Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

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for the Winter Warriors

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If you follow the blog, you may have seen the brief mentions from Kelsi and then J.B. of the very eventful end of December that the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest staff and volunteers endured this year.

For the first time in over a decade (as far as we can remember), J.B. and I had scheduled a short trip to visit family together (together!) on the east coast for some winter celebrations. Almost as soon as we left, things started to malfunction at the sanctuary as Cle Elum was hit with extreme cold temperatures. J.B. helped troubleshoot the issues at a distance, but the staff on the ground had to navigate mechanical failures and multiple days with a non-functioning well, all the while caring for the chimpanzees and cattle, getting to work in icy conditions, and taking turns staying overnight to look after office cat LouLou and pups Abbey and Benny.

The nonhumans were none the wiser to these issues as the staff and volunteers managed to maintain the routine and get creative with procedures as though everything was in pristine working order. Meanwhile, J.B. and I had to extend our time away due to the weather and the complete meltdown of the aviation industry.

All of this, whilst also being away from their own families, the staff carried on with the CSNW Christmas countdown on the blog and the preparation for holiday festivities without skipping a beat.

J.B. and I couldn’t be more grateful. Neither of us worried in the least that this crew of staff, volunteers, and their spouses could handle whatever obstacle Mother Nature and Murphy’s Law presented to them. There was never a doubt that the nonhumans at the sanctuary were in the best hands possible.

Today, we thank them most humbly with this sponsor-a-day post, and invite you, too, to thank them for looking after the sanctuary every day under any and all circumstances!

Top Caregiver Posts of 2020

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Being a caregiver for captive chimpanzees in a sanctuary is not always easy. It can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Burn out and compassion fatigue are not unusual. As someone who has worked at varying levels within sanctuaries, I know the difficulties as well as the many perks. I’m so grateful for those who choose this field.

We have a truly incredible team of caregivers. They are dedicated beyond what their positions require and strive to give the chimpanzees good days, every day. They are talented, witty, and kind. I admire each of them as individual people and as coworkers. I learn from them all of the time, and I love reading their blog posts for their unique perspective and insights.

For a sanctuary, the staff are the most important, and often the largest, expense in the budget. No one is getting rich as a caregiver, but they do need to be paid fairly so they can continue their good work. Some sanctuaries attempt to rely on volunteer labor, but this more often than not is unsuccessful in the long term. We miss all of the CSNW volunteers greatly, and are beyond thankful to those who have been able to meet our strict guidelines and worked so hard alongside us this year.

The pandemic was a big reminder of just how crucial paid staff are in providing for the care of the chimpanzees and cattle and the running of the sanctuary.

Donors to sanctuaries get this. You get this! You all are so wonderful, and every single staff member here is grateful every day for your support. Thank you for your donations and your nice words as 2020 came to a close. We are buoyed by your generosity and the love of the chimpanzees and bovines that you have.

With the start of the new year, I thought I’d nominate my favorite 2020 blog posts from the non-director staff (that would be everyone except me and J.B.). It was very challenging to narrow this down!

I’ll start with Chad.

Chad is our newest caregiver, though now that we’ve all been through a pandemic year together, and with all his time as an intern before he was on the staff, it seems like he’s been here forever, in a really good way. His post A Morning Stroll and Confession of a (New) Caregiver from the end of September makes me cry and smile every time I read it. One reason I smile is thinking about how many times he’s gone on walks/runs around the hill with Burrito since he wrote that. J.B. and I have a good view of the hill from our house and the office, and it’s not unusual for me to look out the window on my weekend and see Chad in his red shirt running on the other side of the fence as playful Burrito leads the charge.

Anthony started his job at CSNW about two months before Honey B, Mave, and Willy B arrived at the sanctuary. I think they call that baptism by fire. He wasn’t an unfamiliar face, however. Like Chad, he had interned and volunteered at the sanctuary while working on his master’s degree in the Primate Behavior and Ecology program at Central Washington University. I can’t imagine 2020, much less the later half of 2019 without him as part of the team.

I’m going back pretty far in the year for this one, but I really appreciated the blog post Anthony wrote that he entitled The Tough Questions about public perception and the potential for videos and images of captive primates (and all wildlife) to perpetuate misconceptions and even contribute to their continued harm. It provides much fodder for contemplation.

Anna has had quite a year in her personal life – she has a one year old now! My favorite blog post of Anna’s in 2020 is What Did I Miss?, mostly because of the glimpse of her daughter Luna meeting the chimpanzees for the first time, but also because I am reminded of the happiness I had that she was back from maternity leave and ready to whip the chimp house into shape.

I’m pretty lucky because I get to work with Kelsi on Saturdays. As I put this blog together, Kelsi is doing the approximately one hundred chimp house chores in her usual efficient and upbeat fashion in between entertaining Honey B and Willy B and giving snow snacks to Missy. My favorite blog post of Kelsi’s, one that I go to whenever needed, is Breathe in Mave. It’s perfect, and really everyone should bookmark it.

