twister

New heights

May 12, 2017 by J.B.

Negra wasn’t the only one trying something new yesterday.

As I stood near the top of Young’s Hill, I saw Burrito walking towards me with a sense of purpose. When he reached the top, he turned and went straight for the Twister climbing structure. Without hesitation, he climbed straight up. As far as we can remember, this was the first time he had made it to the very top.

The chimps have been spending a lot of time outdoors lately. Our wet, snowy winter is finally repaying us in the form of impossibly green grass.

Along with the green grass there’s been a bounty of dandelions, and that means that the chimps can step outside and have a snack whenever they want. If the chimps only knew how hard people try to rid their lawns of dandelions…

An Addition To The Routine

September 19, 2016 by Keri

I love that a stop at Twister is now a part of the regular routine for Jamie, while she patrols the perimeter of Young’s Hill.

After leaving Twister, she resumed her walk around the inside perimeter of Young’s Hill.

Here are a few bonus photos of Jamie on Twister, taken last month.

Twister Legacy

July 30, 2016 by Diana

There are a number of things that I didn’t quite realize would be a part of helping to manage Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. One of these things is the depth of love that I would be privileged to witness among the humans who support the sanctuary.

I truly feel that the fans and supporters of the chimpanzees are part of an extended family. I am regularly in awe of the people who come together to look beyond themselves, and the pain that is part of existing in this world, to support the chimpanzees who live at CSNW and their new opportunity for life in a true home.

At the end of last year, a group of people came together to support Bill Walters, a friend who was going through cancer. Nicki and Bill Walters have been supporters for the sanctuary for years, in addition to supporting other animal rescue organizations in Washington.

There was an outpouring of love for Bill, so his friend Ken hatched a plan to use the collective donations towards the building of a new structure on the hill. The Twister structure was born.

Bill and Nicki were able to come out to the sanctuary to witness the chimpanzees exploring the structure after it was complete. It was a heartwarming day for me to be able to spend even just a little bit of time with Bill and be there with him to see the chimpanzees enjoy the structure named after him.

Last week, Bill lost his battle with cancer. His obituary is here.

I know that Nicki and all of Bill’s friends and family will never be the same. With his fun-loving nature and easy charm, Bill changed their lives for the better and his passing is a loss for them and for this world.

Bill, and the love that his friends demonstrated towards him, will always be remembered at the sanctuary through the tall tower on the hill.

Meandering Night Adventures

June 11, 2016 by Diana

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know a few things about Jamie–that she likes to patrol the outdoor area, that she likes to have the humans join her on the other side of the fence on these patrols, and that she often keeps the humans late at night in the summer by insisting that we do walk after walk until she is satisfied.

We don’t complain too often about these overtime duties because it makes Jamie happy and because it’s a beautiful time to be outside on the sanctuary property.

Last week, we had a heat wave that prevented the chimpanzees from spending a lot of time outside during the day, but it always gets cooler here at night, so Jamie simply waited until the temperature dropped to get her exercise for the day.

Sometimes, especially during the day, Jamie is very focused on the perimeter trail that she’s worn in the grass, and will follow this path at a fairly brisk pace as we walk on the trail on the other side.

Her dusk-walking tends to fulfill a completely different desire, though, and Jamie will often veer from the perimeter path and explore the climbing structures in the middle of a walk, often stopping to take in a view or rest for a bit. The new Twister structure is a favorite viewpoint of late.

Below are a few photos of her nighttime meanderings.

At the top of Twister: