Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

young's hill

Fresh Produce & Green Grass

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We are really excited because today we put in our first online order for a Charlie’s Produce delivery that will come straight to the sanctuary! Before Covid-19, Charlie’s was our primary source for produce that we picked up at a nearby business. However, when Covid-19 hit, a lot of things changed and we had to start shopping for produce in person. In addition to the convenience for staff, Charlie’s also has an amazing assortment of fresh produce and the chimps will get to have a lot of variety in the food we serve them! On Saturday’s blog, Diana said that it never gets old to watch the chimps forage. That is so true and it never gets old watching them enjoy food that excites them!

There are a lot of different ways to donate to the sanctuary like becoming a pal to the chimps or bovines, sponsoring a day on the blog, but my personal favorite is becoming a produce patron. What is more rewarding than donating towards the thing that brings the chimps the most joy (their food!)?

Whenever I serve the chimps I feel so thankful for everyone’s donations and feel blessed to be able to hear the sounds of the chimps eating. Listening to Jody making dinosaur-like food grunts or Burrito food squeaking for sweet potatoes is simply the best. If you are ever looking to find a way to donate, become a produce patron and just imagine Foxie blowing raspberries for fruit smoothies, Honey B food grunting for a head of lettuce, Or Willy B eating his leeks like Bugs Bunny. That will always put a smile on your face.

Foxie eating her banana this morning.

Negra eating some celery.

And a carrot.

Jamie sitting on the firehose is the best and Foxie holding her carrot with her foot is pretty great too.

As much as I just talked about fresh produces, today’s real theme in the chimp house seemed to be grass. Everyone at some point was out on Young’s Hill foraging for grass!

Jody foraging for grass.

Burrito finding some shade and grass.

Missy searching high and low for some good grass.

Negra has been out morning around on the Hill a lot this spring.

Foxie doing Foxie things.

Stunt Missy

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When we set out food forages for the chimpanzees on Young’s Hill, the chimps’ outdoor habitat, especially on a gorgeous day like today, all of the staff onsite tend to gather at the base of the hill near the greenhouse, frequently with more than one of us taking photos.

It never gets old watching forages, and we often narrate out-loud to one another what’s happening. Today, Missy provided some excitement for our (and her) enjoyment.

The lunch forage was whole tomatoes (a Missy-favorite!), big chunks of lettuce, celery, mini sweet peppers, primate chow biscuits, and a few pieces of sweet potato.

Missy was keen on finding the tomatoes, but was also busy gathering lettuce. We spotted her on the treat rock (an artificial termite mound) taking a moment to eat some lettuce.

She must have spotted some tomatoes on top of Negra’s cabin from the vantage point of the treat rock, because she leapt off the treat rock in a way only Missy would. J.B. got a shot of her in motion!

Here’s the zoomed-in version of that photo. I dubbed it Stunt Missy.

Negra was settled in inside her cabin, casually enjoying some chow biscuits and lettuce, when Missy approached.

Missy was determined to climb up the log support of the cabin, even with her hands quite full. The humans watching wondering if she could do it…

Of course she could! She scaled up the log one-handed, not dropping a leaf of lettuce.

and enjoyed the tomato reward when she reached the top

Burrito Distractions

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Burrito is the best kind of distraction. This video of Burrito doing a headstand and rolling in paper is a perfect example. He can certainly entertain himself, but it’s hard to get any work done around here! He is always getting someone to play with him, human or non-human. Just ask Chad!

The weather today was amazing. And it looks like it’s only going to get better. We have been trying to take advantage of this weather, so we did a lunch forage again!

Missy was very pleased when she found a head of lettuce!

Burrito had his hands full of tomatoes and lettuce.

This was such a sweet moment, Missy giving Jody reassurance.

Jamie with a beautiful troll scarf.

This is how I found Mave this morning :).

Now I shall leave you with one last photo of sweet Negra.

Nor’Easter

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In my native Rhode Island and the surrounding New England states, the locals have a unique name for winter storms that blow down from the north Atlantic: nor’easters. These tempests bring sideways rain, chilling temperatures, and powerful gusts of wind.

The eastern slopes of the Cascades don’t have the same maritime climate as the northeast seaboard, and we lack a consistently strong breeze. However, early spring in eastern Washington is known for the blustery winds that signal the transition to warmer days. Such is the weather in our valley right now; Mother Nature seems to be torn between winter and summer, snow and sunshine, and the alternating fronts seem to churn past the sanctuary by the hour.

This morning, Easter Sunday, was one of the windiest days we’ve had all year. I’ve decided to call it Nor’Easter.

The howling winds provided us with a soundtrack as we did the morning chores, set up a big celebration for the chimpanzees, and watched them venture outside to gather up all their treats. Due to the turbulent weather, the chimps brought their harvested carrots, beets, lettuce and eggs back to the sheltered Greenhouse where they happily feasted away the afternoon.

We decided to make a video of the day’s festivities for all of you to enjoy. I know that some of you love to hear food grunts and breathy panting, so I tried to edit out the harsh background noise while leaving the best chimp vocalizations intact. Despite the gusty weather, it ended up being a beautiful day for everyone.

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Also, in case you missed our earlier post, today’s holiday had TWO sponsors (and they have quite the connection to each other).

