Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for November 2012

First snow

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Today is the first truly snowy day of the season.  This morning, as we were getting ready to let the chimpanzees out onto Young’s Hill, Jody gazed out the window longingly while food grunting (snow is a delicacy for the Cle Elum Seven).  Nobody has ventured too far outside yet – I guess even delicious snow isn’t worth freezing feet – but they’ve been spending the morning standing at the door to Young’s Hill and reaching outside for a handful to enjoy in the relative warmth of the greenhouse.

Annie:

Jamie:

Missy:

Thank you, Charlotte Coulbert!

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Today is sponsored by Charlotte Coulbert.  Sponsoring a day is such a great way to help care for the Cle Elum Seven from afar, and we are so lucky to have incredibly generous supporters like Charlotte.

Thanks, Charlotte, for helping to keep Annie’s arms full of Brussels sprouts.

 

Out on the Hill

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A few weeks ago, we captured some footage of Burrito foraging on Young’s Hill with the GoPro camera. The GoPro is great because it shows us the world from the chimps’ perspective, without the bars or fencing in the way. But the best part is the sound that it captures – make sure to turn up your volume so you can hear Burrito’s low moans and food squeaks. This is the sound of a happy man.

You might notice that Burrito seems a bit more relaxed outside than he did earlier this year. He’s a little less pilo erect (hair standing on end) and he seeks reassurance less often. But you’ll still see him doing both – he’s come a long way, but he’s still pretty cautious when he’s on the hill. You’ll see in this video is that he avoids taking the apple that is sitting right in front of the camera. Whole fruits are Jamie’s favorite thing, so he was probably wise to avoid it with her standing close by.

At the end of the video is a short clip from earlier this week that I filmed with my phone. Jamie and Burrito decided to follow us as we walked around the enclosure. This gives you a good idea of what the view looks like from the top of the hill. If you look carefully, you can see the chimp building at the bottom of the hill. Imagine how scary it must be for Burrito to travel so far from the place he feels most comfortable. He seems to feel better if he can tag along with someone else, even if it’s the girl that bosses him around.

Fan Mail

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Today on the sanctuary’s Facebook page, I asked fans which chimp of the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees they were most drawn towards. A lot of people couldn’t chose among the seven, not surprisingly.

Some people were able to name names, however, and comments about what draws people to the chimps keep coming in, including this great comment from volunteer and friend of the Seven, Katie Patterson: “Missy has an energy and enthusiasm for life that is contagious, especially considering everything she has been through.”

Here are a couple of photos of Missy taken earlier this week that epitomize that energy:

Missy's bamboo catapult

 

airborne!

Missy flying

It’s so great for the other six chimpanzees to have Missy as a role model for enthusiasm!

Thanks to Katie and everyone who has shared their thoughts about the chimps on our Facebook page this afternoon. Keep posting – it’s great to hear what you like about the chimps!

A walk with loved ones

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Foxie rarely ventures onto Young’s Hill (or anywhere, for that matter), without a doll or two. The other day she took a troll and a Dora the Explorer doll on a walk around the hill. Having a doll in each hand slowed her down a little, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Foxie has a ritual when she receives a new doll or one she particularly likes. First, she holds it out in front of her and gazes at it adoringly.

Then she brings it in close to her chest.

In this photo you can see the bright green grass that has grown in toward the top of the hill since the Taylor Bridge wildfire burned through the grounds of the sanctuary a few months ago.

Take Action Tuesday: Stop Casey from continuing to house chimps

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Last week in Las Vegas, Clark County held a hearing about whether Mike Casey should be granted a permit to continue to house his exotic animals in an RV in his backyard. Casey is the person responsible for breeding and selling Travis, the chimpanzee who mauled Charla Nash in Connecticut in 2009.

Chimpanzees, as we know, should be with their mothers when they are young. Though no chimpanzee should have to live in captivity, since they can’t be returned to the wild they should live in a sanctuary where their social, psychological, and physical needs can be met. And, of course, no chimpanzee should ever be forced to perform. Casey has bred chimpanzees like Travis who have become pets or used by the entertainment industry.

Casey has a record of abuse. He has reportedly beaten his chimps with his fists, thrown hot water on them, and hit them with a rod.

Angel showing a fear grimace (a facial expression in chimpanzees that indicates fear or abuse). Angel was in a training facility and was leased out for entertainment---not unlike the lives of the chimps bred by Mike Casey.
Angel, pictured here, was at a training facility for chimps leased out for entertainment purposes—TV ads, shows, kids’ parties. (Not unlike the lives of chimps bred by Mike Casey). Here she is showing a fear grimace, simply at the sight of the camera. This facial expression for chimpanzees indicates fear or abuse. After serving several years as an “actor,” Angel was luckily rescued by the Center for Great Apes.

Chimpanzees are wild animals, and they can and will bite. It is within their nature to be violently aggressive, even toward their closest friends. As we know in the case of Travis, humans are simply not built to take the aggression that chimps can inflict on others. Housing chimpanzees so close to human homes is dangerous.

Despite these issues, Casey made his case to the Enterprise Town Advisory Board, and the permit request is moving forward to the County Commission on November 21st. Act now and suggest that the county deny his request. Ask that the chimpanzees be sent to a reputable sanctuary where they belong. You can use the sample letter below or write one of your own. Send it to County Commission District G at [email protected] and encourage your friends to write, also!

Sample letter to Clark County Commissioners:

I am greatly concerned about James “Mike” Casey’s permit application to house chimpanzees on his property. This is a danger to the nearby residents. Chimpanzees have been known to escape and attack humans, causing severe injuries. One infamous case is of Travis, one of the chimpanzees Casey bred, who was shot after he attacked his neighbor and nearly ripped her face off.

In addition to public safety concerns, the welfare of these individual chimpanzees is also at stake. Casey has a history of animal abuse. The chimpanzees are housed in small, reportedly unsanitary conditions. They should be where their physical, psychological, and social needs can be met. A reputable sanctuary would dedicate resources to ensuring quality lifetime care for these chimpanzees. It is what they deserve.

I hope the Commission will choose to make the compassionate and safe decision to deny the permit to keep these chimpanzees in a residential neighborhood. Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

**If you send an email, please don’t forget to BCC [email protected] for tracking purposes**