One thing we’ve seen grow in the Cle Elum Seven since they arrived at CSNW is their innate “chimpanzee-ness.” Burrito brachiating (swinging one hand after another) on the roof of the greenhouse is a perfect example. The general confidence that the chimpanzees all exhibit now has slowly grown and grown since they’ve been in sanctuary for five years.

Jamie is very human-oriented, and she always has been. One thing we’ve seen change in her however, is that even though she’s still interested in interacting with the humans and loves to be in our company, she doesn’t do as many human-like things as she used to do. On occasion she will still scrub with a brush to help us with the cleaning, use tools to take things apart like the humans do, and she still obsesses over cowgirl boots. When she first came to CSNW though, she would wear clothes all the time. She loved tutus and scarves, socks and shirts, hats and gloves, etc. Nowadays she will occasionally put on a hat or a scarf but it’s not the norm for her.

She also used to draw or paint a whole lot more than she does now. Here’s an entry exactly 5 years ago today about Jamie’s drawing. She will still engage in some drawing every now and then, but there’s just so much more to do now with Young’s Hill that I think she’s far more interested in being outside. And really, sanctuary is all about choices, so we’re happy to provide as many choices as we can for Jamie and the Cle Elum Seven. I think it’s awesome that now Jamie spends her day hunting squirrels and playing chase outside, but can still sit down with a nice boot and draw on a piece of paper if she chooses to. It’s awesome to see her transform into more of her chimpanzee-ness.

And sometimes, you get the best of both worlds: