Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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young's hill

Happy Birthday, Don Young!

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Today we’re celebrating Don Young’s 75th birthday. Don and Karen Young have been endlessly generous in their support of the sanctuary and the Cle Elum Seven. Among many other things, Don and Karen provided the contribution that allowed us to break ground on what is now known as Young’s Hill. Each time the chimpanzees step outside onto their two-acre open air habitat, we feel so thankful to the Youngs for making it happen. See Diana’s blog post from this morning for more on Don and Karen.

Karen sponsored today for the chimps in honor of Don’s birthday, so we threw a lavish party to celebrate. The weather was unseasonably nice today, so first thing this morning we set up parties in the greenhouse and on Young’s Hill. The chimps foraged for coconuts, pineapple, kiwi, beets, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, and fruit smoothie in Dixie cups.

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Although the weather was beautiful for January in Cle Elum, it was still a little cool for Negra, so she chose to stay in the greenhouse:

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But everyone else went outside and foraged for breakfast on Young’s Hill:

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Burrito gathered some Brussels sprouts:

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And Jamie collected some beets:

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The real prizes of the morning were the two whole coconuts. Missy quickly found one of them:

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and looked for a safe place to enjoy it:

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She was soon joined by Jody:

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Jody was very happy to find the second coconut a little later:

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There was plenty of coconut to go around, and everyone eventually got a chance to enjoy some.

Foxie:

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Annie:

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We can’t possibly count the ways in which we’re grateful for Karen and Don’s generosity. The Cle Elum Seven wouldn’t enjoy the life they do without them. Happy birthday, Don!

Today is for Don Young

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A giant Happy Birthday to Don Young today! Don’s wife Karen is sponsoring today in honor of Don’s 75th birthday and shared these sentiments: “Happy 75th to my wonderful husband, Don, who has so generously supported my chimp passion so that it is now his passion as well! Here is to you and a chimp party in your honor! Love, Karen.”

The chimpanzees celebrate Don and Karen every day when they step onto Young’s Hill – the two acre habitat that the Youngs helped to fund. They also funded the greenhouse project, the termite mound on Young’s Hill, and contributed generously towards the medical clinic.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest simply wouldn’t be what it is without their help, and we can’t thank them enough.

We’ll be throwing a BIG party for Don today – check back on the blog later for photos, or get the blog posts in your inbox by subscribing – just scroll down on this page below all of the announcements, etc., put your email address in the box below the words, “Subscribe to Blog via Email,” and then click “subscribe.”

In the meantime, watch the video below of the chimpanzees first day on Young’s Hill:

Happy Birthday, Don!

On Young’s Hill

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The chimpanzees’ relationship with Young’s Hill has certainly developed over the time they have had access to it. Sanctuary has provided them with the room to run physically as well as the room to expand psychologically. Not only have they grown as individuals as a result of the space provided but their relationships and sense of self appear to have evolved as well. Today, in honor of the gift that space provides, here is a visual exposition of the chimpanzees experiencing the splendor of Young’s Hill.

Annie foraging:
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Jamie walking through the grass:
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Burrito climbing over logs:
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Missy smiling while running:
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Foxie sitting up on one of the wooden climbing structures:
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Jody walking through the grass:
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Negra enjoying the sun (a repeat but one of my favorites!):
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Forest

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I love seeing the chimps on Young’s Hill with the forest as a backdrop. Though we can never return them to the wild, we can give them the next best thing. After living decades in the lab, I imagine it must feel pretty great to have open air, sunshine, and blue sky overhead. And the view isn’t too bad either.

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the walking club

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Unless this is your first time visiting the blog (if so, welcome!!), you probably know about Jamie’s obsession with walking around the perimeter of Young’s Hill while one or more of her human caregivers walks around the outside of the perimeter while wearing a cowboy boot.

She has been doing this multiple times a day with all of her caregivers since the spring. While Jamie is quite demanding about taking these walks 4-7 times a days, it’s admittedly not a dreaded task for us humans. It’s hard to describe how great it feels to not only be making Jamie happy, which is pretty much a CSNW caregiver’s definition of a successful day, but it’s also just a very peaceful way to spend 15 or so minutes. It’s particularly great right now because the weather has been amazing this October, and the hill and the surrounding property is beautiful, even awe-inspiring at certain times of the day.

We actually dreamed of doing these perimeter walks before Young’s Hill was a reality. When it was in the design phase, we wondered if the chimps might patrol the perimeter of the hill, similar to the way chimpanzees in the wild go on patrol to check the boundaries of their territory. So when Jamie started doing this, it felt right.

While spending time with the chimpanzees one-on-one, like walking with Jamie while the other chimps do their own thing, is personally fulfilling, what’s 100 times more rewarding is observing the chimpanzees with each other and seeing their bonds strengthen and their friendships expand.

Which is why we’ve been thrilled that other chimpanzees have been joining Jamie on her walks lately. J.B. captured some clips on his phone and put together the video below.

Maybe, just maybe, one day the chimpanzees will go off on their own with each other to walk the perimeter of the hill, leaving us humans behind.

 

Burrito and Jamie on the hill

Using Their Space

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Considering that for most of their lives, the chimpanzees were so confined that they weren’t able to move more than a couple of feet in any direction, it’s incredible how confidently they use their space these days. Seeing them high up on the climbing structures on Young’s Hill never gets old.

Jamie:

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Foxie:

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Missy:

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Jody:

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Annie:

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