Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for October 2013

Smile!

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A couple weeks ago, Debbie posted about the difference between chimpanzee fear grimaces and chimpanzee smiles. This afternoon, Missy and Annie decided to demonstrate the many things that might elicit a smile, otherwise known as a play face.

For example, you might smile if your friend leaped out of the grass and tried to wrestle you to the ground.

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Or, you might smile if you were the one doing the leaping.

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You might smile if your friend was tickling your toes.

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And you might smile if you tickled her right back.

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You might smile if your friend chased you across a fire hose bridge.

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You might also smile if you were the one doing the chasing. Especially if you went too fast…

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…fell off…

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…hung upside down…

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…and kept right on chasing.

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You might even walk away smiling after a move like that.

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Chimp ID: Jamie

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We’re continuing our series of blog posts on chimpanzee identification today with Jamie. (Did you miss the posts about Annie, Burrito, or Foxie? Click on their names.)

Jamie is the boss of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, and she takes her job seriously. One of the first things you notice about Jamie is her strut. She walks around like she’s invincible. She has a solid, muscular body and such perfect posture that she often looks like a table: `

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Her size is also somewhat imposing. She’s one of the larger chimps in the group. Here she is with Jody on the left and Missy on the right:

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and with Foxie:

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Jamie’s face is a lighter brown overall than some of the other chimps’ faces (compare the color of her face to the color of Foxie’s in the photo above), and she has a little bit of white pigmentation around her mouth and chin:

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And of course, she is often carrying or wearing one of her beloved cowgirl boots:

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web Jamie hold inspect new boots from Becca Hines greenhouse GH IMG_0835

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Sky above, earth below

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Outside of the entrance to the chimp house we keep one of the protocol cages that the chimpanzees lived in, in a windowless basement, during their decades being used in biomedical research. We must pass it each day as we unlock the door. It provides an opportunity for people who visit the sanctuary to envision to some degree what the chimpanzees’ lives consisted of before coming here. And it helps me remember every day why I’m here. It’s heartbreaking, of course, to look at. Imagine having spent every day of your life for over three decades living inside this (minus the scenery):

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You never see the sky or green grass, you never feel the sun or the breeze, and for the most part you are unaware that anything exists outside of this view:

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I spent several minutes today sitting inside this cage. I couldn’t stand up to my full height. It was hard to balance on the floor made of bars. And there is only a small, cold metal bench to sit on. The chimpanzees would not have had blankets to build nests with and no enrichment to engage their intelligent and active minds. I thought of my seven dear friends having lived every day this way in so much fear, uncertainty, boredom, and at many times, pain. You can imagine the wave of heartfelt sorrow and anger I felt for all they have endured. And what so many still do.

And then I looked out to the view of Young’s Hill from the cage:

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Earlier today I told Jamie we would walk around Young’s Hill to her heart’s content. And boy did we. Around and around, up one side and turning to retrace our steps back down the other way. I lost count of how many times we went around. And for the first time that I’ve experienced, Burrito joined us in our patrol of the perimeter the entire way! Foxie and Dora, and even Jody came along for part of the way, while Annie and Missy chased each other up and down the hill. (It was cold today and Negra chose to stay in the comfort of  her warm, cozy nest). Finally, after several laps around Young’s Hill, I suddenly lost sight of Jamie and had to go looking for her. This was a first! I eventually found her back in the front rooms, waiting for me to give her the cowgirl boot (which I had of course been wearing). I guess she had indeed walked to her heart’s content.

Imagine what it must feel like to these seven chimpanzee people to be able to see the sky above and feel the earth below, unobstructed.

Burrito:

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And to MOVE for the sheer joy of moving like Missy:

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Several days ago Jamie gifted me with an amazing moment. During a walk around the hill she had me wait while she foraged and climbed over every inch of the structures. At one point she suddenly climbed up a post, stood bipedally on the very top with her arms hanging at her sides and threw her head back as she stared up at the sky for several seconds. A simple, yet profound moment. Then she turned and looked at me, climbed down and raced me all the way back to the greenhouse with a huge play face. I am immeasurably grateful that the chimpanzees have the chance to call a sanctuary home. And I remember all those languishing in cages and labs who are still in need of their sanctuary.

Though that moment with Jamie will forever be burned into my mind, I unfortunately didn’t get a photo. But this is one of my favorites and I think it speaks volumes all the same.

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An unlikely visitor

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This summer, we tried something new at CSNW – we invited small groups of supporters to the sanctuary to see in person how their contributions have improved the lives of the Cle Elum Seven. Guests were treated to a light lunch in the barn as they learned more about the chimpanzees and the history of the organization. Then they received an orientation on safety and etiquette, so that they could be considerate guests when they were near the chimpanzees’ home. Finally, they got to observe from a distance while the chimps enjoyed a forage on Young’s Hill.

Yesterday was the last day of visits, and we were treated to a surprise guest – a wild elk:

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She quickly grew bored with my presentation and skipped straight to lunch:

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But she was extremely attentive during Diana’s lecture on safety and etiquette:

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With that out of the way, the group proceeded to the observation area:

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And we quietly observed the chimps eating their lunch on Young’s Hill:

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All guests – elk included – learn that if the chimps grow upset with anyone’s presence, the visit will be cut short. The chimps’ well being is always the top priority. The chimps normally ignore visitors and go about their business, but Jamie draws the line at elk:

We, too, had to draw the line when she asked to come in the house. Sorry, elk:

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As it turns out, this elk was separated from her family some time ago, and she has been living in the neighbor’s pasture, eating grass and hay with the horses and cattle and doing great under the circumstances. She’s still a wild animal and she’s free to come and go as she pleases, but without a family, she’s chosen to stay where the food is. Yesterday, she decided to stretch her legs and check out the neighborhood. At the end of the day, she headed back to her pasture, but I’m sure she’ll be back. She obviously likes to watch the chimps. Will Jamie ever accept her presence? I guess we’ll find out.