I can’t believe today is the day we get to see our chimpanzee friends step on grass for the first time.
Yesterday I looked at the 5′ x 3′ cage we have on the property. They lived in cages that size for decades. It’s impossible to put into words the sadness that small cage evokes. Then I looked at the 2 acre hill.
It might be a little scary for them at first, but the chimps are definitely ready for us to open the doors to the next chapter in their lives and put their pasts further behind them. We plan to set up a large lunch forage for them and open the doors around 11:00 (pacific time).
Its been heartwarming to see all of the posts that people have been sharing about the news on Facebook. It’s a privilege to be part of such a great community of people who care about chimpanzees and are as excited as we are to see the Cle Elum Seven step onto that hill.
A lot of people have been sharing the Young’s Hill video that Jonathan Houser made just a year ago when we were raising funds for the hill at our 2010 auction. I’ve included it below.
Young’s Hill – The Dream from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest on Vimeo.
Thank you all.
