Posts by Ellen Brady-McGaughey
Grooming Time with the Cows
Check out today’s video to join in on a grooming session…with the cows! These lovely ladies often spend time grooming each other, and it is a wonderful moment when they invite us as their caregivers to join in. Meredith, Honey, and Betsy really love the scratching post that J.B. recently installed for them, but when…
Read MoreCSNW Olympics
The humans of the sanctuary have been very excited about the Olympics, and today we were able to share our excitement with the chimps by tuning in to the Olympics where they could watch too! Cy and Rayne were especially interested in watching this morning’s events. All of this inspired us caregiver’s to compete in…
Read MoreThe Many Uses of a Ball
Burrito is one of the most fun chimpanzees I have ever met and, don’t tell my other chimp friends, but he is absolutely the funniest. One of the most endearing things to me about Burrito is how he can have fun with just about anything. A sock? Perfect for playing tug with the humans. A…
Read MoreHappy Birthday Betsy!
Today is another day of celebration here at the sanctuary as we celebrate Betsy Cow‘s 17th birthday! Betsy celebrated with some freshly picked willow branches and wild roses provided by Dr. Erin to her and her herd. Betsy enjoyed not only eating her freshly picked snacks, but also getting some scratches with the willow branches!…
Read MoreThe One About the Cows
Lounging amid the grassy hills of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, you will find 3 somewhat unexpected animals, given the name of the sanctuary…our hardworking cows! These ladies help to keep the fire load in check by grazing on the grasses around the sanctuary and are valued members of our sanctuary family. So this blog is about…
Read MoreA Meeting of the Girls Club
I was lucky enough to stumble upon a meeting of the Girls Club last week, aka Mora B, aka Mave, Dora, and Honey B. I was walking around the sanctuary to give out some juice before heading to lunch myself when I found these 3 ladies lounging in the shade in the chute. Dora initiated…
Read MoreFoxie, Meet Ariel!
Yesterday we received a very exciting package in the mail. A kind and thoughtful supporter picked out a brand new doll just for Foxie! Everyone, meet Ariel. Foxie has many dolls in her collection, but she has not had this one before. This doll is also the perfect size for passing back and forth through…
Read MoreLife of the Party (and every day!)
Burrito is, quite simply, a light in the lives of all who know him. That might sound a bit dramatic, but it is the honest truth! He is hilarious and makes me smile and laugh every day I see him, and brings so much joy to his friends both chimp and human. In today’s video,…
Read MoreUp, Down, All Around
A lot of the joys of working with chimpanzees are found in the little moments. Very often, these moments come when we are least expecting them (for example, going back to the chimp spaces to grab more laundry to be washed when suddenly Willy B wants to play, or doing checks to enter a space…
Read MoreSnapshots Abound
I take at least one photo every day I am at the Chimp House. Often, this is in an attempt to capture all those special moments we get to witness and be a part of each day to share with you all, but other times it is just to capture a moment for myself. This…
Read MoreBabysitting Duty
Foxie asked me to babysit her doll for her today, and I quickly tucked her baby in for safekeeping until Foxie was ready to have her back. I came back a little while later to see if Foxie wanted her baby back yet, and that interaction turned into a lovely play session for us both…
Read MoreNever Underestimate the Beans
Honey B is a wonder all to herself. She is an expert at using tools, and a genius at thinking up new ways to entertain herself using said tools around the sanctuary. She has come up with her own enrichment many times (see a few examples here, here, and here), keeping things interesting for herself,…
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