Posts by Lisa
Mardi Gras Party
In the tradition of Fat Tuesday we threw a Mardi Gras party for the chimpanzees today. However, I’m quite certain their spread was much healthier than tradition might generally dictate with apples, grapefruit, and fruit smoothies on the menu. We were even lucky enough to experience a break in the winter weather to accommodate the…
Read MoreWhat Jamie Wants
It seems as though the weather has been constant snow for the past couple of days here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. While this certainly makes for a beautiful landscape and, of course, tasty chimpanzee treats, I do think the chimpanzees might be experiencing a little bit of chimp house fever. It’s not that they physically…
Read MoreA Certain Point of View
One of the things I try to share whenever I write the blog is the unique experience of being here at the sanctuary. I am trying to capture and translate, as much as is possible with words, pictures, and video, the reality of being here now so that you might get the feeling of it.…
Read MoreSnowpocalypse 2014
Overnight it appears as though Mother Nature has suddenly come to the conclusion that winter is long overdue. Although we have had periodic snow during this winter nothing really stuck, until now. Starting today, Ellensburg and Cle Elum have joined the rest of the nation as a snow covered wilderness. As you may already know,…
Read MoreIt’s Groundhog Day, Again
Okay, okay, yesterday was actually Groundhog Day but, as it happens, it was also GAME DAY so we may have been a little bit distracted! As it turns out, it appears the Groundhog has predicted 6 more weeks of winter. [And a Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl win! Oh, wait that wasn’t Punxsutawney Phil, that was…
Read MoreAll’s right with the world
Days and days of cold, gray skies and icy, freezing fogs have visited us here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest recently. However, that hasn’t deterred the chimpanzees from enjoying the privilege of Young’s Hill. Today was no exception; once finished with breakfast the chimpanzees ventured out into the frozen landscape to patrol, explore, and relish their…
Read MoreThere’s something about Burrito
So, by now, you just might be aware that Burrito likes to bite on things (his hand, wooden toys.) It’s certainly true that he often uses this gesture as a way to initiate play with others. However, just as frequently, he’ll simply incorporate it into his play alone. Today I found him playing by himself…
Read MoreThat’s what friends are for!
I don’t know what it is about Sundays this winter but it seems like much of the less pleasant weather has been saving itself for the weekends this season. While many of the days this winter have been mild and spring-like today, and many Sundays of recent memory, cannot be considered either of those! Whether…
Read MoreGreenhouse mornings
As JB mentioned in the video of his recent blog post, “Lending a hand,” the days at the sanctuary revolve around a routine that relies on chimpanzee participation. For example, the chimpanzees are asked to shift into different areas throughout the day so that we can have access other areas to clean while they are…
Read MoreFun for Everyone
We received some fun toys for the chimpanzees recently and it appears as though the advertisements were correct, “slinky” (or the magic spring as ours are called) is apparently fun for everyone, including chimpanzees! Here is Missy enjoying the new enrichment and thank you for donating these wonderfully entertaining toys! Missy discovering the box: Missy…
Read MoreB is for birthday and that’s good enough for Burrito
To celebrate the birthday boy today we tried to make sure his day was filled with things that he enjoys most. Enrichment for the party included scarves for playing tug-o-war with, the bedbug popper toys he likes so well, and wooden toys for biting to his heart’s content. Party decorations included streamers, paper, boxes, and…
Read MoreSounds of Sanctuary
Although it is true that chimpanzees are often much more quiet than one might assume based on experience with them in the media, chimpanzees can also be quite loud when expressing themselves, given the right circumstances. As a matter of fact, the daily routine of sanctuary life is accompanied by sounds that a caregiver comes…
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