Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for September 2013

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Ida Chan, in honor of Sarah Wong’s birthday! Ida shared the following: “We share this planet with all living things and must act responsibly toward all creatures big and small.” Ida and Sarah, thank you so much not only for caring about the chimpanzees, but for the lovely reminder of our interconnectedness to all of the amazing beings we are so fortunate to share our lives with. Sarah, have a wonderful birthday!!

Foxie and Negra enjoying some grooming time together:

web negra foxie groom cute greenhouse GH IMG_9848

Chimpanzee smiles

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One of the very first things I learned about chimpanzees when I started working in this field was how they smile. I went to a presentation before visiting the chimps that I eventually worked for at the (now former) CHCI, and they explained that when we were around the chimpanzees we needed to cover our top teeth.

This sounded so strange to me at the time. We tried a “chimpanzee smile” by covering our top teeth and showing our bottom teeth. It felt pretty silly to do, but they explained that a human smile is seen as a threatening expression to chimpanzees. When they are afraid or when they are trying to be intimidating, they will show all their top teeth and do what we call a “fear grimace.”

I was stunned. I knew I had laughed at commercials with “smiling” chimpanzees, gone to movies and even bought birthday cards because they were funny to me. I was upset with the fact that I had contributed to the industry that threatens and abuses chimpanzees in order to get that “funny” expression. I quickly learned that there’s a reason we call it a fear grimace—my first time seeing a chimpanzee conflict was when I truly knew that chimpanzees do not smile with happiness the same way we do.

From that moment on, I decided that I wanted to help educate others about what I had learned that day, and now I am very fortunate to be working not only as a caregiver at CSNW but also the advocacy coordinator for the sanctuary. I am very passionate about helping all of you help them! So in the future, try to avoid buying media that exploits chimpanzees and definitely subscribe to the Eyes on Apes Take Action alerts so you will know when there’s something you can help out with.

Here’s an example of a fear grimace during a conflict from a few years ago. Notice how Annie is showing all of her teeth:

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And Foxie then responds in fear as well:

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Chimpanzees rely so much on nonverbal behaviors (actually—so do humans, it’s just that we talk so much you don’t always notice the nonverbal stuff) so it’s really important to send social cues to convey what the context is. Since they can’t say “I’m really scared” they use all the nonverbal cues to let everyone around them know. They scream, they show all their teeth, they stand up to look intimidating, sometimes reach out for reassurance, and so on. The very opposite of these behaviors is covering their top teeth, play bowing instead of standing up, and laughing instead of screaming (amongst many other social signals to communicate “I’m being playful!”)

Here’s Burrito demonstrating a perfect playface:

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Foxie:

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Jamie and Foxie:

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Missy and Jody:

web Missy JOdy playfaces YH IMG_1172

Annie:

Annie with a huge playface (Missy's hand)

Negra and Missy:

Negra and Missy playing

Some things never change

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We often write about changes we’ve seen in the chimpanzees since their arrival from the research lab a little over five years ago. Physically and emotionally, they are different chimps. They are stronger, happier, and undoubtedly more alive.

But in many ways, they have held onto some parts of their old selves. One of Negra’s most enduring – and endearing – habits is to drape a blanket over her head like a poncho. It seems to help her feel secure in her ever-changing world.

September 2008:

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October 2008:

web Foxie on deck outside, Negra in blanket in background

April 2009:

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December 2009:

web negra sit nest playroom catwalk close-up blanket_MG_5080

May 2010:

web Negra shiny hair red blanket over head outdoor area_MG_6456

web Negra rest playroom catwalk blanket over head nest_MG_6697

July 2010:

web Negra blanket head OA_MG_7236

March 2011:

web Negra yellow blanket catwalk playroom IMG_1751

July 2012:

web negra blanket on head bottom lip stick out window catwalk PR IMG_4869

September 2012:

web don't post Negra purple blanket GH_MG_9771

web Negra under green blanket good neggie face nest playroom IMG_9607

February 2013:

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March 2013:

web negra eyes closed sleep catwalk lay under red blanket pr _MG_1279

September 2013:

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All Agog

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You might notice by now that I often share blog posts about the things I have learned from my chimpanzee friends. It is my personal belief that a good caregiver is someone who, among other things, pays enough attention to the needs, wants, and moods of the individuals in their care to be able to provide the stability and flexibility that, I think, are so important to healthy and lasting relationships. It’s one of the things I value so much about the care-giving philosophy of CSNW as it allows the chimpanzees the opportunity to thrive and flourish even as living in sanctuary changes who they are and how they interact with the world. As an added benefit to this, I end up learning valuable lessons almost daily that I can (and try) to apply to the rest of my life. Today is no exception. Today I experienced the joy of allowing your companions to surprise you with their behavior rather than merely seeing what you have always expected to see. It’s awesome, and, for me, always a treat to be able to leave expectations behind. I love when the chimpanzee friends I have come to know surprise me with an unexpected request or an interaction like those I have included below and am grateful beyond measure for every chance I have to experience this.