Katelyn’s work life during 2020 has changed quite a bit. Like thousands of other people, instead of coming in on her office days, she works from home. Office cat LouLou really misses crowding her out of her chair and licking her lunch, and I miss chatting with her about how amazing our supporters are. When Katelyn is in the chimp house, she makes the most of her time with the chimpanzees, posting to the blog on Mondays. My favorite blog post of Katelyn’s is Being Honey B because she beautifully captured the essence of Honey B and why just about anyone who has ever met her has loved her.

I could have chosen any number of other blog posts these great caregivers have written. Maybe you too have some favorites?

Annie and Pretzels

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No, this post is not about Annie eating pretzels. It’s partially about Annie Chimpanzee, as seen in these photos, but it’s also about all the enormous pretzels, vegan bratwurst, and craft beer that our staff are going to consume during tonight’s visit to a magical place: Leavenworth.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, Leavenworth is a town located north of the sanctuary in the shadow of the Cascades. It boasts a Bavarian theme and is known for its charm, cuisine, and recreation. The CSNW crew typically makes a pilgrimage there every December, but we missed our opportunity this year since Burrito’s medications had to be administered each night. Consequently, tonight’s itinerary includes our annual group trip to the fabled mountain village. We are also celebrating the addition of Chad to the team, and this will be our first outing with him as a full-time staff member. We can only hope that he proves to be as valuable to our trivia team as he is to our care staff.

Therefore, I’ll withhold my summary of today’s events since the other caregivers are rushing me to finish writing the blog and closing down the Chimp House. Instead, I’ll leave you all with a few photos of Annie, who was the first chimpanzee to venture out onto the Hill today. It was unseasonably warm and the chimps were able to tiptoe on dry ground to avoid the remaining patches of snow.

I’d write more, but an evening of alpine fun awaits.

Wake up, Negra, it’s Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day!

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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!

Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day

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Caregivers are the heart and soul of every animal sanctuary. To recognize their vital contribution to the well being of thousands of rescued animals around the world, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance has teamed up with the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries to create a day in their honor. Today, we are proud to celebrate the first annual Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day!

Here at CSNW, it’s impossible to overstate the love, dedication, and commitment that our caregivers demonstrate every day. Every moment of playfulness we share on this blog, every picture of contentment you see, is the product of thousands of hours of hard work by CSNW’s caregiver crew.

The staff and volunteer caregivers clean for five hours a day, seven days a week. It is a never-ending job.

They prepare the chimps’ many meals, forages, and food puzzles each day.

They invest countless hours in training so that they can help serve those meals safely.

They wash and fold 70 or more blankets a day so the chimps can build fresh, clean nests.

They plant gardens and tend to them throughout the summer so that they chimps will have the freshest produce possible.

They throw parties for the chimps to keep life exciting and interesting.

They spend countless hours building trust and developing friendships.

They tend to wounds and ensure that medications are administered daily.

They engage in hundreds of hours of positive reinforcement training so that the chimps learn to cooperate with physical exams.

They walk for miles around Young’s Hill in the blazing sun and the pouring rain to keep Jamie and her friends company.

They work weekends and holidays because the chimps never take a day off from needing our care. And when Jamie insists on staying out all night and walking in the moonlight, they are there too – even when they might rather be home in bed.

Caring for chimpanzees is hard work. It’s physically demanding and, at times, emotionally draining. But it can also be unbelievably rewarding. We are lucky to be surrounded and supported by people who find fulfillment in working hard for the benefit of others; people who measure success by the amount of good they can do for the animals who so desperately need our help.

To Elizabeth, Katelyn, and Anna, who dedicate their lives to the Cle Elum Seven, to the dozens of selfless volunteers and interns who give up their free time to serve these deserving chimpanzees, and to sanctuary caregivers around the world: Thank you for all you do and Happy Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day!

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Thank you, Keri!

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We’re sad to announce that caregiver and master-of-all-things-enrichment, Keri Heniff, is stepping down from her role as a part-time staff member at CSNW. The good news, however, is that she’s not really going anywhere – Keri will continue to make the long drive from Leavenworth to care for the Cle Elum Seven as a volunteer. We’ll just see her a little less often.

Keri has been a true friend to the chimps and an indispensable member of the team here at CSNW. So even though we’re not really losing her, I hope you’ll join me in taking this moment to thank her for her hard work, her dedication, and her devotion to the chimps.

And by the way, Keri, Jamie has made it clear that the boots will fit the same whether you are a staff member or a volunteer and she expects the same number of walks when you are here.

We’re looking forward to introducing you to CSNW’s newest staff member, Kelsi, in June when she completes her cross-continental journey from Quebec.