santa visited early. 🙂 Thanks to everyone who has donated from our wish list! Click here if you want to check it out, there’s still items remaining that we need for the upcoming holiday weekend!

This morning when I went to say good morning to Jamie’s group, I was met with a very playful Burrito who still had the buffalo blanket from yesterday! He had it on his back while he ran across the front rooms to initiate a game of chase. Foxie, on the other hand, was waiting in the Front Rooms with her new Strawberry Shortcake doll. She handed it out to me before twirling away and coming back to take it. On the other side of the chimp house, the Dora Blanket is in the laundry process before being put back in for the 9 to enjoy again. How fun it is to see the chimps enjoying their presents- thank you so much to all those who participated in the Comfort & Joy online auction!

Today, we gave Negra and pals the *fabulous* Negra Blanket! This may be the best Negra blanket to ever exist in all of history. You may ask, how many Neggies is too many Neggies? And the answer is that it’s a trick question – there are never too many Neggies! The blanket features twelve photos of Negra living her best life, which often involves a huge nest and lots of soft blankets. 🙂 Check out the video for more!

Special thank you to:

(our very own) Chadwick de Bree for donating the Negra Blanket

Speaking of Chadwick de Bree – have you seen the news about our exclusive upcoming virtual visit? You will have the opportunity to meet Chad, our enrichment coordinator, and discuss all things enrichment! Click here to learn more and to register.

Handsome Burrito watching the snow fall outside:

Jody enjoying her warm nest:

Negra taking an after-breakfast nap:

Willy B trying to be sneaky:

Willy B watching Cy:

Foxie being silly while playing with her dolls:

Happiest of Birthdays to You, Linda!

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Our sincerest gratitude to Adam and Aimee for sponsoring today in honor of your mom’s birthday!

“Happy birthday to a woman who is full of grace, love and lessons. For always being someone we could look up to. Happy birthday to a wonderful mother. Love Adam and Aimee”

Happy, happy birthday Linda! From all of us here, we hope your day is beautiful and filled with lots of love and smiles.

Celebrate your day with some moments from earlier this year.

Gordo serving some serious side-eye in the Riverfront Greenhouse:

Annie enjoying her lunchtime chow:

Foxie being her sassy self:

Rayne enjoying a lunchtime forage:

Jamie resting on her nest, under a blanket, in the sun:

 

In Memory of Gina & A Celebration of Love

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From all of us here at the sanctuary, thank you Douglas for sponsoring today in honor of your wife, Gina!

“In memory of my wife, Gina, who died earlier this year. Today would be our 32nd wedding anniversary. Although she did not know of the Sanctuary, she loved all animals and wanted to protect them all. I started following your blog because I grew up in Wenatchee and I believe my mother had some relatives in Cle Elum. Now, I am grateful for your care for these terribly wronged chimpanzees and I know Gina would whole-heartedly approve.”

We are so thankful for your support, Douglas, and our hearts are with you!

A flashback to summer forages with Negra and her ear of corn!

Jamie with her summer forage haul:

Annie enjoying her lunchtime chow:

Gordo enjoying the summer sunshine in the Riverview Greenhouse:

 

 

 

On the First Day of Christmas…

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Happy holidays, everyone! No matter what (or if) you celebrate, this is the perfect time of year to take stock of everything you are grateful for in life. Here at CSNW, we are deeply grateful for the amazing support we receive from all of you. Thanks to you, we are able to provide sustainable sanctuary to all the residents in our care. This includes giving all 16 chimps creative enrichment items and, if you participated in last months online auction, you helped us do just that!

With that in mind, today is the first of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Each day we will be highlighting the items that were bid on during our recent Comfort & Joy online auction. Today, for the first day, we decided to go with Squishmallows!!!

Thank you to:

Anne M. for donating the Crab Squishmallow

Sara L. for donating the Starfish Squishmallow

Peggy V. for donating the Fish Squishmallow

Diane M. for donating Gary The Giraffe Squishmallow

Susan H. for donating the Squishy Dinosaur Pal

Thank you to these special donors and to everyone who participated!

A special thanks also to you, the person reading this blog right now. We love sharing our days with you and really look forward to your interactions and comments. You help us increase our inter-web reach and allow more people across the world to get to know and fall in love with our amazing residents. Every like, comment, and share helps get the word out to more people! So, thank you. 🙂 And happy holidays!

Lucky, hugging her groups new Squishmallows:

Annie, munching on her groups cabbage forage before inspecting the new Squishmallows:

Mave, holding her BFF Dora’s hand while also rocking a sock:

Today’s Bluebird Blue Sky:

And, if you’re wondering about the location of a certain Baby Yoda Squishmallow… it’s still in the foyer acting as Caregiver Emotional Support. 🙂

BONUS PHOTO: Sweet Annie-bird enjoying dinner last week

Eagle Eyes

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When I stop by the chimp house, I am occasionally greeted by chimps excitedly waiting to play, groom, or go on walks, but the majority of the time, the overall vibe is one of indifference. I can pop into the foyer, grab a package or some receipts, and head back to the office without garnering much attention. The other day, however, as I stood in the foyer, I could hear Jamie stomping on the floor in the playroom. She often does this when she can see something she wants in the kitchen from her limited vantage point in the playroom loft.

I was pretty sure she wasn’t trying to get my attention. I never stepped foot in the kitchen, had no food on me, and was wearing the same old black rain boots that I always wear around the farm this time of year. Still, she kept stomping. As I walked into the chimp area to see if I could figure out what she wanted, she let out a low moan and raced down to the floor where I stood. She extended her fingers through the cage towards my boots. Then I remembered…I was actually wearing a different pair of black rain boots – ones that are, to my mind, very similar and virtually indistinguishable from a distance to most people. But Jamie is not most people.

There’s a lot going on here. First, there’s the fact that she can discern the subtle differences between plain black boots from a distance of 70 feet. Second, it’s clear that she has a pretty good memory of the boots she has seen me wear for these to be viewed as so novel and interesting. And finally, there’s the unanswerable question: Why does she care about boots so much?

As someone who owns two pairs of nearly identical boots, I’m not sure I’m in any position to question or criticize anyone else’s interest in footwear.

jamie chimpanzee in nest with boot