Posts by Debbie
Laughing
As many of our regular blog readers know, Annie is coming out of her shell more and more. We’ve seen her become more confident and play with chimps other than Missy. Foxie seems to be someone she likes to play with, and the other day I caught them in an intense wrestling match. Their laughter…
Read MoreNegra’s style of play
Negra plays slower and less frequent than the other chimps. Missy and Foxie are very playful and active, but they slow down to Negra’s speed when she decides to engage in play with them.
Read MoreFoxie making a nest
During cleaning this morning, Jackie and I spotted Foxie starting to nest with some blankets, so we grabbed the camera and quickly got a few paparazzi style shots.
Read MoreA birthday card for Annie
Annie’s birthday is tomorrow! We received this lovely birthday card in her honor from Paige Sobran: It reads: May you be surrounded by friends, love and joy on your birthday… and green onions, trolls, blankets. From someone who checks for blog updates every day before I check my email. Thanks, Paige! We’ll be celebrating Annie’s…
Read MoreBrown-eyed girl
Annie’s cousin?
Annie’s birthday is Saturday, so I thought I’d share a picture taken from when the raceway to Young’s Hill was built: When I first met the Cle Elum Seven in 2008, I was working at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) in Ellensburg, just 20 miles away from CSNW. I was going to grad…
Read MoreBurrito
Workin’ hard
Today J.B., Colin, and Noah worked on some Young’s Hill trench-digging around the entire perimeter. Here’s J.B. using what I have been calling “the crazy chainsaw for the ground” machine (though it’s actually called a ditch witch). Trench-digging is also do-able with a pick ax and shovel, though I imagine it’s pretty hard work! Here’s…
Read MoreAnnie
It’s really amazing to look through some old photos of when the chimps first arrived at the sanctuary. Their skin was so faded, they had so little hair, and they just seemed expressionless. Even after just a few months, we started to see some drastic changes. This post shows before and after pictures of Annie—with…
Read MoreA Fox in a Box
We tend to get a lot of empty boxes around here at the sanctuary, and the other day Denice thought the chimps might enjoy this especially giant box. She was right, it turned out to be a lot of fun. Who knew a plain old leftover box could be so entertaining!
Read MoreBirthday Coconuts
Missy’s birthday party was today. First, in the playroom, Jackie and I put almost entirely SOCKS out for the enrichment (we also included some boots and trolls, which are essential for enriching Jamie and Foxie). After we cleaned the outdoor area, we set up a huge forage of watermelon, lychees, bananas, bell peppers, green beans,…
Read MoreAnother use for butcher paper
Butcher paper is not just for arts and crafts. Jamie and Jody find it very nest-worthy. They both had nests that resembled paper mountains! As I shifted the chimpanzees from the front rooms to the playroom, Jody grabbed this heaping pile of paper to use for later in the day.
Read More