Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Sponsor-a-day

In honor of Team Burrito

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A second day of sanctuary was sponsored today by Lisa McCurdy and her husband, Chris Grattan, both of whom so generously serve as two of the members of the amazing team we’re fortunate to work with as our board of directors. They shared this beautiful message about their gift:

“This first day of December is in honor of Burrito and his resilience as he continues to heal. May this new month bring healing — body and soul –for Burrito and all the beautiful souls who have saved him time and again. With love from the Grattans.”

Lisa and Chris, we’re so touched by your kind and generous hearts and truly appreciate all that you do to help ensure the well-being of all your fellow primates at the sanctuary, as well as the bovines!

We love this guy so very much and are so grateful for all the healing, care and support surrounding him, and us all, these past many weeks:

Happy Birthday, Tom!

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Lisa Babb in honor of Tom English on his birthday!

“Tom is my partner and fiance. This (Dec 1) is his 55th birthday. He is a true hero of dog rescue in our area, and the kindest person I’ve ever met. He and I obsessively follow CSNW and love each and every chimpanzee in your care. He cries at the posts a lot and is very emotionally invested. Wishing the best for Burrito!”

Lisa, thank you so much for your generous contribution to the chimps’ lives in sanctuary as you and Tom celebrate his special day! We so appreciate you following the chimps and including them today! Most of us have cried over one post or another and we write them! 🙂 And thank you for sending all the good thoughts to Burrito!

Tom, thank you for the work you do for our canine friends! May all the love your big heart sends out come back to you many times over. Happiest of birthdays to you!

We’re so grateful for all the love and healing being held for this special man chimp, Burrito, and can’t wait for him to be back to his old self. We love him so.

Happy Birthday, Mari!

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Today was sponsored by Lynn Wilson, in honor of Mari, to wish her a Happy (Belated) Birthday!

“Mari has come to love all of the chimps since following them after the 3 came from California. She would love to bundle Burrito up in a blanket and hold him tight.”

Thanks so much, Lynn for adding to the chimpanzees’ lives through your celebration of Mari! We so appreciate you thinking of them all in this way.

Mari, we hope you have a beautiful day, full of all that makes your heart happy! Thanks so much for following Mave, Honey B and Willy B on their journey to their new home and for embracing all ten members of this chimpanzee family.

Mave:

Honey B:

Willy B:

 

In honor of the CSNW staff, interns and volunteers

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This special day of sanctuary and gratitude is sponsored by Dr. Jennifer Wallace in honor of the humans of CSNW! Jen shared this lovely message about today:

“On this day of thanks, I would like to express my gratitude to all of the CSNW staff, interns, and volunteers. Special thanks to J.B., Diana, Anna, Kelsi, Anthony, Katelyn and Dr. Erin. I am so grateful there are compassionate and dedicated people such as yourselves to provide a safe, loving and comfortable home to the 10 chimpanzees in your care. The world is a better place with all of you! Happy Thanksgiving!”

Jen, thank you for such a kind and gracious gift for the chimpanzees and humans here! We are so touched. Please know the profound gratitude that we hold in our hearts for you, Dr. Erin Zamzow and Dr. Erika Nelson Rinear, and all the incredible veterinary and medical professionals who give so generously of your amazing skills and incredible hearts to help ensure the highest level of health and well-being possible for the chimpanzees.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Our beloved Burrito guy seems most appropriate to share as we celebrate the gratitude in our hearts:

Today is for Linda Goodrich

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by me, Diana, in memory of my aunt Linda Goodrich. Linda was a long-time supporter of the sanctuary, first making a donation as a wedding gift for me and J.B.

Linda lived her life with a sense of adventure and independence and followed the Golden Rule by treating people with kindness.

Though she lived a few states away in Colorado and wasn’t able to visit the sanctuary as she would have liked, Linda considered the chimpanzees part of her extended family and had a soft spot for her buddy Burrito. She always appreciated the calendars of the chimpanzees I would send each year as Christmas gifts.

