Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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young's hill

Opening the doors to spring

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It’s an incredibly lovely spring day at the sanctuary today. Every day for at least the last two weeks Missy has been asking us to open up the barn doors on the playroom. With minimal wind and temperatures close to 70 degrees, it’s finally warm enough to grant her request. The chimpanzees get so excited when we open those doors up for some reason. Whether it’s the fresh breeze suddenly wafting through the playroom or the chance to check out the garden side of the chimp house they don’t get a clear view of from their windows, it elicits spring fever in us all.

As soon as the doors swung open, the chimps started hooting, laughing and chasing one another. Missy had the biggest play face I’ve ever seen (and of course, I didn’t have the camera at that moment!). As the fresh spring air spilled in, it was as if pure joy leaped and tumbled through the chimp house with it.

After the excitement died down, Jamie decided to build a super cozy next in front of the doors and just take in the peaceful view and sunshine:
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Our bluebird neighbors have returned to their nesting spot on Young’s Hill (despite have three perfectly lovely bluebird houses set up for them elsewhere):

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Jamie meandering during a walk around the hill and taking in the views:

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In other news, Jody is lounging in the toasty greenhouse:

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Welcome, spring!

Purple boots and Missy’s stance

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It all started with Jamie insisting we go for a walk around Young’s Hill. For those of you new to the blog, Jamie chimpanzee loves for us humans to wear her favorite boots and join her on her perimeter patrols (humans on one side of the electric fences, Jamie on the other). I did the usual, trying to guess which ones she wanted me to put on. After a few failed attempts, Elizabeth and I figured it out. She wanted the purple pair, her newest and currently, most favorite boots (thanks Kimber!). So, I grabbed them from the sink where they were being cleaned and rinsed them off. Before I could even tell her they were too wet for me to put on, and that I would just be carrying them, she was gone. I walked out the door to the other side of the fence to join her. She’d already made it most of the way up one side of the hill by that time. She waited for me to catch up before continuing on her perimeter patrol.

When we got back to the Greenhouse, she made the gesture that she wanted to see the boots for a little grooming.
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Meanwhile, Missy was busy, running back and forth from the top of the hill back down and then from one side to the other. She stopped every so often to look back over her shoulder, perhaps to see if there was something she missed while she was running. I watched her for a bit and caught her in the following stance and wondered what she was looking at. Perhaps, she was practicing her stance She looked pretty intent on something. What could it be?

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Of course!!! It was her dear friend Annie running up the hill towards her.
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A game of chase ensued, all the way back to the Greenhouse.
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A place in the sun

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It’s a beautiful bright blue sky kind of day at the sanctuary, but the wind is biting and cold. In between quick ventures onto Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees have each spent their day finding a variety of warm places in the sun to enjoy.

Annie running up the hill to check the tire swing for ice which she happily found and ran back to the greenhouse to enjoy – and that’s Foxie and Dora on the side:

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Jody has been making daily trips up the hill to check for the wild greens which haven’t started to come up yet. She did come back with what looked suspiciusly like a young bamboo shoot though.

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Here’s Foxie sporting a grimace in response to the cold wind as she quickly heads back inside with her Dora dolls:

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Back in the south facing window of the greenhouse, Foxie warms up with the sun on her face:

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Missy joins Foxie in the sunny spot:

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Burrito having an after lunch rest in the greenhouse:

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There are three levels in the greenhouse and with each one the heat increases significantly. The chimps often like to pile together at the very top where they can bake in the sun. Foxie and Dora are kicked back in the heat:

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Beautiful Missy decided to make a nest on the catwalk in the playroom in the south-facing windows:

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The chimpanzees weren’t the only ones looking for a warm spot in the sun today:

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I wasn’t able to capture any photos of the Queen and the Boss, but Negra has spent most of the day in “happy baby” pose in her nest, holding her feet and luxuriating in the glaring sun. And in between brisk walks, Jamie has also spent most of the day in a warm nest out of view. 🙂

Jamie Chimpanzee

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Age: 38ish. Her exact birthday is unknown, but she was likely born in 1977. We celebrate her birthday on Halloween to celebrate her mischievous personality. Check out the following link to find out more about Jamie’s story prior to arriving at CSNW.

Nicknames: James. She is also referred to as “The Boss”

Favorite food: Pears

What she is known for: She’s known for being the leader, the one in charge (of the other chimps and us humans too!). She absolutely loves her cowboy/girl boots and doing perimeter patrols around her outdoor enclosure (sometimes walking until it’s dark). And she demands her human caregivers put on one or more boots and walk with her (humans walk on the outside of the fence, while she walks inside). She is an excellent tool user and loves using them for projects around the sanctuary.

Distinguishing physical characteristics: She is very muscular, has dark freckles on her face and her nipples are pink. Many caregivers (and blog readers) know her by her perfect posture and her distinctive strut, especially when she’s walking around Young’s Hill.

Personality: Where do I begin? It’s complicated; she’s complicated! I think Elizabeth did a great job of summarizing her contradicting personality characteristics. She’s extremely intelligent and serious, yet she has a playful side. And as much as she is demanding, bossy, stubborn, intense, mischievous and moody, she is also determined, passionate and uninhibited.

These are some of my favorite photos of Jamie taken last week (she didn’t want her photo taken today).
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The return of Ellie the elk

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Ellie (as we call her), our local neighborhood wild elk, spends her days roaming up and down the valley where she grew up after losing her mother. During the winter she tends to stay more frequently at the neighboring ranch, but she always makes her way back to the sanctuary in the springtime to hang out.

On one of her first days back after the snow melted she decided to accompany the chimpanzees (everyone except Negra!) and I on a walk around Young’s Hill. The chimpanzees, however, (specifically Jamie and Foxie) weren’t so welcoming of her return and wanted to remind her whose territory she was in. (Be sure to watch until the end when Jody and Missy offer Foxie and her Dora doll reassuring hugs for their bravery).

The Best Laid Plans

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Jamie is religious about her Young’s Hill perimeter walks. As the boss, maybe she feels some responsibility to make sure the sanctuary is safe from intruders. But she doesn’t like to go alone. Her preferred walking partners are her caregivers. I can only think of a handful of times we’ve seen her walk by herself or with only other chimps as company. But today, she was desperate to go and couldn’t wait for us caregivers to get our act together, so she tried to recruit Foxie.

The elk that stole my job

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Many of you know that Jamie likes to be accompanied by a caregiver when she patrols Young’s Hill, her 2-acre enclosure. It’s the best part of the job, in my opinion – fresh air, exercise, and some quality bonding time between chimps and the humans that care for them. And if I’m being honest, it’s just nice to feel needed once and a while.

But it looks like us humans won’t be needed much longer.

This morning, Jamie and Burrito took a walk around the hill with our neighborhood elk, Ellie. This wasn’t the type of patrol we typically see in response to an intruder – Jamie wasn’t aggressive or even particularly vigilant. In fact, it looked to me like the same leisurely stroll that we take with Jamie every day…I mean, used to take every day. Before Ellie took over.

At least Jamie still needs us to clean her enclosures. For now.

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