Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Willy B

Growth

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I know I have mentioned this many times, but being able to witness Mave and Dora’s group grow into this integrated family that has provided them more social opportunities and friendships, plus the ability to work through interpersonal relationships has absolutely been one of the highlights of my career! It is really easy to forget how stressful the introduction process was, especially since they have grown so much and worked so hard to become this group of nine! However, I can still remember the feelings of uncertainty and stress about whether the integration would actually work. It almost feels silly to think about about how stressed we all were. I just remember thinking that Mave, Willy B, and Honey B needed more friends, especially the social butterfly Mave. That was the motivation- more friends and more opportunities.

Now a year and some months later, Dora’s group is flourishing! As predicted, eventually, Mave loved making new friends and Willy B finally has some male friends to hangout with. But the real surprise, the real social butterfly is Honey B. Honey B always seems to be in the middle of a grooming train, mall walking with friends, or playing with a friend like Dora! It goes to show that in sanctuary providing more opportunities and choices really does make their lives all the better.

Bonus photos!

Jenna took this photo and was kind enough to share it with me! A sweet photo Honey B, Mave, and Dora all nesting together:

Recently, Negra has been keeping a doll in her pelvic pocket:

Jamie in the portrait studio:

Foxie right next to Jamie:

Foxie rubbing her toes together:

 

Big Day on the Bray

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Today was a big stepping stone for all the residents at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We felt that all the chimps on both sides of the building were ready to be out in their respective outdoor areas at the same time. For those who may not be familiar, Foxie’s group has a two acre outdoor habitat called Young’s Hill and Rayne’s group has a newly built outdoor habitat called The Bray. These areas are two separate spaces where the chimps can go outside as they please all day and when they look up there are no bars above their heads. We had been alternating access until Rayne’s group seemed comfortable outside and had a good understanding of the double electric fence. Until today!! In unknown situations we often plan in case something turns into an emergency, but we really just anticipate that there may be a lot of yelling back and forth or displaying and we just hoped for the most anticlimactic scenario, which luckily for us, it was sooo anticlimactic. Both groups were so calm and seemed to act like they have been doing this all along. What were we so worried about?! However, just because it was calm didn’t mean they didn’t interact or notice each other!

Gordo seemed to be mesmerized by Foxie, obviously, look at her! He was a little pilo and couldn’t take his eyes off her. And that cute little Foxie was just confidently strutting her stuff around Young’s Hill. Foxie was so brave, not a hair standing on end, she was even going for a perimeter walk on her own for a bit which Gordo seemed to be kind of following her from the Bray. We weren’t sure Willy B was even paying attention enough to notice Jamie’s group had access to Young’s Hill, but maybe 7 to 10 minutes later he spotted Jamie and was mesmerized, just like Gordo! Willy B was even venturing out onto the grass to get a better look, but Jamie was playing it cool and pretending she didn’t notice. Honestly, it was great to see both groups out foraging and not reacting to each other! Obviously, every day will be different with different reactions, but this was a great way to start!

Gordo watching the neighbors, specifically Foxie from afar:

Willy B realizing Jamie is on Young’s Hill:

Jamie foraging on Young’s Hill and pretending not to notice Willy B:

Terry and Rayne foraging on the Bray and spying on Jamie’s group:

Rayne:

Terry on Esher for a better view:

Cy could not be bothered, he was just enjoying the forage:

I will leave you with Bubba <3:

Switching Things Up

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This morning, we decided to switch things up! In our “normal” schedule for sharing outdoor access, Jamie’s group goes out onto Young’s Hill from the time we show up to work until after lunch time (that is if Jamie allows us to close the Hill then). Once we have permission from Jamie and do a head count to ensure everyone is off Young’s Hill, we then allow Cy’s group access onto the Bray. This is a short term schedule until both Cy’s group gets more comfortable with the Bray and Jamie’s group gets more comfortable seeing the group of nine out there. However, the Hill and the Bray are two completely separate areas.

We wanted to experiment trying morning time Bray access for Cy’s group to see if a change in schedule would peak interest in other individuals who haven’t gone out yet. Though Mave, Dora, and Honey B didn’t go out, it was great enrichment for Jamie’s group! I am sure we will try this a few more times, as well as other ideas along the way. But really I think that they just need time. Once Cy’s group was off the Bray we did an early lunch forage for Jamie’s group, which everyone seemed to enjoy, especially Negra!

We have exciting news! We’ve been nominated in The Seattle Times, 2023 Best in the PNW Contest! Help us win this contest by voting today! You can vote once every day through June 30th by clicking here. CSNW is listed under the Services and Nonprofit category.

Negra did pretty well! She got a whole eggplant, sweet potato, and an endive and went straight back to the greenhouse to get cozy in her nest!

Foxie and her blue haired baby:

Burrito and Missy enjoying their forage together:

Missy and Foxie eating tomatoes:

Annie:

Burrito with a whole kohlrabi:

We put out a nut forage on the Bray for a little extra motivation. Willy B was very motivated!

