Posts by Elizabeth
In Memory of Riley
Janet Henry recently sponsored a day in honor of Riley, a friend’s beloved dog who passed away recently after being hit by a car. What a truly sweet way to honor Riley and her family. Thank you, Janet! We’re occasionally visited at the sanctuary by two of the neighbor’s dogs who love to bark at…
Read MoreLetting loose
As we were finishing up cleaning the playroom this morning, we caught two unusual suspects — Annie and Negra — in a pretty wacky game. For those of you just tuning in, Annie is the least dominant chimpanzee at CSNW. She is gentle and shy, and when she arrived here in 2008 she didn’t have…
Read MoreThank you, Phillippa Kassover!
Phillippa Kassover has sponsored today for the chimpanzees. Phillippa first learned of the Cle Elum Seven earlier this year from the media coverage on the Taylor Bridge wildfire, and she suggested that we take today to celebrate new beginnings! We’re running with Phillippa’s suggestion and setting up a New Year’s Eve dinner forage for the chimps in the…
Read MoreFor Julie and Rob Sweet
Merry Christmas, everyone! Jean Bengston has also sponsored today in honor of Julie and Rob Sweet, and it’s an exciting morning here at the chimp house. The chimpanzees are eagerly anticipating the party that the caregivers are busy setting up. Check back later for photos and/or video of today’s celebration. Here is one of my favorite photos…
Read MoreBurrito Love
I can honestly say that Burrito puts a smile on my face every day. He has a certain mischievous yet vulnerable charm that is impossible to resist. Burrito has a big day coming up right after the holidays. He’s turning 30 on January 6th! There are several ways you can wish the man a happy…
Read MoreIn honor of Pickles
Lisa Buckley has sponsored today in honor of Pickles the pit bull. Pickles was Lisa’s Aunt Conny’s beloved dog, who passed away recently at the age of 14. Lisa says that Pickles was so sweet and loveable that she should have been a “spokesdog” for pit bulls everywhere! In honor of Pickles, we put out all…
Read MoreCelebrating Margaret and Karen
Yesterday, longtime friends of the Cle Elum Seven Margaret and Karen got married in Seattle. Margaret and Karen are truly beloved by anyone who meets them. They are bright and warm and kind. They have possibly the biggest hearts of anyone you’ll ever meet. We wanted to celebrate their joy, so today we put out…
Read MoreAn unobstructed view
Replacing the playroom window cages with chimp-proof glass has really paid off. Removing the caging from in front of the windows lets much more light into the playroom and gives the chimpanzees an unobstructed view of the world beyond the sanctuary. Negra, in particular, really seems to appreciate this. There is nothing she loves more…
Read MoreTroll games
I took the camera out to the greenhouse this morning and found Foxie chilling out on a tire. After a minute or two she ran over, passed me her troll doll, and ran back to the tire. Pass-the-troll is a favorite game of Foxie’s. She tosses a doll through the caging to a caregiver and…
Read MoreHappy Birthday, Anne Little!
Today is Anne Little’s birthday, and she has sponsored the day for the chimpanzees. Thank you for thinking of the chimps today, Anne! We hope you have a fantastic day. (Burrito thinks snow days are fantastic.)
Read MoreThe simple things
We try to use this blog to share meaningful stories about the Cle Elum Seven — what they went through during their time in laboratories or how they’re experiencing sanctuary — or to talk about some interesting aspect of chimpanzee behavior. But sometimes I’m just so astounded that we get to look at these faces…
Read MoreIn Memory of Dar Chimpanzee
The CSNW staff lost a friend today. This afternoon we received a call from our friends at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI) in nearby Ellensburg to let us know that Dar passed away this morning. All of our staff worked with the family of chimpanzees at CHCI during our time there as graduate…
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