Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Thanks

Endearing Photos of the Day and Special Sanctuary Supporters

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This post includes photos of the day along with information about this year’s HOOT! sponsors.

First, in case you didn’t see this little video on Facebook, take a look and share:

In reference to the video, the sanctuary continues to provide a wonderful and full life for the chimpanzees and is poised to expand only because of people who have supported the chimps over the years. We can’t say thank you enough, and we are excited to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the arrival of Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra to the sanctuary!

HOOT! 2018 sponsors have made generous contributions this year to help with the costs of the event, and many have gone above-and-beyond throughout the years.

You can join them in making a donation at the HOOT! event on May 19th or right now if you’re unable to attend the event.

Before I get into the wonderful sponsors, below is a photo of Jody. One of the best things about the sanctuary is that the chimpanzees have choices about what they can do in any given moment. In this moment, Jody was choosing to relax in the greenhouse while Jamie was walking around the hill with volunteer Becca.

 

Now for some sponsors that make these choices possible:

HOOT! 2018 Happy Hour Sponsors are:

Tracy Headley
Tracy is a dedicated donor and Foxie Pal. Tracy is a great friend of the sanctuary and supports the chimpanzees in so many ways. We were lucky enough to bring her onto the gala committee for the last two HOOT! events, and she’s really helped this year with ideas and planning. It takes a lot of work to put on the event, and I’m so grateful for everyone who is on the committee!

Pam Lehnert & Marc Warner
Pam was one of our first chimp house volunteers and a key part of our gala for years, and Marc has always been willing to help with whatever creative project Pam comes up with to add to events. Pam was also an early participant in our Chimpanzee Pal program and continues to be a monthly Missy Pal donor. Pam and Marc now live full-time on “this side of the mountains” as they say around here, so they are the chimps’ neighbors too.

 

Poppoff Logo

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you probably know we’re big fans of this family-owned business. Gay Dorsey was on our board at a critical point in time and we were so appreciative of her leadership and support. Poppoff, Inc has not only donated funds over the years, but has also given in-kind support with various construction projects. We can’t wait to see Poppoff, Inc out here when we start the foundation for Phase 1 of the expansion!

 


Pet Connection Magazine is the only free publication in the Puget Sound region that focuses on people, pets, community, and the connections we share with each other. It provides fresh content with each release and is dedicated to supporting and highlighting local businesses and nonprofits helping animals, including past articles on CSNW. You can see all of the locations where you can pick up the magazine and information about the latest issue on their website.

 

While Jody was relaxing and Jamie was walking, Burrito was inviting me to play. I think the photo below captures Burrito’s charming but mischievous qualities pretty well.

 

Here are a couple of Burrito fans who are also HOOT! sponsors (let’s face it, anyone who knows anything about Burrito becomes a fan pretty quickly).

HOOT! 2018 Chimpanzee Champion Sponsors are:

Julie Gralow and Hugh Allen are newer supporters, having been recruited and inspired by their friend Tracy Headley (see Happy Hour Sponsors above). Tracy is also a friend of their rescued dog Sheldon. Julie, a physician, has dedicated her life to fighting breast cancer and Hugh is an aesthesiologist–we’re big fans of anesthesiologists in general now that we’ve had first-hand experience with procedures requiring anesthesia on Burrito and Negra. We’ve utilized our on-site medical trailer for these procedures, and we are really looking forward to having a medical room connected directly to the building, which is part of the Phase 1 expansion. Even though Julie and Hugh have never seen the sanctuary in person or attended the gala (maybe next year!), they were Play Laugh Sponsors last year and increased their sponsorship level this year.



Martha Faulkner was introduced to the sanctuary through the HOOT! event and then became a board member a couple of years ago. In addition to her event sponsorships and donating a portion of her commission from real estate sales, she’s been infinitely helpful these last few years as we were investing in the future of the sanctuary buy acquiring land. Her advice and expertise helped the sanctuary purchase the original 26 acres from founder Keith and increase the total sanctuary land to 90 acres. Martha also uses her real estate business to help other nonprofits. Definitely get in touch with her if you are buying or selling property in and around Seattle because you can help the animal cause of your choice in the process!



We are SO LUCKY that we met the owner of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, Gary Tashjian, at a community fair in Seattle several years ago. Darwin’s makes fresh and healthy pet food using produce from Charlie’s Produce and Gary immediately realized he could help the chimpanzees by donating produce to the sanctuary. Not only has this arrangement saved CSNW many thousands of dollars in the last several years, but it has provided the chimpanzees with wonderful and nutritious food. All seven of the chimpanzees are well-beyond middle age, and keeping them healthy is a top priority. Big thanks goes to Gary, Darwin’s and Charlies Produce for doing just that.

 

Burrito, the consummate lover of food, was really pulling out all of the stops to get me to play, including “kissing” through the caging in the greenhouse:

Obviously, I had no choice but to stop taking photos and play with him. He was being pretty goofy–throwing a blanket around and laughing. And that’s a perfect segue to the next sponsor level!

 

Big thanks also to HOOT! 2018 Play Laugh Sponsors:

Merritt & John Atwood

Melanie Kelsey

 

In addition to all of these featured sponsors, we have had many more supporters who have donated at amounts less than the $500 Play Laugh level. Every single donation is appreciated!

To round out the photos of the day, here’s Negra, who, like Jody, was lying on the “top shelf” of the structure in the greenhouse. To get this photo, I moved a bench over so I could stand on it and be eye-level with the chimpanzees. Negra thought I should also dance while I was up there, which of course I did. I was stomping around on the bench and she was nodding her head in appreciation.

I love this job.

Sixth Day of Thanks, Featuring Karen & Missy

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Today is the sixth day of thanks highlighting seven different donors and their seven ways of donating + the seven chimpanzees at the sanctuary!

Today I give thanks to major donor Karen Emmerman Mazner and I share some photos of the always busy Missy.

For a recap of the first five posts, day one featured legacy donor Bruce Davidson + Burrito, day two featured event donor Kathy Cochran + Annie, day three featured recurring donor Julie Olson + Jody, day four featured challenge and competition donor Monica Best + Negra, and yesterday, day five, featured wish list donor Vicki Fagerlee + Foxie.

We were thrilled to have Karen as our honoree at this year’s HOOT! gala, and she gave the best speech that explained why she decided to give a large contribution towards the Bring Them Home Campaign for Expansion. Here’s just a bit of what she said (it still gives me goosebumps):

If you’re a person who, like me, tears up when watching the videos of Foxie with her Troll dolls, Burrito being goofy, and Jamie bossing everyone around and you want more Foxies, Burritos, and Jamies to live out their lives with Troll dolls, goofiness, and bossing humans around then please join me in supporting CSNW’s efforts to bring more chimpanzees home to sanctuary.

I want more chimpanzees to know that their lives have changed for the better because they feel it in their new environment, in the people who care for them, and in the grass beneath their feet.  They feel it every time they say “no” and a human says “ok, your body belongs to you” instead of “I’m doing it anyway.”

Karen has put a lot of trust in us to fulfill our shared goal of providing a home for more chimpanzees. She knows that we’ve faced some headwinds in our efforts towards this goal. We were really hoping that 2017 would be the year that we would welcome more chimpanzees to CSNW, but we are okay working on a different timeline. We remain determined to do whatever we can to help the remaining chimpanzees in laboratories find their sanctuary home. We are eager to break ground for the Phase 1 construction of the expansion next year, which will benefit the seven chimpanzees already here in addition to preparing for more chimps. Karen’s donation will make that possible.

 

Missy seemed like an appropriate chimpanzee to feature with this post. She takes full advantage of all that the sanctuary has to offer. Obstacles simply do not deter her – she’ll find a way around them or just conquer them.

Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees two-acre habitat, was named after past major donors Karen and Don Young, who donated a large gift to get the hill construction started, in addition to other large gifts for other projects like the greenhouse and the veterinary clinic trailer.

Missy loves Young’s Hill. She especially seems to enjoy the first exploration of the day. I tried to get some photos of Missy on the hill yesterday morning. This is always a challenge, because she is usually a blur of motion. She ran, climbed, and swung from one structure to another – leaving virtually nothing untouched.

She would stop very briefly when she reached a destination, quickly survey her surroundings, and then leap away again to continue her exploration.

Fourth Day of Thanks, Featuring Monica & Negra

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All of the chimpanzees slept off their Thanksgiving feast from yesterday and are eager to get outside in the gift of late November sunshine today!

We’re all feeling very thankful.

Today is the fourth day of thanks highlighting seven different donors and their seven ways of donating + the seven chimpanzees at the sanctuary.

If you missed the first three, day one featured legacy donor Bruce Davidson + Burrito, day two featured event donor Kathy Cochran + Annie, and day three featured recurring donor Julie Olson + Jody.

Today we are featuring Monica, who has made a big difference with her competition/challenge donations. She’s also a recurring donor and participates in our fall online auctions in a big way. This year, Monica was instrumental in getting us way beyond our goal for Giving Day for Apes. In truth, she really coaxed me into the spirit of the competition this year in a way that I would not have if she had not been so enthusiastic and hopeful for the sanctuary’s chances of winning some additional cash prizes.

Why does Monica give? Here’s her answer:

For seven of the most beautiful beings in the world. You helped save my life, now I will do anything in my power to help give you Hope. Love. Home…Sanctuary.

I really like matching and competition donations because it gives everyone a chance to get in on the fun of giving at whatever level they are able. For challenge pledges, they know every dollar they give will be doubled. It’s great to see everyone come together to reach a goal. On Giving Day for Apes this year, it was so amazing watching everyone rise to the challenge to help the chimps. I had tears in my eyes as I saw the donations and beautiful comments streaming in on the donation page.

 

I know that Queen Negra plays a special role in Monica’s life, so I’m just going to follow up those inspiring words from Monica with this photo I recently took of CSNW’s Royal Highness:

 

With Giving Tuesday just a few days away, it seems appropriate to be deeply thankful for those who give towards these specific limited-time fundraising challenges like Giving Day for Apes and Giving Tuesday. They are a big part of our budgeted income for the year, and it means a ton that CSNW donors are so eager to rise to the challenge and respond when others have pledged matching donations. Stay tuned for info on the matching donation pledges on Tuesday!

Back to Negra. I know that she fills a lot of hearts out there. She’s the perfect combination of sweet  plus fiesty and demanding. She really does epitomize, in my mind, why sanctuaries for chimpanzees are so important. She was captured in Africa as a baby and served the interests of humans for more than three decades. She deserves to be as fiesty and demanding as she wants.

 

And she deserves all the blankets our arms can carry (and then some):

Negra sleeping

 

Negra’s slower pace at exploring her sanctuary world makes her adventures all the more special. Each year she discovers a spot on Young’s Hill that she has never been to before, and it takes our breath away.

negra in the grass

negra by Twister

Negra on stump

 

Thank you, Monica. Thank you, Negra. And thank you in advance to everyone who is participating in Giving Tuesday!

Negra Giving Tuesday

 

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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HOOT! Sponsors Jennifer & David Roers

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Today is the third in a series of blog post celebrating sponsors of the HOOT! 2017 Spring Fling gala.

Past posts celebrated Tracy Headley and Pam Lehnert & Marc Warner.

Today is all about Jen and Dave Roers!

 

You may recognize the names Jennifer and David Roers because they have made challenge donations to the gala for the past few years, which have helped inspire others to give. Their Chimpanzee Champion+ sponsorship donation this year is also a challenge to encourage others to donate towards the event. So please do learn more about individual and corporate sponsorship levels!

