Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

young's hill

The hard work of having fun

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When I opened the door to Young’s Hill this morning, everyone crowded into the raceway to file out. Missy was first out and straddled the muddy, icy raceway to avoid walking in it, Burrito clung to the caging the whole way and Foxie just went for it and walked right out through it all. She had places to go with no time to spare. Everyone meandered up the hill together to take in the view. grab a snow snack and enjoy the brisk morning for awhile before coming back inside to warm up.

Top left, going clockwise, we have Missy, Annie, Jamie, Jody, Burrito and Foxie. Negra ordered in and had snow delivered while she lounged in her warm nest.

Jamie has been full of absolute joy today. She started the morning off upside down on her barrel (always a sign of happy Jamie) kicking, flailing and laughing. Then she moved into wild games of chase throughout the chimp house with her caregivers and good friends, Jody and Foxie, then there was policing of the fun and games of others, grooming a volunteer caregiver in training, and somehow she still managed to squeeze in some alone time on the hill to take in her queendom.

But it wasn’t long before she raced back inside for another round of chase:

Frankly, all these good times have been exhausting:

Chimpanzee motion

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Compared to humans, chimpanzees have a tall and narrow pelvis, flat feet (not arched) and a differently shaped backbone. In short, a chimp’s skeletal structure is ideal for quadrupedal locomotion and when they are on the ground, they generally use all four limbs to get from one place to another.

This is not to say the chimps don’t use just their legs sometimes. It just looks like it takes a bit more effort:

But sometimes it can be convenient to switch to bipedalism:

The chimps have incredibly strong upper bodies that are perfect for climbing and swinging.

And having opposable toes comes in handy to add that bit of extra grip when you need it.

Sometimes, when they are feeling extra daring, those toes are all they need:

Cozy With Some Light Snow

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Today at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest we were pleasantly surprised by snow. It wasn’t in the forecast and though none of it really stuck, it made for a beautiful morning. While most of the chimp decided to get cozy inside as you will see below. Jamie and I went on a few walks enjoying the snow gently falling as we walking around their beautiful outdoor enclosure, Young’s Hill. These are what Sundays are all about!

Annie relaxed and watching the snow:

Burrito laid back:

Negra taking a snooze & doing some light reading:

Blurry feet wrestling of Annie & Missy:

Burrito & Foxie were grooming so intensely I could barely get a clear photo:

All in all these chimps are well rested for Monday!

Eagle eyes

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It always amazes us just how observant Jamie really is. Nothing gets by her, especially when it’s related to one of her favorite things on the planet, new boots! This morning I opened the door to Young’s Hill and Jamie took off for her first perimeter fence patrol of the day. She made it halfway up the hill before she stopped:

Then she came barreling back down (hair standing on end). She could tell from about a 100 yards away that J.B., who was innocently walking up from the parking lot, was wearing a new pair of boots.

Modeling ensued:

All You Can Eat

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Chimpanzees love to forage. There’s something very exciting about knowing that a bunch of delicious food is scattered across a wide open space and that you are welcome to as much of it as you can hold. It’s like a treasure hunt with a tasty reward.

This afternoon we took advantage of the sun and blue skies and set up a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. Burrito kept his eyes on the prize:

Today’s winner, though, might have been Missy, who we saw hobbling along with a mouth and both hands full of the good stuff:

Bathed in light

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The past couple of mornings have been our first breaths of winter dawning at around 18-20 degrees, frost covered land and bluebird skies. Beautiful. While the chimpanzees were being served breakfast I was completing the perimeter check of Young’s Hill (making sure their outdoor habitat is safe before giving them access to it). When I got to the top of the hill, the fields up there were breathtaking!

Once the sun comes up over the hill it warms up to some degree, but I wasn’t sure the chimps would do their usual dash onto the hill. But again and again, we learn never to underestimate their  joy of life and curiosity. Negra, naturally, chose to remain in a sun puddle in the greenhouse, but everyone else rushed onto the hill to soak in the beautiful morning light. Missy and Annie stopped briefly to check out construction noises before making their way to the structures to eat frost:

Burrito, extra floofy in the cold morning air:

After spending a good length of time sitting in the sun and licking the frost off everything they could find, everyone made their way back to the greenhouse and playroom to bask, quite literally, in the sunshine streaming through the windows. This entire day the chimpanzees have been utterly quiet, content and bathed in light.

Foxie sat like this, unmoving, for nearly an hour. Keeping an eye on me at the computer, soaking in all that sun:

Jamie remained in this position the entire time we cleaned the playroom. I thought she was asleep, but every time I looked, her eyes were wide as if in a daydream.

Annie, in all her grace: