Over the last 3 (almost 4!) years, we’ve had tons of blog posts about grass forages (in case you haven’t heard, the Cle Elum Seven love to eat grass!). Oddly enough, the first blog post about grass forages was on May 1, 2009 (almost exactly 3 years ago from today). What’s awesome is that we no longer have to set up a grass “forage” (unless we want to) because the chimps get to harvest it themselves on Young’s Hill. And that’s exactly what they did today. I wasn’t able to catch any photos of her, but even Negra went out a couple of times grabbing big handfuls of grass to take in the Greenhouse.
Archive for the ‘Sanctuary’ Category
In the grass
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012Chimps’ Choice- Spry gum!
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012I just looked in the cabinet and realized the chimps are out of Spry Gum! The chimps actually love to chew gum. Sometimes they just swallow it, but usually they will chew it and sometimes even play with it (check out this adorable video posted in 2010 of Negra enjoying a piece of gum). We don’t give the chimps sugar or artificial flavors so Spry is great because it contains Xylitol, a natural sweetener, which is great for your teeth and gums.
So, I would like to propose a challenge: the first 5 people to send this 5-flavor pack of Spry Gum from our Amazon Wishlist will get something extra special from me in return, along with the joy that you helped enrich the Cle Elum Seven, of course! What could be better?
Burrito
Monday, April 30th, 2012Let it snow!
Sunday, April 29th, 2012Just kidding!
We’re still getting to enjoy beautiful spring-like days here in Cle Elum, but to mix things up a bit, volunteers Stephanie and Katelyn (who drive over from Seattle) stopped at Snoqualmie Pass this morning to pick up some snow for the chimps. Mixed with strawberries and juice, it was a delicious treat! The Cle Elum Seven are certainly not native to the Pacific Northwest, but they certainly know how to make the most of it!
Foxie sucking all the juice out of the snow:

But mixing things up for the chimps didn’t stop there. Stephanie brought tons of super soft new blankets for them. Jody was extremely happy. She immediately collected as many as possible and built a giant nest by the barn doors, constantly rubbing them on her face and making an “ahhhh” sound. After a cold snack, new soft blankets were probably right on time. Thanks Stephanie and Katelyn!


sweet eats and sweet annie
Saturday, April 28th, 2012Hey! Tomorrow is the last day of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale (what a cool concept, right?) You can help Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest by heading to the Tacoma bake sale located at King’s Books, 218 St Helens Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402. Find out more on the Facebook event page, which includes photos of some of the yummy baked goods you can buy. If you want to bake something as well as purchasing baked goods, feel free to drop in with your goodies at the book store tomorrow (Sunday) at noon. In addition to the baked goods, 35 copies of the vegan baked goods recipe book is up for sale. All proceeds support the sanctuary, so indulge!
Speaking of sweetness, if you saw our April e-news last week, you learned a little bit more about beautiful Annie. However, if you’re somewhat new to the sanctuary and the blog, you might not be aware that Annie has a habit of making bird noises (check out the video in the “Annie-isms” blog post from 2010 to hear her chirps). She has a particular technique for producing these sounds that involves holding both hands over her face. She was relaxing in the greenhouse this afternoon making her bird sounds and I snapped a few photos.
Annie involved her feet in the chirping today:
She may have just been having fun with her lips in this photo:
I think she’s generally quite pleased with herself after a good bird call (chimpanzees don’t smile the same way that humans do, but Annie often looks like she has a grin on her face from our human perspective):
Lounging with trolls
Friday, April 27th, 2012Delicate Jamie
Thursday, April 26th, 2012Sometimes Jamie can be quite destructive, with her great displays that show her domination, and her investigations of enrichment. So in contrast, I really love how delicate she looks with this small cherry tomato in these pictures from the other day. (I also really love the amazingly vibrant green grass in the background!)
The Queen of Relaxation
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012If Negra is the Queen of the Cle Elum Seven, Jody is the Queen of Nest Building and Relaxation.
Jody is hands down the best nest builder I know. She is definitely an artist about it, and will often use as many as 20-30 blankets. We put out tons of new straw and alfalfa hay in the greenhouse yesterday, so Jody forewent the blankets and made herself an amazing nest right on the ground.
Expanding our team
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012I’m very excited to say that Michael Moore has joined the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest staff as our new Director of Development. He’s been with us about a week now, and I think it’s fair to say he’s completely smitten. And Jamie definitely approves of his footwear. Please do welcome him by connecting with him on Facebook or dropping him an email at michael@chimpsnw.org.
Another day in paradise
Monday, April 23rd, 2012Today is day 3 of unseasonably gorgeous weather (high 70s!) here in Cle Elum. The chimpanzees have been out on Young’s Hill for a couple of hours now and show no signs of tiring of it. (As I write this, Jody is lying on her belly in a patch of shade munching on some grass.) Here are some photos from this afternoon:
Foxie has collected several of these wine vines to bring into the greenhouse with her:
Annie brought in a blanket she found on the hill for her nest in the greenhouse:
Burrito has been watching the goings-on from his new favorite hangout by the treat rock:










