I sent a few questions to Jen and Dave about how they became involved in Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and why they are supporters.

Here is Jen’s answer:

Dave and I first became aware of Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW when Dave saw a flyer at work.  Once we learned about the chimpanzees, we were hooked!  To see the Cle Elum Seven change and progress from their arrival to today is amazing.  The chimps have so much resilience and can teach humans a little something about compassion and forgiveness.  We’re also inspired by the passionate and enduring efforts of the humanimals at the sanctuary. CSNW draws the best of humanity whether it be staff, volunteers, or supporters.  It’s an honor to be a small part of it.

I work for and Dave volunteers at Pasado’s Safe Haven, where we work to end animal cruelty.  Pasado’s has a unique relationship with CSNW as a couple of the chimps’ caregivers work at Pasado’s!  These folks are truly special.  Dave and I recently went on the Ester the Wonder Pig Cruise and volunteered at a donkey sanctuary in Aruba (that’s where they were in the photo abovve).  It was one of the highlights of the entire trip.  It’s pretty obvious that caring for and protecting animals has become the focus of our lives.  In addition, we are the proud humans of 3 beautiful cats.

Here are some fun photos of them at Pasado’s:

Big thanks to Jennifer and David for all you have done to make change and progress possible for chimpanzees and other animals. You make my world a better place, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with you on May 13th at HOOT!

Last summer, when Negra ventured further out onto Young’s Hill than she’s gone before, that was due to the support of you both, and all of the Negra fans out there.

A Day of Love

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We have two sponsor-a-days for this last day of 2016!

The first is a Christmas contribution from Jim and Kim Horton’s family in honor of Vicki Fagerlee, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother (Grams).

Vicki was the winning bidder of the sought-after behind-the-scenes visit and volunteer opportunity that we had in our end of summer online auction. She flew over several states to make the trip, and we had the best day at the end of September telling her stories about the chimpanzees while she prepared their food and enrichment and got to know more about how the sanctuary runs and the personality of the chimpanzees.

Jim and Kim said this, “Her visit there this year was a treasure and she has a special place in her heart for Chimps! We chose New Year’s Eve as day of sponsorship to help the Chimps ring in the New Year! All the best in 2017 and beyond!”

Big thanks to Vicki for sharing her love of the chimpanzees with her family and to them for honoring her with a day of sanctuary.

Vicki, your support has put a smile on all of our faces, and your donations this year have truly helped to ring in the new year with hopeful plans for the future. Thank you!

Negra close-up

 

 

Chimpanzees playing = your #GivingTuesday thanks!

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest supporters have done it again! We initially made it a goal to raise $12,000 today for Giving Tuesday.

 

Burrito Giving Tuesday

That goal has been surpassed, and we have a new challenge – a supporter at a distance is putting a matching challenge check in the mail for the next $1,000 raised, so I’ve increased the total goal to $15,000.

There’s still eight hours to go before midnight. Can we do it?

I am pretty sure that the video at the end of this post that Anna took today of the chimpanzees playing will inspire you to donate if you haven’t already and will also hopefully inspire you to share this post so more people know about our new goal.

We’ve been inspired all day by the messages that have come in with donations. This recent comment really summed it all up (thank you!): What makes my heart soar is “Knowing that Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jaime, Jody, Missy and Negra are safe, happy, living a full enriching life with companionship and are so very loved! I am so thrilled about the expansion and future retirees that will be joining you soon! Thank you for giving lives back.”

We were also inspired by Mary, a challenge donor earlier in the day who first heard about the sanctuary in 2007 through her daughter who was enrolled in the Primate Behavior program at Central Washington University at the time. Mary helped with the early construction of the chimp house, setting forms in the cold and helping with roof trusses during the windy season. Mary has been a donor ever since, and her generous pledge today helped surpass our goal.

Donor stories make my heart soar!

And chimpanzees playing. Definitely chimpanzees playing.