See the Story of the Fire Part 1 here
As the fire overtook the sanctuary grounds, we closed the doors and windows of the chimp house and waited. There was nothing more we could do.
Inside the building, you could hear a pin drop. Normally, when chimpanzees sense danger, they are anything but quiet. Alarm calls erupt to alert other chimpanzees of the threat. Males try to demonstrate their power in the face of danger by banging on the enclosures and pant-hooting. As the level of fear rises, the alarms calls evolve into screams. But during the fire, the Cle Elum Seven were completely silent.
We’ve noticed in the past that chimpanzees react differently to threats that they don’t quite understand. Chimps know what to do when they see a snake – either kill it or get out of its way. But how could they understand a fire like this? They acted similarly when they first arrived at the sanctuary. Chimpanzee caregivers jokingly refer to the brief period following a chimp’s arrival as the “honeymoon period.” Until they are comfortable in their new home, these normally loud and boisterous animals lay low and keep quiet. Perhaps the best thing you can do when you have no control is to try not to stand out.
The scene outside of the chimp house was surreal and most of the chimps crowded around the windows to watch. Foxie stayed near me. She didn’t look frightened, but she seemed to want a little bit of reassurance amidst the uncertainty. I was certainly frightened, but the firefighters were a reassuring presence, and not just because of their ability to protect us. From what I could see, they looked at ease in their position around the facility. I figured that if they felt safe, so should I. Familiar faces helped too – one of the firefighters was Calvin Beedle, our friend and excavator who did the digging for the chimp house and Young’s Hill.
After a couple of hours, the main fire made its way to the north and east of us and continued to burn out of control. A smaller, less intense grass fire slowly made its way around the chimp house, circling back to the driveway. By this time the sanctuary and our neighbors’ properties were a green island in the midst of thousands of acres of black. The air immediately around the chimp house had mostly cleared and it was safe to emerge and assess the damage. The rest of the staff returned to the sanctuary with water and food, and the chimps were able to have their dinner. It’s an odd feeling to serve dinner while the sanctuary is on fire.
The fires around the sanctuary burned until 2 a.m., with the occasional tree “torching” and providing a brief glimpse of the firefighters that continued to work in the dark. That night, with the sanctuary residence damaged and the threat of flare-ups all around us, Diana and I slept in the chimp house…or at least tried to. The sound of the fire engines idling just outside gave us some peace of mind.
In the morning, the chimps were intrigued by the makeshift camp set up in their kitchen, but more than anything, they seemed to wonder why we hadn’t started making their smoothies yet.
Amy M says
Wow, JB, thank you! The fact that the next morning the chimps wondered where their smoothies were is a testament to the safety and security they feel there.
Sara Lissabet, Fairfax says
What an amazing story.
JB, I think it’s a brilliant observation that the chimps’ silence in the face of unknown danger is an attempt to not draw further attention…to watch and wait in order to assess and determine the next course of action. Clearly their need for reassurance is being met if they are able to resort to typical behavior, such as play, and demanding their breakfast.
I am thankful that you have a network of familiar faces in the community that you can rely on for help, not only for the needs of the chimps but for the needs of the caregivers as well.
Wanda Trotta says
Quite a tale to tell!! A few tears fell at the end of your account. How long will it be until the 7 can venture outside again? They so love that ability – looks like you’ll have to plant more bamboo etc.
How does one clean up all that charred ground? Hose it down with a high power hose maybe? You are all so busy with just the everyday “stuff” – this will be hard work that will require many volunteers I would think. Wish I lived nearby – Texas is a bit too far.
For the thousandth time, you are all quite special people and the firefighters in your community too!
Wanda
J.B. says
They should be back out in a week or two, but we are trying not to make any predictions at this point. We need to make a few repairs to the fence first, but the main reason why we aren’t letting the chimps back out is because we could still have flare ups and we want the chimps to stay safe and to make sure the firefighters have access to all of the areas on the property.
We have already started cleaning up the charred ground. Volunteers helped build a “drag” which gets towed behind the tractor. The drag mixes the charred grass back in the with the dirt. It’s looking better already.
The grass should pop back up as soon as we get some rain (probably not for a while still), and we’re hopeful that the rhizome (roots) of the bamboo were unharmed, in which case those plants will shoot up again next summer.
Carissa says
Firefighters are my heroes this year. They’ve been battling wild fires all summer here in Utah, too. I’m so glad they kept my favorite chimps safe. It’s so interesting how the chimps reacted to the threat. Love them all.
rita stevenson says
What an incredible story.. what an intense few days..
the Chimps seem to have come out of this one , wonderig .
“.” Where’s my smoothies.”?
quite interesting how they responded to it all.
Jody M says
Wow is about all I can come up with right now mainly because I’m too busy wiping tears! Awesome people you are!
Cassy says
the calm is amazing…glad all are recovering and would like to learn more about what it will take for young’s hill to mend. Can’t wait to see them outside again.
Jeani Goodrich says
Thank you JB for your description of Monday’s events and the accompanying video. Each part has given us one more piece to make up the whole picture. You all are so patient to explain what is happening while still trying to recover and put things back in order. I am very grateful for the firefighters, you caregivers, the volunteers who were there, and all those who are giving their time and money now to help put back the Sanctuary and the Cle Elum community.
Dr. Mel says
Thanks, JB & all of the CSNW crew for all you do. Amazing!
Peggy S says
My heart goes out to all of you. It helped to read the description of what was happening and then to see the video of JB and the Chimps during the fire. He surely must have been a calming influence to them during that night. It was a grand effort on everyone’s part. Now, on to snakes and grasshoppers.