Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

seattle

Hype for HOOT!

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It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. At times, it’s felt more like a haunted house full of people who have all taken hallucinogenics (or something that is equally chaotic, confusing, and concerning).

Still, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate and we have much to be hopeful for. The chimps’ lives have been largely unaffected by the public health crisis and we’re working hard to keep it that way. Despite the economic uncertainty and logistical hurdles, we’ve managed to keep the residents happy and healthy, sustainably expand our staff, make upgrades to our existing property and facilities, and begin constructing new areas that will hopefully provide a home for more rescued chimpanzees.

All of this progress would be impossible without the financial support that comes from generous supporters, and we’re getting ready to host our biggest fundraising event of the year: HOOT 2020!

Unlike previous years, this edition of HOOT! will be a virtual celebration so that you can all participate from the comfort of your home (or office… we won’t tell anyone if you choose to spend your work day bidding on items). Of course, we’d love to be hosting you all in Seattle for a big ole’ shindig, but the “virtualness” of this year’s party has some benefits of its own. As always, there are some amazing items and experiences up for auction (bidding starts September 2nd!) and the itinerary also includes a happy hour and a pant-hoot contest.

The preparations have been underway for quite some time, but some aspects of the event are still developing. Burrito witnessed something that excited him today, but you’ll have to tune into the event to see what it was…

To get started, you can go to the HOOT! 2020 website hosted by Auction Frogs. Seriously, go to the website! I’m not going to post too many spoilers here, but we have a lot planned for this big event!!!

P.S. Here’s a little spoiler. Saxophone by Tobi Stone.

A big week!

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We’ve got a big week full of excitement planned here at the sanctuary. This Thursday we are celebrating the 11th year of the chimpanzees’ arrival at their forever home in Cle Elum. Of course, the chimps’ party planning committee is working hard to make the day special for them!

Here’s Jody during last year’s party forage:

We also celebrate Negra’s honorary birthday on the same day (June 13th). This week she will be turning 46 years old!

As if this wasn’t already enough excitement, staff, volunteers and many amazing supporters are all ending the week together in Seattle at HOOT! our big gala fundraising celebration. There are just a few tickets left in case you haven’t purchased yours yet. This year everyone gets to participate in the big day, even if you can’t make it to the actual venue. First, you can start by previewing what’s going to be up for auction here. Then, starting tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., you can get involved in the auction and start pre-bidding online!

So much to celebrate, we can’t hardly wait!

Rainy Memories

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You have probably heard about, or maybe you are experiencing, the dramatic storm that is hitting the Pacific Northwest today.

The majestic Cascade Mountain Range protects Cle Elum from a lot of the wetter weather that our friends to the west in the Seattle area receive, and we are certainly not getting the extreme rain and wind that is expected closer to the coast. Nevertheless, it rained ALL day today, and it’s still coming down.

This is what the chimpanzees were up to today (similar to many of you, I suspect):

 

Jamie watching the rain from the greenhouse:

Jamie looking out of greenhouse

Don’t worry – Jamie managed to get a walk in before it really started to come down.

 

Annie nesting in the front rooms:

Annie in nest

 

Yesterday, Margaret, a friend and supporter who has known the chimpanzees since their arrival, reminded me of the first time the chimpanzees experienced a real rainstorm at the sanctuary. Margaret was volunteering that day. It was almost exactly eight years ago.

I wrote about the chimpanzees’ experience and posted photos in the blog post Rainstorm Bravery. This was three years before Young’s Hill was complete and before the greenhouse panels were on, so the rain came down right into what is now the greenhouse.

Imagine your very first experience being able to go out into a rainstorm (or just watch from the safety and comfort of your bed). Though they were in their 20s and 30s, everything in their sanctuary life was just so new to the chimpanzees.

Today, the rain doesn’t faze them too much, but when we get thunderstorms or other out-of-the-ordinary weather, they do still react. One of my favorite experiences at the chimp house was watching Burrito do a “rain dance” in 2013.