It has been several years since I have seen Linda. I am so sorry I wasn’t more present during these last few years while she went through cancer treatment.

I made arrangements to go to her service which was last Friday in Colorado, but cancelled those plans at the last minute because of the emergency procedure for Burrito. I know Linda would have understood and would have been sending good wishes and prayers for Burrito.

My sister-in-law posted some photos of Linda’s service and the displays at the service included several photos of the chimpanzees that Linda had received in the mail over the years. It warms my heart knowing that the chimpanzees were a part of her celebration of life.

 

 

Connections Made and Lost

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Working at a chimpanzee sanctuary, I never anticipated the number of (human) people I would get to know. I like to say, because I believe it is verifiably true, that the chimpanzees have brought the most amazing people into my life.

No one has ever called me a social butterfly, but even an introvert like me has managed to develop unexpected relationships over the years with those who hold the chimpanzees in the hearts. I can’t help but respect people who love the chimpanzees. Even if I don’t know donors very well, I think about them often.

Because of our sponsor-a-day and personalized/memorial stone fundraising programs, we learn about the people (human and non) in the lives of donors who they love and, often, who they have lost. It’s an intimate view that we wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s something that is special way beyond the dollars that are generated to help care for the chimpanzees.

When donors themselves pass, sometimes we find out because relatives make donations in their honor and sometimes, because we’ve had a personal connection to them at some point, we find out like any friend or acquaintance would – through the heartbreaking announcements that those left behind make in order to inform everyone that someone irreplaceable is gone.

This year we have received far too many of those announcements. I don’t feel it’s the sanctuary’s place to pass along this information outside of the circle of people who are directly connected, but I’m so glad that we have ways to honor them in non-public ways.

To anyone who has lost someone this year, my heart goes out to you. To all of the donors who have passed this year, thank you for being the generous being you were and for spreading your light.

Today was a gorgeous day at the sanctuary. Before the humans arrived, I saw on the remote camera that Willy B and Burrito were sitting in front of a window grooming up on the catwalk of the playroom, silhouetted by the gentle morning light. These guys have been somewhat reserved with each other the last few days. There haven’t been any raucous games of chase or wrestling, like on Wednesday when they first got together, but today they had at least three quiet grooming sessions.

Mave, Honey B, and Negra spent some of the morning relaxing in the greenhouse before I shifted everyone to allow the “Girl Gang” to have some time on Young’s Hill.

J.B. snapped these winning photos.

Jamie

 

Jody and Foxie having a moment of excitement together.

 

Missy looking strong and contemplative.

If you are familiar with our now rather-complicated building, you might wonder how Jamie, Jody, Foxie, Missy, and Annie got onto the hill without disrupting Willy B and Burrito. And the answer is, they did disrupt them. We decided it was time for a little disruption. The girl gang went out through the chute, right past the playroom where Willy B and Burrito were together.

They guys spied on them through the windows and did some (separate) displaying, but overall there wasn’t as much drama as I was anticipating, given that they haven’t seen each other in a while.

It was a good day.

 

In honor of Jamie “Boss Lady” Chimpanzee!

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This amazing day of sanctuary was sponsored by Shirley Wooten, Chimpanzee Pal to the boss lady herself, Jamie, in honor of Jamie’s 42nd birthday today!! Shirley shared this really lovely note about her gift today:

“Happy Birthday Jamie! Thank you to her caregivers and to the supporters of CSNW for giving Jamie choices, lots of space, more freedom than she has ever had, and the enrichment her active mind needs. Thank you for giving her the opportunity to be the leader she was born to be, Jamie is a very special lady and I hope she has a very special day.”

Shirley, thank you SO much for thinking of Jamie and sponsoring her honorary Halloween birthday, or as it’s known here at the sanctuary, Jamieween!!

If you’ve ever had the honor of meeting Jamie here at the sanctuary or have gotten to know her through our daily blog, you know she’s one of the most intelligent, creative, amazing (and sometimes intimidating) people you will meet. To the Lady Trickster herself, Happy Birthday, Jamie! We could not be more in awe of, or in love with, you.