Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
I am truly sorry everybody. I had a completely different blog written out today ready to post, however, due to technical difficulties I was not able to upload the video I had to YouTube. That blip kind of threw a wrench in my blog plans since the video was the centerpiece for the blog. Hopefully next time I will be able to load it.
In the meantime, please enjoy how a-DORA-ble Dora was taking a nap this afternoon. Ok. I will see myself out for that one.
J.B. and I have been monitoring the chimps on the security cameras since the integration. We’re not watching them all the time, but we have a couple of iPads on after hours so we can take a look if we hear anything. It’s been interesting to see the changes in where the chimpanzees bed down for the night.
Initially, after the first few months of the integration, Honey B, Mave, and Willy B would sleep together in the front room area with the other group of six scattered about. At some point, this changed. I can’t say for sure, but I believe it was Mave who made the first integration move, choosing to make a nest in the catwalk of the Lupine Playroom near some of her new friends. From the other group, I saw Rayne on a couple of occasions nesting in the front rooms with Honey B, Willy B. and Mave or just Honey B and Willy B.
After a few months, I noticed that Willy B would start his nesting in the front rooms, but at some point in the night, he would make his way to the Mezzanine. Now, he disappears into the playrooms. This is all part of the integration process and one that is happening on their own timeline and based on nuances in their relationships and personalities that are a bit of a mystery.
Honey B has always liked the cubby in the mezzanine, and she is a woman of routine who knows what she likes. Given the happenings in the video I put together today, we’ll just see how things shake out.
As I’m writing this, the chimp house is very, very quiet. The most noticeable sound is the hum from the printer on the desk next to me – a sound that is downed out during the day when there is a bustle of activity on the part of the humans and often loud chimpanzee vocalizations coming from both wings of the building.
In this moment, all ten chimpanzees are deep asleep after a full day of exploration, eating, socializing, playing, and displaying.
Chimpanzees are masters at sleeping. Seeing a chimp either casually day-napping or deep into a night’s sleep makes me want to close my own eyes and drift into that other world of unconsciousness.
Burrito, Annie, Jody, Jamie, Negra, Foxie, and Missy have had (if I did the math correctly) 4,122 sleepful nights at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
Willy B, Mave, and Honey B have only been here 41 days. I think this photo that Katelyn took recently is the only close-up we have of any of those three sleeping. Hopefully we will have many, many more days to capture and share images of their unique faces in peaceful slumber.
Goodnight from everyone at the sanctuary. Sleep well.
Negra simply wasn’t ready for this day to start. After a brief hello, she started drifting back to dreamland.
She tried her best to get out of bed, but it was just too comfortable.
What’s the point of getting up, anyway? It would be at least another ten minutes before breakfast would be ready.
Ten minutes is a lot of sleep.
Surely someone would let her know when it’s time to eat.
Negra may not have been able to muster up a lot of energy this morning, but we’re excited to wish everyone a Happy Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day! Anna told you the other day about all of our hardworking interns and volunteers; now it’s time to shine the spotlight on our hardworking staff.
Here’s Kelsi, who spends her weekends working as a Lead Caregiver at the sanctuary:
Anna, who coordinates the sanctuary’s educational events and chimpanzee enrichment program:
Elizabeth, who coordinates our internship and volunteer programs, and who has a preternatural talent for avoiding being photographed:
And Katelyn, who manages the office and keeps in touch with our hundreds of incredible donors and supporters:
As you can see, every staff member at CSNW works directly with the chimps in addition to their other duties – they clean, serve meals, give medications, train interns and volunteers, participate in positive reinforcement training with the chimps, and go on endless walks with Jamie. They get dirty, they stay late, and they put every bit of their hearts into their work.
Happy Animal Sanctuary Caregivers Day to the staff at CSNW and to our friends and colleagues at sanctuaries everywhere!
It’s been very quiet here today. Freezing rain has left everything coated in a thick layer of ice, making it nearly impossible to travel to or from the sanctuary.
Jamie didn’t seem too upset by the fact that her two-acre habitat had frozen over. In fact, she seemed to relish the opportunity to stay inside, make a cozy nest with blankets, giant stuffed animals, and her favorite boots, and leisurely flip through a new book about primates.
We give out over 70 fleece blankets each day so that the chimps can sleep in clean, comfortable nests. Night nests are usually built up off the ground on the catwalks in the playroom or on benches in the smaller front rooms. Sometimes the chimps sleep near each other, other times they seek privacy.
Annie often gathers blankets from the playroom and front rooms to build her nest on a front room bench. Its takes a lot of work to get the nest just right.
Can you believe it? It’s actually 2017!
A new day of a new year – fresh and waiting for what is to come.
Friend of the sanctuary Kathleen, who has donated her amazing graphic design talents on many projects for the sanctuary over the last few years, has the unique privilege of having this day in her honor.
David Guernsey sponsored today in Kathleen’s honor with this message, When asked what Kathleen wanted for Christmas, her reply was a gift to her favorite friends at Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW. January 1st seemed like a fitting day as I know she shares your excitement in the expansion of the sanctuary property. Happy New Year CSNW.
Thank you, David, and thank you, Kathleen for all of the wonderful things that you do for your chimpanzee friends.
Here’s to Hope.Love.Home…Sanctuary for more chimpanzees!
I thought I’d bring back a video in honor of Kathleen from last year of BFFs Missy and Annie, because this kind of love and silliness is what sanctuary is all about:
and some bonus photos of Negra, because… Negra:
