Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

young's hill

Perspective

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It’s hard to get photos of several chimps in one frame out on the hill. Typically they are foraging or exploring on their own or in pairs, but getting four, five, or six chimps in one frame is pretty rare. It seems this morning, JB was able to capture these rare moments when all but Negra were out on the hill checking out a helicopter flying overhead. They had a good perspective from where they were, I think. And since these aren’t close ups of the chimps, it gives you a new perspective as well.

Annie, Missy, Jody, and Foxie:

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Foxie, Jamie, Missy, Annie, Jody, and Burrito:

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I like this series a lot because both Jamie on ground and Missy (just above Jamie) are climbing up posts simultaneously. (Foxie is up top and Annie is on the bridge).

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Jody the Harvester

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One of the chimpanzees’ favorite activities this time of year is going out on Young’s Hill and harvesting an armful (or mouthful) of the wild plants that grow out there, and bringing them back into the greenhouse to eat or wadge. Jody, especially, is a plant harvesting fiend.

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A relaxing morning walk

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We have written quite a lot about Jamie chimpanzee’s Young’s Hill walks and accompanied the descriptions with many, many pictures. It really is one of the best experiences of working at Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW and one of my favorite activities to share with Jamie. Today I would like to invite you to join Jamie on her walk around the hill. The video doesn’t do the actual experience justice but I did what I could to try to capture the idea. Hope you enjoy your walk around the hill!

A spring walk with Jamie

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Today is a beautiful spring day here at the sanctuary and the chimpanzees have been enjoying a relaxing day in the warm spring breezes. Jamie was ready for a walk around Young’s Hill after lunch and after donning the Jamie-approved cowgirl boot, we set off. Everyone (with the exception of Negra who chose to enjoy the warm spring breeze from her nest in the sun) came out to spend time exploring. But Jamie and I decided to meander, stopping to check things out and wait for each other along the way.

This is not usually the case when walking with Jamie. She has a sense of purpose to everything she does and Jamie, being Jamie, typically determines the course and speed of the walk. She isn’t one to wait around for her caregivers (or the other chimpanzees) and does not appreciate any of us making up the route or getting ahead of her. But this spring day, with so much in bloom, she tolerated a little exploring on both our parts.

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Once back inside, I found Jamie nesting in front of the barn doors, surrounded by her magazines and enjoying the warm breeze through the playroom.

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She stayed like this for a long time, just gazing outside and enjoying the view into the chimpanzees’ garden. It was a rare treat to see her so relaxed and at peace.

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She didn’t even mind the paparazzi.

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We hope you are all enjoying equally beautiful and relaxing spring days, wherever you are!

Jody and the Bamboo

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Jody loves to harvest her own plants from Young’s Hill. In addition to a variety of wild plants that grow out there, we have planted several groves of bamboo generously donated by Provitro Biosciences. While Missy appreciates the bamboo for its climbing potential, Jody prefers to break off shoots and eat the leaves.

I snapped the following photos the other day when Jody brought this bamboo inside to enjoy.

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And as I was typing this blog post, Jody dragged this giant piece of bamboo in from outside. Let’s hope the bamboo survives Jody’s love.

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Choice

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The chimpanzees spend a lot of time in the doorway that leads from the greenhouse to Young’s Hill, deciding whether they want to go outside. Sometimes they decide against it and opt to stay in the sunny greenhouse or hang out in the indoor playroom. But I think these moments of choice are just as vital to captive chimpanzees as fresh air and sunshine and room to run.

This morning I’ve seen Negra sit in the doorway to Young’s Hill several times, taking in the view of the hill and pondering. She hasn’t yet ventured out, but I imagine that seeing two acres of green grass in front of her is something that she never imagined during her decades in a lab cage.

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View from the top

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Almost three years after we opened Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees are still exploring new facets of it all the time. This afternoon volunteer caregiver Denice called me outside to take a look at Jamie, who had scaled a 25 foot tall post to the very top, and was clinging to it and taking in her surroundings. She didn’t even come down when Denice announced that it was lunch time. Due to a camera mishap I wasn’t able to get a photo of her on her perch, but here she is climbing back down.

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After a little more meandering, she headed to the greenhouse to enjoy some lunch.

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