Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Sponsor-a-day

Happy Birthday, Foxie!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Tracy Headley in honor of her pal, Foxie’s, birthday! Tracy is a dear friend to the chimpanzees, always holding them in her heart and including them in her life in countless ways.

Beloved Foxie turns 40 today and the sanctuary is all a flurry preparing for a Troll, Dora the Explorer, and Smoothie Extravaganza which begins in mere moments! Foxie is a special soul full of joy, beauty, courage, love, and her particular brand of exuberant goofiness. She is a mother, a dear friend, and an important part of a special family who loves her. Foxie makes the lives of her chimp and human friends better every day with her compassionate and joyful heart and we are honored to be celebrating this special woman today. Not to mention, pretty excited for this party!

Tracy, thank you so much for sponsoring this day of celebration for Foxie and her family! We are full of gratitude for the friendship they (and we!) have in you!

Happiest of birthdays, Foxie! We love you so much!!

web_Foxie_closeup_portrait_studio_FR4_kh_IMG_3714

web Foxie walk YH troll in mouth dora on back IMG_7656

web Foxie throw blue troll doll in air about to catch playroom IMG_0100

web Foxie sit cute leg out troll doll greenhouse gh IMG_0836

In celebration of Bill Walters’ life

by

This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by Nicki Walters in memory of her husband, Bill. Nicki and Bill have been such wonderful friends to the chimpanzees over the years and we are so honored to celebrate Bill’s life with the chimps today. Bill had a great passion for animals and their well-being and he was also a long-time supporter and volunteer at PAWS Lynnwood. Nicki shared this special message:

“Today is the day that we celebrate Bill Walter‘s life. So I wanted the Chimps to be able to do the same since they brought him many smiles and were a source of happiness during many rough days as he fought Cancer. Knowing that they will be playing on a Monument dedicated to him, The Twister, gave him a lot of pride that his memory will be kept alive in such a fun way.”

If you’re new to the blog, you can also check out the unveiling of the Twister here.

Nicki, thank you so much for holding the chimps in your heart and giving them such a special day of sanctuary. Our hearts are with you and your loved ones. Words fall short in the face of such profound loss, but the difference Bill made for so many others with his life gives much to celebrate.

We are so moved by all that you, Bill and your friends have done to add to the chimps’ home and lives in a meaningful and lasting way. Bill’s spirit will always be present in the joy you’ve all brought the chimps and in all of the lives made better by his. We’ll think of him every time we see the chimps enjoying your amazing gift to them and especially when we see Jamie surveying her kingdom from the new heights of her beloved crow’s nest.

web_jamie_titanic_moment_twister_kd_IMG_3489

web_Jamie_sit_top_structure_TWISTER_first_time_IMG_2441web_jamie_stand_crows_nest_II_kd_IMG_2400

web_jamie_foot_in_hose_crows_nest_kd_IMG_4709

web_jamie_evening_under_crows_nest_kd_IMG_4291

In honor of Amanda Lollar and Bat World Sanctuary!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Meg Lunnum, a dear friend to the chimps and humans here alike. Meg does so much to advocate for our fellow animals of the world and also happens to be a professional bat rehabilitator with Bats Northwest, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of bats here in the Pacific Northwest through education, conservation, and research. Meg shared this message about her gift today:

“I would like to honor Amanda Lollar from Bat World Sanctuary for being awarded the GFAS Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence. Bat World Sanctuary was founded in 1994, since then, Amanda has been available 24/7/365 to help injured and orphaned bats. Currently the Sanctuary cares for over 200 permanent resident bats. Amanda has also trained over 400 zoologists, veterinarians, and other animal care professionals to rehabilitate bats. I am proud to say I am one of the animal care professionals she trained. The Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence is given annually to a sanctuary or individual who embodies and puts into practice the GFAS philosophy of vision, dedication and excellence in animal care. It memorializes Carole Noon, founder of Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Florida, the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary. Carole was a courageous and innovative sanctuary pioneer and champion of chimpanzees. The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries accredits animal sanctuaries; Bat World Sanctuary and our own Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW are on the list of accredited sanctuaries. Who would have thought there would be a connection between bats and chimpanzees?”

Meg, thank you so much for your care and compassion in honoring Amanda and the incredibly valuable work on behalf of bats worldwide that she and her colleagues dedicate themselves to through Bat World Sanctuary! We so appreciate you thinking of the chimpanzees as you celebrate the important work of such a wonderful sanctuary! We are full of gratitude to you for all you do to provide care, respect and sanctuary to so many beings.

Bats play incredibly important roles as pollinators and pest controllers and are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems around the world and yet, unfortunately they are often very misunderstood. Like so many of our fellow animals, including chimpanzees in the wild, they are vulnerable or endangered due a variety of factors ranging from habitat loss, disease, roost destruction, hunting and killing. We are thrilled to celebrate these special beings here today with the chimpanzees! The sanctuary is fortunate to have a small colony of bats who roost on the property and we anxiously watch for their return every spring. Their lively nursery is such a joy to catch glimpses of and if you’ve ever attended one of our summer education visits you may have heard the babies boisterous vocalizations to their mamas.

