Posts by Anna
Foxie's favorite things
Foxie’s love of her dolls is an endless source of heart-melting joy, fascination and mystery to us. If you’ve been following the chimpanzees for awhile you are probably aware that Foxie’s love of her dolls (that we’re aware of) began shortly after the chimps’ arrival to the sanctuary in 2008 with her subsequent discovery of…
Read MoreEntertainment and a snack
This morning Jamie piled her walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and almonds into a little red wagon so she could leisurely eat her forage and examine her extensive “library” of picture books at the same time.
Read MoreEnrichment comes in many forms
We provide the chimpanzees at the sanctuary with a wide variety of enrichment to enhance their daily lives. The great thing about enrichment is how flexible it is! Some enrichment (and often the most popular kind) involves food… A forage helps exercise the chimps’ bodies and minds: Enrichment can also have nothing to do with…
Read MoreNeighborhood watch
Not a lot slips by the Cle Elum 7. Whether it’s a snake out on Young’s Hill, or a stranger pulling into the parking lot, the chimps are very in tune with even the slightest change to their surroundings. Luckily, there are a lot of vantage points for them to keep an eye on things.…
Read MorePortraits from the vault
A slow, quiet day in the chimp house seems like the perfect opportunity to dig through our digital files and share a few unseen portraits of the chimpanzees! Annie: Missy: Jamie (doing her best glower): Jody: Negra:
Read MoreBoot related activities
Jamie’s boot interests are not restricted to just holding them or having her caregivers wear them for her. She also likes objects that look like boots and the idea of boots. Every night before we close up the chimp house, Jamie requires that caregivers find her current favorite pair of boots and then drop them…
Read MoreA Christmas Preview
This week has been filled with sunshine and no-snow, which is somewhat unusual for December in Central Washington. These lovely weather conditions, combined with the fact that the chimps have received a surplus stock of Christmas gifts, made us decide to do a Christmas preview for the chimpanzees out on Young’s Hill. The last couple…
Read MoreTwo moments that brightened our morning!
Negra enjoying the December(!!) sunshine on Young’s Hill: And Foxie the Frost Forager: Luckily this wasn’t a “Christmas Story” situation. No tongues were frozen in the making of these photos!
Read MoreBusy mornings
The majority of the action at the sanctuary happens all before lunch! We use this time every day to clean each area thoroughly, asking the chimpanzees to shift from one section of the building to another. Once the chimpanzees have all vacated an area (usually convinced by the prospect of breakfast or snacks), the lead…
Read MoreMirror Mirror!
Yesterday as we cleaned the playroom, we caught Jamie casually staring at herself in her new full length mirror. Possibly for quite some time…
Read MoreMorning with Jo
The chimpanzees each have their own morning routines. Jody, the self imposed “manager” of the group, usually sticks pretty close to her schedule.
Read MoreDon’t forget about the Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment!
Have you checked out our Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment? On this site we keep track of all the fun food puzzles and other items we give to the chimps. We are always looking for new enrichment ideas to try at the sanctuary and share with the chimpanzee caregiver community, so please feel free to share…
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