Rayne was also able to score some nuts:

Look at this handsome Cy Guy:

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The Morning After Jubilee

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After yesterdays festivities, today has been pretty low-key for everyone. I think both chimps and humans are exhausted from such an awesome day of nonstop partying! If you didn’t see yesterdays blog, STOP EVERYTHING you are doing and look now! And if you missed Diana talking about Negra’s story, be sure to check that out too! Don’t forget that until the end of June all donations will be doubled until we reach $30,000. Follow this link to learn more about how you can help us reach our goal!

Cy on the Bray:

Lucky hanging out by the hammock:

Gordo heading back from exploring:

Willy B:

Guess who!

It’s Rayne!

How did we get so lucky to have such a sweet and kind soul like Terry?! It has been so fun to watch Terry grow in just the few years he has been at CSNW and watch him make new friends. I am not sure if we share this often, but he is quietly good friends with Honey B (maybe don’t tell Honey B). I often will see them on the cameras grooming or hanging out in the same area together. She even grooms with him from time to time! And I don’t know if I have ever met a gentler chimp than him. What I am trying to say is that Terry is just such a nice guy with a really good heart <3.

An Afternoon with Annie

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I had no idea what today’s blog was going to consist of, then I caught Annie starting to build a nest and I just knew it was going to be something I should capture. Enjoy her nest building with some guest appearances by Annie’s special bird noises.

Bonus photos from The Bray!

Cy out on The Bray:

Lucky out on The Bray:

Willy B out on The Bray:

 

The Rayne Attraction

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Rayne seems to be very well-liked within her group, but also among the humans that care for her too. I don’t know if everyone is aware of how obsessed we are with Rayne, well, besides Rayne herself, she is probably aware of how awesome we think she is. There is something about her, it feels like Rayne can handle just about anything with grace. I think we are all drawn to her self-confidence. She can stroll out onto the Bray, something so unfamiliar and scary, and later leave with all the confidence in the world, like it was just another day. She is truly a friend you want to have around. Rayne is not afraid to stand up for her friends, she will encourage them to go out of their comfort zone even when it seems scary, and reassure her friends in times of need. Rayne really is a sweet and gentle soul, but when she does decides to display, oh man, is it epic! The other thing we love about Rayne is how socially savvy she is. Raynie can somehow allow Honey B scream and chase her during a conflict and miraculously redirect into play. She is always finding ways to bring out Willy B’s silly side, but also accept him for the socially awkward chimp he is. Personally, I think she is incredible because she seems to take people as they are: the good, the bad, and the in-between. Rayne also reminds me of my friend Tatu, who is her half-sister, and for some reason it brings me comfort.

Another thing we love about her is her sense of fashion sense. It is unreal!

Rayne standing bipedal on the Bray as a train goes by:

I don’t know how we got so lucky to know a chimp like Rayne:

Bonus photos!

Lucky on the Bray today:

Willy B in the grass <3:

Foxie with 5 dolls:

Annie watching her noisy neighbors:

Can you believe Negra is turning 50 this year? As many of you might know, our Trifecta Jubilee is coming up on June 13th! We will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Cle Elum Seven’s arrival, Terry’s birthday, and of course Negra’s 50th birthday! On Saturday, June 10th at 2pm, we would love for you to join us for a virtual Sit Down with the Co-Directors!

Birthday Girl Herself, Queen Negra:

This, That, and The Other

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Throughout the day, I had several ideas for things I wanted to share on the blog. They were all just small things that happened. Everything doesn’t always go as planned, as you may know. Every single time the idea would pop into my head, by the time I got the camera out (either the DLSR camera or my phone camera) the thing I was going to write about vanished. I was, however, still able to get snippets of each thing.

First, I randomly took a photo of a toy school bus inside Jamie’s greenhouse after we got done cleaning it.

I didn’t know that a short time after I took this photo, Jamie would utilize it.

During lunch, she was putting portions of her meal into it and bring it along with her. This is the only photo she allowed me to take from this far away.

Second, as we were cleaning her greenhouse, I was scrubbing the walls when a little friend gave me a startle.

This little frog was just hanging out watching me clean. Nobody seemed to notice them after we gave them access back to the greenhouse. They were more interested in the spread of lilacs we had placed in there for them. Jamie even sat directly above the frog without a single notice.

Speaking of lunch things, one item everyone was served was a romaine heart. You wouldn’t expect anyone to be excited for romaine hearts, however, the chimps LOVE them and were very excited for them.

Rayne took hers and found a secluded spot in the Riverview Greenhouse, away from the commotion of the food peering that was happening inside the playrooms.

After lunch, her group went out onto The Bray. As some were going out, others were going in. As you might suspect, there was a little bit of a traffic jam on the boardwalk. Three of the biggest boys were the cause of this jam. From left to right: Willy B, Terry, Cy

Lastly, there was one final patrol on Young’s Hill before dinner was going to be served. Here are Missy and Burrito returning from the great outdoors.