Archives for August 2014

Jody and Cabana Day

August 20, 2014 by Katelyn

One of the most challenging things about caring for chimpanzees in captivity is keeping their highly intelligent minds active and engaged. We actually have a calendar on which we plan out enrichment themes for each day. While we don’t expect the chimpanzees to be aware of our themes, it helps the humans think outside the box when coming up with activities that the chimpanzees might find interesting. Sometimes our ideas are a hit and sometimes they flop. But presenting many of the same items the chimps see on a daily basis in different ways allows them the choice to engage or not, create their own project, or ignore it entirely. Even if they don’t appear interested in something, seeing their captive environment from a different perspective can still be enriching.

Today’s enrichment theme was “Cabana Day.” Sometimes our ideas are equally enriching for the humans! Debbie and volunteer caregiver, Joel, put a significant amount of effort into creating “cabanas” in both the greenhouse:

and the playroom:

It’s always interesting to see how each of the chimpanzees responds to the different themes. Annie enjoyed resting under the blankets briefly before Missy ran in and tore many of them down. Most of the chimps weren’t too sure what to think and many chose to engage in other activities. But for Jody, it became a mission to dismantle the cabanas and untie each and every blanket which she clearly needed for her nest.

Once she had taken care of the blankets in the greenhouse, she moved to the blankets in the playroom. Jody climbed up every spot of caging to untie the blankets, carry them to one of her favorite nesting spots by the barn doors and set to work getting each of the knots out so she could start building her nest. I had to wonder if she was thinking, “These crazy humans, what were they thinking?!”

Finally! Jody was able to get to work putting her nest together:

Now for the self-grooming and relaxing:

While we can’t know what Jody was thinking during her hard work, she definitely seemed enriched.

August Birthdays

August 19, 2014 by Debbie

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Foxie’s 38th birthday, and One Green Planet shared the birthday video on their site today. Check it out and please share!

Speaking of birthdays, we have another August birthday coming up—Missy is turning 39 this Saturday! We have big plans underway already, including all of Missy’s favorites: socks, slinkies, kongs, and tomatoes!

Here’s some recent photos of the upcoming birthday girl:

Missy and Annie (this picture was posted to our Instagram the other day for the 100 Happy Days challenge)

If you want to contribute toward the birthday festivities, make a donation today in Missy’s name, or become one of her pals!

Time To Fly

August 18, 2014 by Lisa

Life is made up of the smallest moments strung together like pearls that, when you add them up, become the most beautiful story, more beautiful than you could possibly imagine at the time they are happening. Today is my final day caring for the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and all I can say is how extremely grateful I am that I have had the opportunity to be here now. Getting to be a part of the lives of both the chimpanzees and all the people who care so deeply for them has been unbelievably incredible. I do not know what comes next, but I do know that my life has been made fuller for having shared it with Jamie, Jody, Missy, Annie, Negra, Foxie and Burrito. (Not to mention, JB, Diana, Elizabeth, Debbie, Katelyn, Keri, Denice and all the volunteers!) I can only hope that I have helped to bring as much joy into the lives of everyone involved as I have had the privilege to experience.

Today could not have been more perfect. I have had the time to hang out with some truly amazing friends one last time whether grooming Missy, chasing Burrito, walking with Jamie, giving Negra a kiss, or playing with each of the others. It is a gift I will cherish in my heart as I continue on my journey. Here are a few favorite pictures from this year for you to enjoy.

Jamie:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Missy:

Annie:

Negra:

Jody:

I would like to leave you with this quote from Edward Teller that gets me through my moments of doubt as I keep moving forward. “When you get to the end of all the light you know and it’s time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things will happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”

Everyone Loves Tomatoes

August 17, 2014 by Keri

There’s no denying Missy’s love of tomatoes, as Diana mentioned in her blog post recently, but today, all of the chimpanzees showed their love for Missy’s favorite food.

As soon as caregiver Katelyn walked into the garden, Missy was quick to get in position for Katelyn to serve her.

Jamie quickly joined Missy at the window directly above where the plants are growing to get her share.

Foxie realized what was happening and joined Missy and Jamie.

It quickly became apparent to Katelyn that there was not enough room left in the window for the other chimpanzees. So, she moved over to the barn doors to serve the tomatoes. It didn’t take long for Negra, who was sleeping on the catwalk right above the window overlooking the plants, to climb down to get some tomatoes as well.

Jody approached the barn doors to join in on the tomato fun with Negra on her left and Foxie on her right.

As soon as Burrito and Annie realized Katelyn was serving tomatoes by the barn doors, they quickly joined the party. But, somehow they managed to avoid the camera and I am left with no photographic evidence of them eating any of the tomatoes (although I promise you, I saw tomatoes in their mouths).

Negra, troll dolls, and overcoming anxiety

August 16, 2014 by Diana

If you read J.B.’s blog post yesterday, you know that we’ve had quite an interesting development at the sanctuary. Negra, who normally ignores enrichment, has taken a shine to troll dolls, which up until now have been Foxie’s “thing.”