Meg’s pal, Queen Negra:

web_Negra_eat_lettuce_YH_IMG_0848

Negra and Jody:

web Negra Jody cute faces playroom IMG_1220

Snoozing…

web_negra_snooze_pr_kd_IMG_2567

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

by

This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Rachel Ruggeri! Rachel is such a wonderful friend to the chimps and she shared this lovely message about today:

“The chimps at the sanctuary are always first every year to send me a birthday card. And that card makes my day! So in honor of them, I want to celebrate by starting my year off with a donation to them. Happy Birthday to us all!”

Rachel, thank you SO much for celebrating your special day by ensuring the chimpanzees’ lives remain full of comfort, safety, adventure, love, laughter and goofiness! Our hearts are full of gratitude for all you do for these seven amazing people. Happiest of birthdays to you and we all send you wishes and hoots for a beautiful year ahead!

Annie:

Annie with a huge playface (Missy's hand)

Burrito:

web_Burrito_up_close_GH_jb_IMG_4473

Foxie:

web_Foxie_portrait_studio_FR4_ek_IMG_4797

Jamie:

web_Jamie_food_smirk_portrait_studio_aw_IMG_1162

Jody:

web_Jody_hold_bamboo_GH_ek_IMG_4900

Missy (Annie in foreground):

web_missy_background_annie_photo_bomb_II_kd_IMG_1416

Negra:

Negra hoot face

Happy Birthday, Kathy!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Kathy Sorensen!  The chimpanzees are so fortunate to have so many people who contribute to their lives in so many ways and we are so grateful. Kathy shared this beautiful message about today:

“I am sponsoring the chimps to celebrate my 60th birthday. I visited last year around my birthday and this year being a significant day for me I thought how better to celebrate! I get such joy each day from the group. Their new adventures and freedom are exciting and peaceful at the same time. I am so glad I found them and the organization.”

Happy Birthday, Kathy! Thank you so much for giving the chimpanzees this special day along with your own, helping to ensure that the hope, love, home and sanctuary made possible for them through people like you is something they get to celebrate and relish every single day of their lives. This was such a lovely thing to do and all of us here at CSNW hope you have the best birthday yet!  Thank you so much for sharing your life and your heart with these amazing chimps!

Jamie surveying her home from the crow’s nest of Twister:

web_jamie_titanic_moment_twister_kd_IMG_3489

Missy and Jamie playfully brachiating (swinging arm over arm) through the green house:

web_MG_3449 copy

Jamie, Burrito, and Foxie patrolling the perimeter of Young’s Hill together:

web_Jamie_Burrito_Foxie_perimeter_patrol_YH_kh_IMG_0758

Jamie enjoying a magazine:

web_Jamie_read_magazine_enrichment_PR_ek_IMG_6052

Jamie nesting with a beloved cowboy boot:

web_jamie_nest_hot_pr_closeup_kd_IMG_3961

Happy Anniversary, Chris and Victoria!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Chris and Victoria Jensen as their anniversary gift to one another! Chris shared this message about today:

“My lovely wife Victoria and I have always loved animals. We currently have 2 Dachshunds, Sally and a rescue named Stitch. We decided to stop getting each other presents, and give to the causes we believe in. We really appreciate the work you do, giving the chimps back their lives must be very rewarding. The animals of the world need our help, we can’t help them all so we do what we can.”

Chris and Victoria, thank you so much for celebrating your special day by making a difference in the chimps’ lives! What an inspiring way to honor your lives together. Thank you for all you do for our fellow animals and we are so happy to celebrate with you! Happy Anniversary from all of us at Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW and we hope you, Sally and Stitch have a day filled with the love of family, comfort and home that you help provide the chimps with!

Best friends, Annie and Missy:

Missy and Annie with prickly lettuce

missy annie wrestle on beam

web Annie Missy wrestle play playface YH IMG_4435

Missy chase Annie

Annie groom Missy in greenhouse

Today is in memory of Kevin Clark

by

Today was sponsored by Shelley Winfrey in memory of her brother, Kevin Clark. Shelley is a long-time friend to the chimps and humans here at the sanctuary and generously sponsors this day each year in Kevin’s honor. She shared this message about today:

“For my brother, who passed away…he would have loved the chimps!”

Shelley, thank you so much holding the chimpanzees in your heart as you remember your brother today. We are so touched that you would think of them in such a meaningful way. We are happy to honor Kevin here today and all of us are thinking of you. We hope you have a day filled with good memories and the comfort, love, and peace that you help provide the chimpanzees.

Shelley’s handsome pal, Burrito:

web_burrito_closeup_raceway_kd_IMG_3899

web_Burrito_close_up_eat_spring_grass_YH_ek_IMG_9114

web_burrito_lay_down_silly_cover_face_cute_GH_dg_IMG_4632