Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

young's hill

For Earth Day and the chimpanzees!

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This day was sponsored by Debbie Bloom in honor of the chimpanzees and this beautiful Earth we all share. She shares this lovely message about today:

“In honor of Earth Day it seems appropriate to celebrate all of these beautiful creatures. They bring such joy and intrigue into our lives – especially mine. I only wish that I could read their minds.” 

Debbie, on this day in which we’re given a special opportunity to honor and celebrate this amazing earth, and to protect and preserve all we cherish, we love that you’ve chosen to include the chimps. Thank you so much for honoring the special individuals they are and all they bring to our lives just by being themselves.

There is so much to love on this earth. Especially these seven chimpanzees. Safe, thriving and loved in a beautiful world to call their own, thanks to each of you.

Annie:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Jody:

Missy:

Negra:

The impersonator

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When we train new volunteers and interns to identify the Cle Elum 7, we emphasize the importance of ignoring circumstantial evidence. Does that chimp have a blanket over their head? Yes. Who likes to cover themselves with blankets? Negra! If we see a chimpanzee covering themselves with a blanket can we positively ID that chimp as Negra? Absolutely not!
Exhibit A:

Negra sits next to a covered up Missy, aka Fake Neggie

Today I caught this “Fake Foxie” impersonator out on Young’s Hill. Let’s test your identification skills!

Easter 2017 Part II

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The day after the big celebration the chimpanzees have been napping, resting and eating light, recovering from yesterday’s all day party! As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, here are a few photos from the first Young’s Hill forage of the year (aka Easter Party #2):

Annie picking carrots we “buried” for the chimps to harvest:

Jody and Negra (Negra was ALL over the place! It was her day 🙂 ):

Jody finds a quiet spot to enjoy her spoils:

Missy scored on corn:

Foxie and Dora on the hunt for Easter eggs filled with nuts and berries:

Boss lady, Jamie, thrilled with her beloved leeks:

And a bonus video of Easter shenanigans from the breakfast forage:

Outdoor fun with Foxie

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Today as Jamie, Katelyn, and I headed out for an afternoon perimeter walk around Young’s Hill, we were joined by the rest of the chimpanzees (minus Negra). Foxie quickly became the life of the party at the top of the hill as she wrestled and chased with both Jamie and Missy.

When chimpanzees play, there is a lot of foot grabbing that goes on. Foxie is particularly adept at dancing out of these playful grabs.

Slapping is also a popular play move:

And don’t forget about chasing!

Somewhere in all this activity, Foxie dropped her Dora Doll. Jody put it in her right hip “pocket” for safe keeping and took it back to the greenhouse. I know it’s a bit blurry, but can you spot Dora’s wild brown hair peeking out?

A few more of today’s mischief maker:

Today’s happenings

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Hands down, today is the loveliest day we’ve seen in quite some time. The air is fresh and the with only a slight breeze. The chimps have been enjoying themselves with a variety of choices today, from roaming Young’s Hill throughout the day to nesting and grooming in the toasty sun-warmed greenhouse, to crazy games in the playroom.

Foxie began her day by tossing her new France Dora doll on her back (this is how chimp mamas carry their young) and heading up Young’s Hill for a morning stroll:

Missy has been asking for weeks to have the barn doors at the end of the playroom open so she can see if the garden popped up overnight yet. We usually give her a quick peek, but it’s still too cold to leave them open for more than a few minutes. But today was the first time it was actually warm enough to leave them open for about an hour so the chimps enjoyed sitting in the sun and watching Keri begin garden preparation!

Missy took a break from garden duty to head over for a game of ghost tug o’ war with me. You know that game, right? Put a blanket over your head and play tug o’ war? And then stand on your head, of course (Missy, not me!).

Of course, Jamie made sure to supervise Keri with all those tools (someone had to):

Jody enjoyed snoozing in a sun puddle:

And I think dear, sweet Annie summed up the day best for all of us as she closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun:

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The den mother

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We refer to Jody as the “mom” of the group for many reasons. She is concerned about sticking to the daily routine at the sanctuary and cares deeply for the well-being of her group mates. If someone is late to mealtime, she makes it her duty to go and find them. On Young’s Hill, she is often seen keeping an eye out for the other chimps and is always on hand to lend a little bit of reassurance. When she’s not checking up on others, she finds time to do a little exploring of her own.