An unrelated fact that you may have noticed if you’ve been with us for a while is that Negra is not as often pictured participating in forages on Young’s Hill as the other chimpanzees. Sometimes Negra decides not to join the group on the hill for forages. We are not entirely sure why this is, and we are trying to figure it out right now (more on that later).

The new development today is that Negra took a troll doll with her to forage on the hill!

It certainly seems that Foxie is able to get comfort from her dolls that she carries everywhere – a kind of security blanket, and perhaps Negra is experiencing something similar with the dolls now.

This is a not-very-good photo of Negra, with the troll doll in her right hand as she is walking back to the greenhouse with a mouthful of lettuce:

Here is Negra passing Foxie (her inspiration?). I like the way that chimpanzees, even when there is lots of room (like 2 acres), will go out of their way to have physical contact:

I was excited to get this photo – you can see Negra’s hand around the troll and Foxie’s around a Dora as they walk in opposite directions:

One of the many things that I love about Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is that all staff caregivers meet twice a month to talk about the chimpanzees and raise concerns or even just share stories. One of our recent topics has been Negra’s reluctance to participate in forages. For a while, every time that Negra did not forage with the group, we would give her a meal in the greenhouse or inside the building. But then it seemed that she wasn’t even considering going onto the hill, perhaps because she knew she would get her own private picnic. She does sometimes show anxiety about going on the hill, and we don’t want to cause her to miss lunch if she is responding out of genuine fear.

However, we do want to encourage all of the chimps to experience everything that the sanctuary has to offer, to get exercise, and to work on overcoming situations that might cause a little bit of anxiety. So, a few weeks ago we decided to try not giving Negra a private meal if she didn’t at least make a move to participate in the forage. This may be providing her the encouragement that she needed to join the group in foraging.

At our last meeting we decided to start recording the different factors that may be influencing Negra to choose whether or not to participate in forages on the hill. But now we might just have to add one – whether or not she has a troll doll with her!

Some things you just can’t explain

August 15, 2014 by J.B.

When Foxie first came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in 2008, she had trouble adapting. She was cautious when it came to developing relationships with new people, though given her history that wasn’t an unreasonable approach. But she was also wary of her new surroundings, especially in larger spaces. Each time she was allowed into a new area, she would cling to the walls or walk in circles around the edge of the room. She was also uneasy with all the enrichment we provided to the chimps each day. She would go out of her way to avoid walking near the piles of toys we put in the playroom, and while the other chimps would make nests each night with fresh blankets, Foxie would push them out of the way to clear a spot for herself on the bare concrete floor. Weeks passed, and while the other chimps reveled in all the new opportunities available to them, Foxie continued to find comfort in the emptiness that was all she had known for 31 years.

Then one day she met Trixie.

It was just a doll, but Foxie was immediately drawn to it. Her reasons for choosing this troll doll, in all its pink-haired, pantsless glory, will remain one of life’s great mysteries. But we look back on that moment now as a turning point for Foxie. She hung onto Trixie and carried her everywhere she went. Supporters started sending in more dolls, and Foxie’s collection grew into the hundreds. The dolls were a source of entertainment for Foxie, but they also provided comfort and seemed to instill in her a sense of confidence and purpose. And they helped ease her into this new world filled with new people and things.

Whatever the reason for Foxie’s obsession, we thought it was uniquely hers. The other chimps would pick up trolls from time to time, but mostly just to initiate games of chase with Foxie. They didn’t seem to get it. This type of deep and lasting connection between chimp and troll was limited to one quirky chimpanzee at one quirky sanctuary in the mountains of Washington.

That is, until Negra decided it was time to get in on this whole “troll” thing.

For the last couple of weeks, Negra has been carrying around troll dolls everywhere. She takes them to bed and sleeps with them in her nest. She shows up at meal time with them tucked into her “pelvic pocket.”

We have no idea what makes a chimpanzee decide, at age 41 and after six years at the sanctuary, to adopt troll dolls. Maybe it’s like the chimpanzees at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia who all decided that it was cool to stick grass in their ears. Maybe she’s watched Foxie carry these things around for so long that she’s finally decided to see what the fuss is about. Or maybe Negra just realized that, after having her own children stolen from her in the lab, it felt good to care for someone, even if they are made of plastic.

Some things you just can’t explain.

Waiting Out the Storm

August 14, 2014 by Elizabeth

For the last couple of days, we’ve gotten a much needed break from the hot and dry conditions here in Cle Elum. It’s been overcast and cool, with some rain and thunder. While the chimpanzees don’t love to be outside when it’s raining, they do seem to love cool, gray days, so they’ve been enjoying exploring Young’s Hill whenever the rain stops for a bit. When it starts up again, they head inside and cuddle up with some blankets or a favorite doll. Katelyn snapped these photos yesterday of Jamie and Negra keeping dry indoors.