Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

young's hill

Taking time to appreciate the roses

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There were so many amazing pictures from Jody’s birthday celebration that it was hard to choose just a few to feature the highlights. In fact, I got so many good pictures of the chimpanzees foraging for the roses that I just had to share a few more today. Jody wasn’t the only one to savor the treat. Although she did end up with the lion’s share almost everyone got the opportunity to enjoy a flowery breakfast snack. What I find particularly intriguing is that I observed more than one chimpanzee looking at and smelling the flowers as part of the process of eating them. Now, this isn’t necessarily different from food as they often observe it and smell it before deciding whether or not it seems good enough to eat. It does seem a reasonable habit to get into if you’re going to be taking gastronomic risks. However, I still found it to be a captivating behavior to observe in my friends and certainly one that provokes further thought, if you go in for that kind of thing.

Annie
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Missy
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Jamie
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Negra
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Burrito (Okay, he’s not actually foraging for roses here but for chow instead!)
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Green Grass

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Each year around this time, the grass on Young’s Hill turns from brown and brittle to soft and green seemingly overnight. The chimpanzees love it, and I love how at home they look out there.

Annie:

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Jody:

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Foxie and Dora…

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…and Ellie the elk spying:

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Negra:

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Burrito, enjoying the spring grass for the delicacy it is:

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Troll stroll

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It’s a beautiful spring day here at the sanctuary, not to mention a rare one without wind. It was already quite warm early this morning so we decided to do a chow forage on the hill for the chimpanzees after they were served their breakfast. Foxie and her troll friend were first out the door and they spent quite a bit of time traversing Young’s Hill in search of the chow. At first she held fast to her troll in her hand (I love her tongue sticking out here):

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But then she decided she had some ground to cover and the troll went on her back:

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It’s a good day for a stroll with one’s troll:

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The Day After

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Aside from working directly with and for the chimpanzees every day, the thing I love most about working for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is seeing how deeply people near and far care about the chimps – not just in the abstract, but as individuals. After decades of being treated as little more than faceless numbers, it’s incredibly heartwarming that people across the country and across the world love and appreciate Foxie for her love of troll dolls, Burrito for his epic food squeaks, and so on.

Last night’s Hoot! gala in Seattle was an amazing success and an absolute joy. People came to celebrate and support the chimps they love, or to acquaint themselves with the Cle Elum Seven for the first time. Check out the e-newsletter about the event that Diana sent out this morning here. (If you’re not yet signed up for our email list, you can do that here.) And be sure to watch the video that gala attendees saw at the event last night.

If you weren’t able to make it last night, you can still show your love for the chimps by donating here.

Today the chimpanzees are celebrating by enjoying the green grass and sunshine on Young’s Hill. After picking a couple of dandelions, Jody spent some time overseeing the unloading of the event supplies from the U-Haul.

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A million thanks to everyone who helps us continue to care for the chimps we love so much.

Savoring Breakfast

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The sun is simply splendid here in eastern Washington today and I had an urge to celebrate it. Brainstorming ideas, I resolved to put together some of the chimpanzees favorite things for an early morning partial breakfast forage on Young’s Hill. First, JB served fruits and smoothie in the greenhouse, then the chimpanzees foraged for iceberg lettuce and chow on the hill. The thing about spring here is that the weather can be, well, capricious, to say the least, with the trademark of a beautifully sunny day combined with decidedly chilly winds. While the chimpanzees were certainly enthusiastic about their good fortune they elected to enjoy it in the more agreeable, less windy, greenhouse. I can’t say that I blame them and they look pretty content with their haul.

Burrito:
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Missy:
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Negra:
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Annie:
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Foxie:
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Jody:
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There is no photographic evidence of Jamie because she chose to take her share off into the building to enjoy at her leisure without any social pressure. Nevertheless, I am sure she savored it to the fullest extent!

High value item

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Last night we put kong toys out with a couple of almonds in each, and this morning I found one that the chimps had missed hidden inside a tire! So I put it in the food chute in the front rooms when no one was around, thinking someone would find a nice treat later. I assumed that chimp would be Jamie, because she is always aware of her surroundings and would quickly take note of its sudden presence. But, I guessed wrong! Jody found it first and knew how valuable it was so she carried it around with her for a large chunk of the day. She didn’t even set it down to take part in the Young’s Hill forage—she just took it along with her.

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Speaking of high value items, the Hoot! gala auction is coming up in just one week! Be sure to get your tickets now before they run out. You can even preview some of the auction items here to get an idea of what you’d like to bid on.

Happy Earth Day!

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One thing is for sure—the chimpanzees definitely don’t take their environment for granted. Here are some pictures that demonstrate how Missy is enjoying the spring weather these days!

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