I entered the chimp house in good spirits this morning to find Jamie in a similar state. Rather than the not unusual morning crankiness Jamie and I enjoyed a rowdy game of cowboy boot chase throughout the greenhouse, front rooms, and the playroom as a morning greeting. After chase, Jody approached me in the front rooms. She sat and looked directly up at the lights (which I had forgotten to turn on, being otherwise engaged in chase) and then looked directly at me. I looked up to see that the lights were dark and laughed saying, “I’m sorry, Jody, did you want me to turn those on for you?” When I returned from that task I found Jody sitting up on a bench delightedly inspecting the lights. Later, as I gave the chimpanzees access to Young’s Hill, I thought about how dismal the day seemed, threatening rain, windy and chilly and, to my mind, more than appropriate for the first day of autumn. To my surprise, all seven of the chimpanzees headed straight out on Young’s Hill taking advantage of the cool weather to enjoy a morning stroll!

Unfortunately, I was unable to capture these moments on film this morning but I’ve found a few pictures that I think best illustrate the feel of the morning to share with you.

Jamie wearing a boot in the playroom:
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Annie and Burrito on Young’s Hill:
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Jody looking as delighted in this picture as she did with the lights this morning:
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Chimp ID: Foxie

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This is Part 3 of our series of blog posts on chimpanzee identification. (See Annie’s and Burrito’s posts by clicking on their names.)

Most people can identify Foxie right away because she’s very rarely without at least one of her favorite dolls:

web Foxie walk trolls in mouth hand Young's Hill YH IMG_1344

web Foxie troll doll enrichment party birthday close up outdoor area IMG_5406

web Foxie sit cute leg out troll doll greenhouse gh IMG_0836

But there are other ways of identifying Foxie. She often walks with a rounded back:

web Foxie walk hold trolls Young's Hill YH IMG_7992

web Foxie walk green grass top of hill troll Dora look at camera Young's Hill YH IMG_9750

web Foxie walk blue troll doll yh IMG_9550

You can also tell Foxie by her size. She’s very petite. Here you can see her next to Negra:

web cropped foxie negra dora easter egg forage party enrichment YH IMG_5094

and next to Jody and Jamie:

web fb Jamie Jody Foxie chase troll doll play yh IMG_9987

And just for fun, see if you can spot one of my favorite Foxie quirks in the photos below.

web Foxie lie in windowsill tongue out greenhouse GH IMG_2987

web Foxie tongue out close up oa outside greenhouse IMG_1611

web 3 Foxie lie on back on deck tongue out look up troll greenhouse GH IMG_1441

Young’s Hill party forage

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I mentioned earlier on the blog that today is the second anniversary of the opening of Young’s Hill. Watch the video of their first day out here and check out the previous post for some photos of the chimps on that very emotional and moving day!

Today we wanted to celebrate the anniversary in the best way we know how for chimps—a big food forage! The chimps usually are served their meals (so we know that everyone is getting appropriate portions) but a few times a week we do put out a forage for them to do what chimps would do in the wild. In order to scatter the food around and make the forages last for awhile, we usually cut up the food into small chunks so it takes some time for them to find everything.

This time, we not only included a fruit salad of some chopped peaches, raspberries, and grapes, as well as baby carrots and green onions—but we also included WHOLE apples and tomatoes. The chimps were so excited as we headed out to spread the food around! Mixing things up like that keeps the chimps super enriched and happy.

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Everyone really loved all the whole apples and tomatoes! Jody was the first to get a hand (and mouth) full!

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Jamie collected at least four apples:

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Annie:

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Burrito searching for goodies:

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And then taking a quick rest:

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Foxie:

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Missy:

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Thank you so much to everyone who helped with Young’s Hill, and to everyone who has helped the Cle Elum Seven along this amazing and considerable journey!

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Two year anniversary

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Today is the second anniversary of when the Cle Elum Seven were given grass under their feet and sun over their heads for the first time in decades—and for some—their first time ever. Celebrate their freedom with us and share this video from their first day out to commemorate the last two years of Young’s Hill!

Here’s a trip down memory lane with pictures from their first day out:

web2 Burrito Annie hug Negra foreground youngs hill release day first time yh DSC_0740

Missy playing chase with Negra

web Foxie perimeter walk troll doll young's hill first day YH IMG_9402

web Annie bite open mouth kiss Missy head young's hill first day YH IMG_9367

web ed Jody eat nut food first day exploring youngs hill IMG_0181

web Jamie blue sky youngs hill first day out yh IMG_9670