Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.
Last month, I was taking pictures of Annie quietly grooming herself in the Playroom. Jamie barged in (clearly on a mission), interrupting the otherwise serene moment. Today, I was going through the photos from that day and I couldn’t help but be impressed and inspired by Annie’s flexibility. I’m in even more awe at how easy she makes this look, especially after trying to recreate the same “yoga” pose myself.
The ever beautiful Annie.
Age: 41ish. Her birthday is unknown, but it’s estimated she was born in 1975. We celebrate her birthday on September 23 each year.
Nicknames: Miss, Miss-Miss, Little Bigfoot (we often joke that she resembles Bigfoot when she stands bipedally on Young’s Hill)
Best friend: Annie
Favorite foods: Tomatoes!
Distinguishing physical characteristics: distinctive white patch above her upper lip on the left side of her face, somewhat square body with no neck (she does have a neck, it’s just short).
Favorite things to do: Running, jumping, sprinting, climbing and other various acrobatic feats (including, but not limited to, firehose walking, leaping and balancing), building big nests and playing with Annie. She is also pretty serious about grooming sessions, including grooming herself with a tool.
Personality: active, energetic, graceful, adventurous, good sense of humor
Other: First to offer support/back up to the other chimps and she almost didn’t make it to sanctuary.
You can find out more about Missy’s story before coming to CSNW here.
Hi everyone! My name is Whitney and I am filling in for Keri as a temporary staff caregiver for the chimpanzees while she is on maternity leave. I began volunteering at CSNW about two years ago, and one of my favorite things about coming here is witnessing the chimpanzees’ confidence grow.
Today was no exception. As background to this story, any time we enter part of the chimpanzees’ enclosure to clean, every staff member, intern, and volunteer present in the building must perform a series of safety checks before the room in question can be unlocked. Part of the checks involve visually identifying all seven chimpanzees in rooms other than the one we want to enter.
This morning I went to identify the chimpanzees so we could enter the playroom for cleaning, and after extensive searching I could only find two of them in the building. Lo and behold, five of the seven were way out on the hill! It took some time, but I eventually saw Burrito, Jody, Missy, Foxie, and Annie as they explored the hill, occasionally appearing between bamboo and climbing up their magnificent climbing structures. I remember that just two years ago it was a delightful surprise to see any of the Seven out exploring the hill, even close to the greenhouse, and now it seems to be a daily occurrence that they are not only on the hill but are now confident enough to explore their home far and wide.
I couldn’t get any pictures while they were out on the hill this morning, but here are a few of my favorites from this afternoon. Some grooming, some lunch, some play time with friends.
Annie (right) grooming her best friend Missy (left):
Burrito, caught in a rare playful mood (just kidding, he’s almost always in a playful mood):
Foxie grooming her foot:
Jamie, ever inventive, enjoyed her lunch at a makeshift table:
Today, Burrito was checking out his reflection in a plastic mirror.
Foxie enjoyed some bottled water (we’re still waiting on tests of our well water since it was contaminated during the fire).
Missy and Annie spent some time grooming. Missy likes to groom herself with a tool – in this case she ripped a splinter from a log. If you look closely you can even see some dandruff falling.
Annie likes to pick Missy’s nose. Missy tolerates it but doesn’t seem to enjoy it. I don’t blame her – Annie doesn’t bite her nails down like the other chimps do.
