Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Big Step

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A big step forward for chimpanzees today. The NIH has decided to accept most of the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations proposed in January that include the retirement of the vast majority of chimpanzees supported by the federal government. Read the NIH press release here and the full report here.

Jody before and today

It is unfortunate that the NIH plans to hold fifty chimpanzees for possible continued research, as recommended by the IOM. We don’t see fifty as a generic number – we know that each of those fifty chimpanzees is an individual who should live out the rest of their life in sanctuary, but, overall, today represents  a leap forward for chimpanzees.  There will be no immediate breeding within that group of fifty and the NIH will revisit whether they believe it’s necessary to maintain that group in five years. The NIH also did not accept the  recommendation to provide 1,000 square of space per chimp for those chimpanzees who do remain in research – the NIH will be gathering more information on that recommendation.

Competition on the hill and Give Five update

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First, thank you for continuing to send the 5-year anniversary video to friends and colleagues. If you haven’t shared the video yet on Facebook, Twitter, by email, or whatever your preferred online network is, please do this weekend! The Give Five donations are still coming in, and we’re now up to $15,525! Every donation helps us to continue to provide quality care for the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees and to advocate for other great apes in need.

The wildlife on the property are also learning about the sanctuary. In addition to the deer who are quite familiar with our compost, the local crows have learned all about forages. They start swooping in when they see the humans walking around the hill. At first, the chimpanzees chased them off, but that must have grown tiresome. The chimps no longer seem bothered by their corvid neighbors, even as they fly away with a piece of chow or fruit.

crow on young's hill

The chimps just go about their business of foraging. Negra was quite adventurous this morning during the breakfast forage, even climbing up onto the shaky bridge again!

Negra on shaky bridge

Look at this contented face:

Negra stand on hill

 

negra in the grass

Burrito is a first-class forager:

burrito foraging on the hill

and probably most content when he is eating:

Burrito eating grapefruit on the treat rock

I posted a few more photos on some of the chimps’ Facebook pages earlier. I’m sure you’ve liked the sanctuary FB page, but have you liked all of the chimps on Facebook? On FB just type in their name followed by Chimpanzee and you’ll find their pages, or click on their images at the top of this page and you’ll see the link  to their FB page on the right side. Thanks for being their friends!

 

Negra on her own in the cabin

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There are very few jobs that provide as much fulfillment as working for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. It’s not a stress-free occupation, and there are some heavy issues that we deal with every day, but watching the chimpanzees settle into themselves and their lives at the sanctuary is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done. For me, a lot of that reward and the motivation to get through the stress comes from Negra.

It’s too simple to just say that I love her. I am devoted to her. Each new step she takes fills my heart even more. I mentioned this in my reflections for our 3rd Anniversary blog post, which is fun to read and hard to believe that was almost two years ago! I hope that Negra will be with us for many more years, but you never know what the future will bring. Each moment with her, and with all of the chimpanzees, is precious.

This morning was no exception. Volunteer Connie put out some lettuce on Young’s Hill and served the rest of breakfast in the greenhouse. Once Negra discovered the lettuce (one of her favorite foods) outside, she sat herself down in her cabin and enjoyed the warmth and comfort of the cabin that we named for her while all of the other chimpanzees were in the greenhouse. I didn’t want to get too close with the camera because Negra is at times weary of people taking photos when she’s on the hill, but I did take a few photos from a distance. I hope the photos make you as happy as seeing her out there made me.

Negra in cabin long view

Negra sitting in cabin with lettuce

Nesting in the Cabin!

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We are having another spring-like day at the sanctuary today. I can’t tell you how great it feels! I just got back from playing a very exhausting game of chase with Jamie. She wanted me to chase her while I was holding a very specific pair of boots that her friend Wanda T. sent her recently. While I was being run around the outside of the fence by Jamie and then Missy, J.B. was taking some photos. And, guess what? Annie was making the first nest we’ve seen anyone make in Negra’s cabin!

annie nesting in Negra's cabin

Annie was repeatedly distracted by Missy, who kept coming by and inviting Annie to chase and wrestle, but J.B. said Annie went back a few times to work on her nest.

Today is just the kind of day that is perfect for Negra’s Cabin. With the lexan walls blocking the wind and maximizing the warmth of the sun, it’s the coziest spot on the hill. We definitely still have some winter ahead of us, but the first nest in the cabin is a hopeful sign of spring days to come!

Speaking of the cabin – the sign is almost done and will be installed soon! The sign has all of the names of those who donated towards our 4th Anniversary Fundraising, helping to exceed our goal amount so we could spend a little of that raised to build Negra’s cabin. Thank you to everyone who contributed to that fundraising campaign. It’s probably one of the most unique cabins ever built, and we can’t wait to see the chimps, maybe even Negra, spending time out there soaking up the sun. It’s truly amazing what we’ve been able to give the chimpanzees since their arrival, and it’s all because of you.

Here are some sneak peak photos of the sign:

Negra's Cabin donor sign 1

Negra's cabin sign 2

Team Burrito Wins

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Burrito is sending a great big thank you to everyone who donated towards Team Burrito! He is now officially the Team Chimp winner, and aptly so with his 30th birthday happening tomorrow. We received 17 donations or pledges yesterday, totaling $1,200. One generous donation was “from” a dog named after a chimpanzee! I know I’ve said this before, but the Cle Elum Seven have the very best supporters. Burrito has quite a few admirers, and if you’re not yet one of them, below are some photos from over the years which will surely win you over. A big thank you to all who participated in the Team Chimp fundraising, making every one of the chimpanzees winners.

web burrito popper toy cute funny playroom PR _MG_5864 web burrito missy playface close up cute greenhouse gh IMG_6951 Burrito with peas web burrito popper toy cute funny poke playroom PR _MG_5881 web Burrito sit arms crossed cute framed by ladder gh IMG_8975 web Burrito cute face hold coconut birthday party playroom IMG_0022 burrito biting log Burrito eating snow web Burrito cute toy outdoor area greenhouse DSC_0804 burrito-cute-with-chow burrito hugging coconut web Burrito cute face greenhouse outdoor area IMG_0839

burrtio end of plank web Burrito Annie hug Negra foreground youngs hill release day first time yh DSC_0740 Burrito in the distance young's hill web Burrito eat snow Young's Hill YH IMG_0125 web Burrito sit in Negra's cabin blanket hold chow look at camera Young's Hill YH IMG_9701web Burrito platform on back Foxie Jamie YH IMG_0868 web Burrito sit on beam YH IMG_8894 burrito eating grass web Burrito sun in face YH IMG_1042 web Burrito stand on log YH IMG_8414

Burrito in box close-up web Burrito close-up greenhouse GH IMG_3639

taking care of the boss

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As we’ve mentioned before, grooming is an important aspect of chimpanzee culture. Between lunch and dinner in the afternoon is probably the most popular time for grooming among the Cle Elum Seven.

Even though she’s the boss, Jamie is not always the center of grooming. Missy grooms Jamie fairly often (see some photos from about a year ago on this blog post).

Missy grooming Jamie

But Burrito is a less frequent grooming partner to Jamie.

Today Burrito and Missy were both grooming Jamie at the same time as they all sat in front of one of the windows on the catwalk of the playroom.

web burrito jamie missy groom pr catwalk IMG_1328

 

Burrito kept looking at me while I was taking photos.

web burrito jamie missy groom closer up fr catwalk IMG_1324

web Burrito jamie groom look over shoulder pr catwalk IMG_1321