The right ones
After the playroom is cleaned each morning, we put out a basket full of enrichment. We try to ensure that the chimps are given an assortment of their favorite things. Trolls and Doras have to be...
View ArticleWinter Beauty
We’ve had our first real snowstorm this week. Here are some scenery shots: The bench outside of the greenhouse, used for observing the chimpanzees during summer months when the greenhouse panels are...
View ArticleA Christmas Miracle
It was almost a year without Christmas. OK, that’s not true – but Christmas was nearly delayed by a few days. The Cascade Mountains here in Washington received more snow in the last week than in all of...
View ArticleAlways playing
Missy and Annie continued to spread holiday cheer throughout the sanctuary this morning.
View ArticleTop Videos of 2015!?
The other day, I was looking back on the year and watched a few of our videos from 2015. I had this idea to compile some of my favorites and/or some of the most popular videos from the year in a blog...
View ArticleThe Winter’s Calm for One Chimpanzee
I think that of all of the seven chimpanzees at the sanctuary, Annie could be described as most like a poet. She can frequently be seen in serene moments by herself, seemingly lost in thought. Today,...
View ArticleSunny Spirits
This morning as we shoveled a pathway to one of the platforms on Young’s Hill, I could tell it was going to be well worth the effort. The sun was so warm and comforting that I knew there would be...
View ArticleWho’s in charge?
One of the first things you realize when you begin working with chimps is that you are not in charge. We humans may have larger brains, but believe me, the chimps are just not that impressed. On a good...
View ArticleChimpanzee Strength
Chimpanzees are naturally incredibly strong. This physical strength, combined with their tendency towards sudden aggression that J.B. touched on in his blog post yesterday, cautions humans who work...
View ArticleIntroductions
Introductions. In the chimp sanctuary world, no word is as simultaneously exciting and terrifying. Introductions occur anytime you form a social group from unfamiliar individuals. They are exciting...
View ArticleNap Time
I love taking photos and video of the chimpanzees running around, being active, and getting into mischief. Active chimpanzees are generally happy chimpanzees, and when I watch them explore and run I...
View ArticleLessons from our friends
One Green Planet is featuring an article today by our very own Diana Goodrich, in which she shares a little of what she has learned from our chimpanzee friends. Along those same lines, here’s a tip...
View ArticleA shock from the past
When I was gathering photos the other day for the Share the Chimp Love Video, I came across the photo below of Jamie and gasped out loud. I think it’s been a few years since I saw this image, but it’s...
View ArticleAlfalfa, the miracle weight loss food
If the chimps had their way, they’d eat all day long. Burrito would be unstoppable. Negra would probably forego blankets entirely and just make huge nests out of bread and peanuts so that she would...
View ArticleBe Still My Heart
It’s appropriate to get really mushy because it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, right? I am going to share something I love about each of the chimpanzees below, but first I need to get mushy about you –...
View ArticleOn Patrol
No matter how long you work at a sanctuary or how well you know the chimps, there are still moments that take your breath away. Jody, Foxie, Jamie, and Burrito spent decades living in isolation in...
View ArticleA little nudge
Caring for former research chimps can be a balancing act at times. We don’t want to rush them into anything they’re not ready for, and considering what they’ve been through, it’s no surprise that some...
View ArticleTo Be Known
This blog is a true labor of love. It is satisfying, on a frivolous and somewhat shallow human-level, to have people like our posts and make comments. But in the world of the chimpanzees in our care,...
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