First, our friend Lisa Stuverud sponsored this special day in memory of her sister-in-law, Linda Vazarre. Additionally, Lisa’s husband Richard Stuverud also sponsored this day in honor of her birthday:

“I’d like to sponsor today in honor of my wife Lisa’s 63rd Birthday (she will not be upset with me for sharing that). I know she believes that the Chimps and everyone associated with CSNW has contributed immensely to her making it this far. The chimps continue to bring her joy and lighten up the sometimes difficult days especially of this last year in ways only you and they can do. Much love and Thanks!!”

We really can’t thank them enough for all they’ve given to the sanctuary over the years, and we owe them our deepest gratitude for sharing their love with the chimpanzees. They’ll be glad to know that the chimps had a great feast!

Happy Birthday, Lisa!! We hope you had a beautiful day!

Are You a Jamie or a Burrito (Chimpanzee)?

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Kelsi and I were cleaning the playroom this morning when Jamie got Kelsi’s attention and requested a walk (we’ve learned to read Jamie’s behavior pretty well, and she’s insistent until we figure out what she wants). It’s not unusual for Jamie to want to pull someone from cleaning to do her bidding. That’s what sanctuary is all about, right?

When Kelsi came back from the patrol around Young’s Hill, she was grinning – I could tell even with her mask on. She said she got some great video of Missy and Burrito playing while patrolling.

She was not wrong! It was a joy putting this video together.

Later in the day, during a lunch forage, Missy and Foxie scaled Negra’s Cabin at the same time (Burrito down below).

Foxie made it to the very top and secured some beets before climbing back down to where she had left her doll.

Soon enough, they were both off doing their own things separately.

Here’s a bonus photo of Spring Queen Negra:

On the other side of the building, Willy B laid down on the boardwalk, just as he did yesterday, soaking in the sun and taking cat naps. Spring is good!

Lunch with Honey B, Willy B, and Mave

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Yesterday, I served Honey B, Willy B, and Mave lunch. Honey B could not have been more excited about sweet potatoes! She was food squeaking and breathy panting before I could video most of it. It is a true pleasure to serve the chimps meals. I can be so fun because it’s the simple things like sweet potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, or even ice that they just go crazy for. Today was another busy day of construction on the new playrooms and a staff meeting. So please enjoy this video of chimps eating and some photos!

This morning Missy and Annie were playing. I tried to snap some photos, but the lighting wasn’t great. However, these silhouettes photos actually turned out kind of cool!


Missy has such a great play face in these photos.

Missy in the green house.

This morning as the seven where given access to Young’s Hill, Jamie took a friend along. Foxie has been obsessed with this St. Patrick’s Day themed soft troll, but this morning Jamie was carrying it around :).

Jamie taking a nap in the playroom.

Or so I thought…

The weather was so amazing today. While the three were hand served and soaked up the sun in the chute, the seven had a Hill forage.

Burrito found some lettuce in Negra’s cabin.

With a mouth full of lettuce, he went to find some more!

So, he climbed.

And climbed!

Negra was spotted foraging for one of her favorites, lettuce.

Jamie of course got a good haul.

While we cleaned the playroom, I found a ripped out page from Jamie boot book in a very cozy nest. I am not sure if I should feel humbled or nervous. Is this a message of some kind ;)?

I will leave you all with a kiss from Burrito.

Say It Ain’t Snow

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Today’s weather was wild.

The morning began just as yesterday ended: with golden sunshine and unseasonably high temperatures. The cattle, despite their provisioned hay, were basking in the sun and nibbling on the fresh grass that is just starting to take over the pasture.

Betsy

The only indicator of trouble was a distant wall of clouds sweeping down the valley from the northwest. By noon, however, the skies over the sanctuary grew misty and the breeze picked up. Now, as I sit here hammering out this blog post in the foyer of the Chimp House, snowflakes swirl past the windows and gusts of wind howl overhead. Like a boxer lifting themselves back to their feet after a brutal knockdown, this winter let us know that it isn’t ready to quit just yet.

Looking up the valley towards the Central Cascades

Fortunately, we caregivers had checked the forecast and expected the sunny morning to give way to a blustery afternoon. As soon as we opened up the building, served the morning medications and confirmed that the outdoor areas were secure, we scattered the chimpanzees’ breakfast on Young’s Hill as an outdoor forage, taking advantage of the day’s most agreeable weather. The colorful spread included tangerines, pears, and some pineapple tops (the larger chunks of which went into their daily smoothie).

Missy
Jamie
Jody
Annie
Missy
Foxie

Since only one group of chimps can safely access the Hill at any given moment, Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra went out first. When everyone had gathered up the scattered food, Jamie did her usual patrol of the enclosure’s perimeter and Burrito went inside to goof around with the other chimps and us caregivers.

Burrito

Meanwhile Honey B, Mave and Willy B enjoyed the same breakfast indoors and got the opportunity to use the Courtyard later, just before lunch. Per usual, only Willy B chose to venture out into the open space; the females chose to hang out in the chute and watch the caregivers do chores inside. Honey B was even kind enough to sit still while I took a portrait of her. In exchange, I showed her some chimp photos that I still had on my memory card, including the ones of her. If Honey B was impressed, she hid it well. Honey B

Apart from the volatile weather, today was busy but uneventful. Sometimes it seems like the chimps prefer their days to move that way, with a full itinerary but without anything too unexpected. The right balance of variety and routine is crucial.

Jamie walking the perimeter