Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Archives for April 2015

The Hermit

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Negra is the grandma of the Cle Elum Seven.

She is not the kind of grandma who bakes you cookies, but the kind who tells you to get your life together and grumbles about those kids on her lawn. Negra knows exactly who she is and what she likes. She is stuck in her ways. She appreciates comfort and routine and predictability (and peanuts and lettuce). She is highly suspicious of change. She will not tolerate your shenanigans.

Negra chooses to spend about 80% of her time in a big, soft nest in the same spot on the playroom catwalk, in front of a window that looks out over the valley. The playroom is warm and dry and safe, and Negra sees little reason to leave it.

But for a few short months out of the year, the conditions in the greenhouse are so perfect that even Negra can’t resist. She ventures out early in the morning to enjoy the warm sun and gentle breezes, and that’s usually where we find her when we arrive at the sanctuary to start the day. Soon enough the weather will change again and Negra will be back in her nest inside, buried under piles of blankets. But while it lasts, we’re thrilled to see Negra get out and see what the world has to offer.

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Jody’s eyes

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Today started, as it often does this time of year, on a peaceful note with most people relaxing in the greenhouse. I found Jody, Missy and Annie grooming each other quietly at the top of the greenhouse as they gazed out over Young’s Hill. Jody was the recipient of this session and I was able to capture her beautiful eyes she soaked in the view and the love from her chimp family.

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Jamie grooming

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Today Jamie spotted some freckles on my wrist and her eyes widened and she reached through the mesh fencing to touch them. She is drawn to anything that resembles a mark or a cut that shouldn’t be there, and freckles seem to fall into that category. So she will groom emphatically to try and remove the offending item—you will be able to see her lip smacking in the video.

You can read more about the proximate and ultimate motivations for grooming in this great blog post from last fall.

Fresh Picked Greens

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There has been a lot of talk these past few weeks regarding spring and the emergence of fresh green grass. Warm weather (minus the wind) and the appearance of the fresh grass signify the onset of spring here at the sanctuary. Most spring mornings the chimpanzees can be found lounging on the deck in the Greenhouse, where the morning sun shines on them.

This morning when staff member Katelyn and I walked up to the Greenhouse to greet the chimps, most of them lined up and gestured toward the grass growing just on the other side of the caging. We happily picked a few handfuls for them to enjoy as their morning snack.

After lunch, most of the chimps ventured out onto Young’s Hill, their 2-acre outdoor enclosure. Jamie and Missy set off on one (of many) walks around the hill, while Annie, Burrito, Foxie and Jody searched the ground for fresh grass and plants to eat.

Annie found a stash of fresh plants to forage on.
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Jody (right) joined Annie (left).
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And then along came Burrito (far right).
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Jody left the spot where her and Annie were sitting and gathered stalks of grass on her way back to the Greenhouse.
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And then she made herself comfortable on the deck to enjoy her grass.
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While everyone else went back inside, Annie ventured further uphill to continue her foraging.
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Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Carolyn Clarke! Carolyn has graciously sponsored days in the past in honor of her loved ones. Today she is choosing to celebrate her own birthday by celebrating the chimpanzees and their life in sanctuary.

Each day we are privileged to witness what a life in sanctuary means to each of the chimpanzees. And each day we are privileged to witness how each of you make this possible for them. We are continually moved by the variety of ways in which so many amazing supporters near and far contribute to the chimpanzees’ well-being. And to think that someone chooses to celebrate their own life by ensuring that these seven chimps continue to live the lives they deserve is nothing short of astounding.

Carolyn, thank you so much for including the chimpanzees in your life. We wish you the happiest of days filled with all that brings you joy and love!

In Burrito’s case, that would mean food. Lots of food.

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Burrito with chow in mouth

And then maybe a nap in the sun.

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Another sign of Spring

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J.B. mentioned last week that the real first day of Spring at the sancutary is Negra emerging from the cozy indoors onto Young’s Hill. Well, Missy has her own way of indicating that it’s Spring.

Missy can be a pit preoccupied with having what we call the “barn doors” open – even during the winter months. The barn doors are the two wooden doors that cover the steel doors that open up to the playroom from the outside.

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We keep them closed during cold weather, but sometimes Missy will still ask for them to be open even when it’s chilly. If we oblige, she will usually just walk away.

But, when it gets warmer, we prop the wooden doors open and the chimpanzees can spend time in the sun in that spot as well as the many other sunny spots in the building, in the greenhouse, and on the hill.

Today, volunteer Denice came by to do some garden prep, and Missy was curious about her activities, overseeing Denice’s work and looking out the window where she’ll be able to see the tomatoes growing in just a few months:

Missy hanging on window

With the warmer weather and barn doors open more regularly now, Missy, for whatever reason, tends to initiate more interactions with her human caregivers.

Here are some photos of Missy enticing me to play by showing me a towel and pushing it through the mesh of the steel barn doors:

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Missy pushing towel through caging

Missy pushing towel through caging

Missy pushing towel through caging

I responded by ditching the camera and running over to the barn doors where Missy was waiting, and she quickly whisked the towel away and waited by the doors where I had been standing inside the building, pushing the towel through there. This process repeated, sometimes with Missy allowing me to grab the other end of the towel and playing tug of a war for a few seconds.

To me, Missy initiating tug of war and having me run around from inside to outside is the final sign of Spring.

Thank you, Missy!

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Missy looking up