The Challenging Ones

There’s something I deeply respect about non-humans who are reserved. The ones who would never just give away their affection to whoever passes by. Don’t get me wrong, I love pups I’ve never met who run up to me like I’m a long-lost friend or chimpanzees who immediately want to play with strangers. But for…

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they’re called playrooms for a reason

Or maybe they should be called multi-purpose rooms? I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed watching these clips over and over! I had many technical difficulties with computers and software today, so you are seeing this video after a great deal of perseverance. I almost gave up a few times, but…

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Paper Play and Other Wish List Items

Yesterday, we made a banner for Love a Chimpanzee Day and left the roll of paper in the greenhouse. Burrito immediately took the roll of paper outside. Did he have a plan? It’s difficult to say. One thing we can say for sure is that we need more paper! It’s just one of many items…

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It’s Love a Chimpanzee Day 2021!

Supporter Monica Best named April 23rd Love a Chimpanzee Day and has sponsored this day each year since 2010 for her chimpanzee friends at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We’re using this occasion as the official kick-off to GiveBig. Monica and I have teamed up by creating a joint fundraising page with a $5,000 matching donation! Love…

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Stunt Missy

When we set out food forages for the chimpanzees on Young’s Hill, the chimps’ outdoor habitat, especially on a gorgeous day like today, all of the staff onsite tend to gather at the base of the hill near the greenhouse, frequently with more than one of us taking photos. It never gets old watching forages,…

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That’s the Spot

Today was a quintessential early spring day in Cle Elum that started with great gusts of wind driving snow across an otherwise peaceful green landscape. This attempt of winter to make a resurgence was no match for the sun, however. The snow was gone by midday and the scenery was back to being spring-like. It’s…

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Are You a Jamie or a Burrito (Chimpanzee)?

Kelsi and I were cleaning the playroom this morning when Jamie got Kelsi’s attention and requested a walk (we’ve learned to read Jamie’s behavior pretty well, and she’s insistent until we figure out what she wants). It’s not unusual for Jamie to want to pull someone from cleaning to do her bidding. That’s what sanctuary…

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Why We Puzzle

Raise your hand if you like to do puzzles. There are lots of different kinds – jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, logic puzzles, math puzzles, etc, etc. Remember the Rubik’s Cube fad? Or perhaps you are mechanically-minded and like to figure out how things come apart and go back together. Maybe you’re more of a physical…

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Volunteers Behind the Scenes

Last week I wanted to focus on Spring Negra, which meant there were some photos that didn’t make the cut for the blog. Luckily, I just remembered them! Look no further than the end of this post for the non-Negra photos from last week’s lunch forage. But first, a word about volunteers. Probably everyone reading…

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Rejoice

Spring is still in its infancy in Cle Elum. The nights are cold, and we will likely see more snow, but it will be the kind of snow that is there one minute and gone the next. There’s no holding back the change in the seasons now. This change from winter to spring is often…

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little random moments

The video above is a little bit random, but the days are a little random. Little moments catch my fancy, like Jody with her great big eyes and Jamie and Burrito running with the Gator. Spring is definitely in the air. The killdeer and red wing blackbirds are calling, the trees are starting to bud,…

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