Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for January 2009

Fighting

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You’ve probably noticed in the photos we post that some members of the Cle Elum Seven are missing fingers, toes, and parts of their ears. Injuries like this are usually the result of fights with other chimps, and they are not uncommon in chimps who have spent years in captivity (or in the wild, for that matter).

Yesterday, there was an intense fight in our group. Everyone is going to be OK, but a few folks are pretty bruised and battered. It was hard to tell what started things off, but Burrito got the worst of it. While male chimpanzees are impressive, they are no match for six females acting together. Thankfully, everyone still has what was left of their ears, fingers, and toes.

What amazes me about chimpanzees is the way they reconcile after fights like this. As their friends, our instinct is to separate them to make sure no one gets hurt any further. But unless immediate medical intervention is necessary, its important for chimpanzees to be together after a conflict, whether that’s to make amends or to reinforce the new relationship that was established by the fight. Within minutes – after the alarm barking subsided – the entire group was together, grooming each others’ wounds.

Thankfully, chimpanzees also have an amazing ability to heal. The Cle Elum Seven are lucky to have three experienced and dedicated veterinarians looking out for them, so we are confident that everyone will be fully healed in no time. The humans, on the other hand, will be shaking for some time to come 🙂

Saying Goodnight

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Did you ever watch The Waltons? This was the show about the family living in the Blue Ridge Mountains during the Great Depression. At the end of each show, the family members would say goodnight to each other from different parts of the house. “Goodnight John Boy!” “Goodnight Grandpa!” “Goodnight Mary Ellen!” If you remember this, now you have a good idea what its like in the chimp house at the end of the day (and you know how exciting my Friday nights were as a kid).

After dinner is over, the chimps all head their separate ways to build nests throughout the building. Some sleep in the catwalks, some sleep in the loft, some stay in the front rooms where they had dinner. But when the lights are turned off, they begin to vocalize to each other. This is called a “nest grunt” (or so I’ve read – I don’t remember learning the name for this in school so I googled it!). Some are more breathy, some are more like hoots, but all are fairly quiet (its bedtime, after all). What’s really neat is that we humans can start things off – if I don’t hear the chimps say goodnight, I will let out a little “hoohuhhoohuh” and all of the chimps will respond.

Jamie has something to remember… her red tutu

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Last week Jamie took a small piece of cloth mesh  (it may have been part of a troll costume), and tied it around her toe, then her finger. Jamie really likes shoes and feet, so I often show her my own toes. I have a toe ring, so maybe she was emulating that, or maybe she had something remember 🙂


Today she spent much of the day wearing her new red tutu, courtesy of her friend Tamela.

Short video of Foxie upside down

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This video shows Foxie outside on a cold (28 degree) day recently. Foxie is often the first to come out when we open the outdoor area. Along with Jamie, Missy and Annie, Foxie will spend some time running around and playing until she gets cold and goes back inside. She will often rub against the platforms like this. I like this video because of the way she rubs her feet together as she hangs upside down. It could be because the bars are cold, but she also did this when it was warm. The bars would be pretty cold for most humans to climb all over, but chimpanzees have thick skin, and they don’t seem deterred by the coldness.

More of Foxie upside-down

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I took a bunch of pics today (outside in the fresh snow) but none of them are impressive, so I’m stealing some from JB. Here are some more from a playful day outside recently. Enjoy!

Kitchen view & Jamie in a box

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We often talk about how we can see the chimpanzees in the playroom when we’re standing at the kitchen sink, so I thought I’d share some photos so you all can better picture what we’re talking about. It’s a neat feature both for the humans who work in the kitchen and for the chimpanzees, who can see produce being washed, meals being prepared, and general organizing of the kitchen, which seems to be necessary almost constantly.

Right on the other side of the window above the sink is a human area where we wash toys and store cleaning equipment. To the right you can see the caging of the playroom and the playroom itself (you can just see the stairs in this photo).

This was our produce for today – one big box to sort through. We compost anything that is too far gone to serve and wash the rest. After it dries, it goes into the refrigerator behind the sink. All of the appliances and cupboards were donations.

And here is, roughly, the view the chimpanzees have, although they can climb higher to get a better vantage point, and they can also see into the kitchen from the loft. Usually there’s more going on than J.B. contemplating a tomato.

I consider this troll doll our kitchen mascot. He(?) sits in the windowsill in front of the sink. He was improved with a ball point pen by Jamie a few months ago – she spent quite a bit of time drawing on him. I usually see this side of him, but sometimes….

…he’s turned around. Jamie adorned his front side with the pen too.

In case anyone is a little bored with the lack of chimpanzee photos in this post, below is one I took last week. Boxes aren’t just for Burrito, Jamie enjoys a good box in the morning too.