In honor of the power of weather, the connection that we have to our environment, and the inner chimpanzee in all of  us, I’ve reposted the video below.

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm as you wait out the storm.


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Go Hawks!

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Today is Blue Friday, which around the Seattle area means that fans shows their support for the Seahawks by wearing their favorite blue and green Seahawks gear. Since the team will be playing in their first playoff game tomorrow night, we thought we’d join in the spirit and throw a Blue Friday party for the chimps! We had broccoli and grapes for a forage, as well as tea in blue and green champagne flutes, and watered down blue gatorade in Seahawks cups.

The party set-up:

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The blue drinks were a bit hit! Everyone had a taste.

Jamie:
Jamie

Annie:
Annie

Burrito:
Burrito

Burrito

Jody:
Jody

Negra:
Negra

Missy:
Missy

Jamie loved the table we setup with the forage and the decorations:

Jamie drink tea

Jamie eat broccoli

Jamie Seahawks football

We’re glad we were able to throw a fun party for the chimps in the spirit of camaraderie of the pacific northwest fans. Running a sanctuary is all about teamwork, and we are lucky to have some really great fans of our own!

Jamie

Jamie’s Winter Distraction

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This morning, as usual and despite the cold temps, Jamie was eager to take a walk. I got a boot and proceeded to walk up the hill to meet her (me on the other side of the fence, of course). At first I couldn’t find her, then I spotted her on one of the climbing structures. She was too distracted by her task to take the walk, so I went back and grabbed the camera instead.

I’m trying something new here and embedding a video posted on Facebook. Let me know what you think!
 

Post by Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

 

So Like Themselves

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This morning I was contemplating how we as humans view chimpanzees and how my own views of chimpanzees have changed after getting to know many different personalities. And then I got to the computer and saw these photos that J.B. had taken this morning while strolling with Jamie and Missy.

I know most of you reading this already know how seriously we take safety, but for those who might be reading for the first time, I like to make sure it’s clear that J.B. was safely on the outside of the double electric fence when he took these photos.

No fence, however, prevents us from taking part in the lives of the chimpanzees – Jamie insists on her human caregivers joining in her strolls. And Missy sometimes comes along for the exercise, fun, and companionship too.

Today, Missy got an extra surprise – Jamie’s Halloween / birthday bag that was left at the top of the hill yesterday (see the Jamieween video for reference).

Jamie and Missy walking

Missy and Jamie walking

Missy standing up

Jamie and Missy

Missy looking in bag

After taking a look in the bag, I’m guessing Missy ran down the hill at breakneck speed – not because of what she saw, but because this is what she likes to do. She sometimes joins Jamie in strolling down the perimeter, but Missy’s speed is usually on “fast,” and she really enjoys running down from the very top of the hill, leaving us slower folks in her dust.

Jamie, on the other hand, makes sure that her human walking partner is keeping up:

Jamie looking back

 

Walking around the hill is perhaps Jamie’s greatest pleasure. This is the face of contentment:

Jamie looking awesome

Many people, when first learning about chimpanzees, are in awe of how similar they are to humans. And, in fact, many behavioral researchers have spent years comparing chimpanzees to humans in so many ways – language ability, counting prowess, puzzle-solving, teamwork, etc, etc, etc. I think this is what first interested me in non-human great apes. And it still does. It’s remarkable to see Jamie communicating her desires with her human caregivers using gestures, using a (plastic) screwdriver, drawing with a ball point pen, playing with an iPad, and many other activities that she enjoys. And their similarities don’t end on the individual level – observing the social interactions of chimpanzees often really does resemble watching a human reality show – strong personalities and lots of drama.

But what I like most about chimpanzees now, and I think what more and more people are being drawn towards, is their chimpanzee-ness. It’s true that they are so like us, and we, in turn, are so like them, but what they are even more like is themselves, and that’s what makes them fascinating, wonderful, and deserving of protection.