Posts by Diana
First Snow!
We had a dusting of snow overnight – our first snowfall of the season. The sun was in full force by midday, warming everything up and providing the opportunity to grab a snack before it all disappeared. Annie: Missy:
Read MoreThe Lookouts
Chimpanzees tend to appreciate access to vertical space. The outdoor habitat (Young’s Hill) at the sanctuary, since it’s built on a hill and has several climbing structures, is prime lookout territory. It seems particularly important for Missy, Annie, and Foxie to get up high and survey the land in the morning. With all that’s changing…
Read More3,802 Days of Sanctuary
When I was watching Foxie this morning, I was thinking about when she first arrived with the rest of the Cle Elum Seven Chimpanzees. She showed some apprehension and perhaps suspicion those first weeks. The first time she went into the larger space of what we call the playroom, she stomped all around the perimeter…
Read MoreNew Kids on the Block
The chimpanzees have been joined by four new bovine sanctuary residents! Betsy, Honey, Meredith (Honey’s daughter), and Nutmeg (Betsy’s son) arrived last night. They came from Farm Sanctuary’s Northern California Shelter, which is closing down. Most of the cattle were moved to Farm Sanctuary’s main location in upstate New York, but there were some that…
Read MoreA time for lounging and a time for adventure
If we were to do a poll of the caregivers, or you all reading this (if you’ve been following a long for a bit), I would be willing to put good money down that Negra would be chosen as the chimpanzee at CSNW most likely to be found nesting. Who do you think would be…
Read MoreBlack & White Photos
Sometimes just looking at photos of the chimpanzees takes my breath away. Even though I’ve known them for over a decade, I love being able to study their features and the different expressions that the camera captures in a given moment. Black and white photos can be all the more breathtaking. Burrito: Missy: Foxie:
Read MoreNegra’s priceless life
The other day someone asked me what I thought about all of the resources (time, staff, funds) that go into caring for a relatively small number of chimpanzees. It wasn’t a hostile or accusatory question at all, just one of curiosity. Part of my answer in the moment was that we are working hard towards…
Read MoreMore love for Vicki
Everyone knows that birthdays should be extended for as long as possible, right?! Certainly the chimpanzees would agree with this: Because Vicki’s birthday yesterday was a special one and she has many people in her life that care about her (count all of the primates at CSNW in that list!), we have a second…
Read MoreGolden Grass
This morning was stunningly beautiful. The fall grass touched with fresh dew seemed to be a source of light unto itself. With the angle of the morning sun and the glowing grass, the chimpanzees also seemed to emanate sunshine. Annie: Jody, as per usual, was acting as the sentry and crossing guard: Jody…
Read MoreThe inspiration of Negra on Giving Day for Apes
While we’re in the midst of raising funds for the expansion (and we will be for a while), we also have seven chimpanzees to care for each day. They are the top priority as well as the inspiration to push forward to be in the position to help more chimpanzees. The “we” in the above…
Read MoreGiving Day for Apes teaser video
We are really excited to be participating in Giving Day for Apes on Tuesday, September 25th! This is a day of online giving to promote awareness of apes and the sanctuaries who are caring for them across the world. Check out our page here. To spice things up, there are some prizes available to participating…
Read MoreJody’s Family
It was just three weeks ago that we separated Jody from the group in order to stitch an injury to her eyelid. If you didn’t know it had happened, you probably wouldn’t notice that her left eye looks a little different. I suspect in another three weeks even we won’t be able to tell which…
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