Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for April 2015

Waking up in the chimp house

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One of my favorite times of the day is when I first walk into the chimp house in the morning. The chimpanzees are usually all awake when we get here, but there are often a few moments of stillness before the chimpanzees excitedly greet the caregivers and the wild rumpus of the morning begins. Sometimes a few people are still enjoying a quiet lie-in in their nests, as Missy was today, looking half asleep and yawning as she fluffed up her nest:

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Annie was just in the next window over, peacefully enjoying the view of the valley below:

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Next I spotted Jody, tucked away in her cozy nest, not quite ready to get up:

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Then I went out to the greenhouse to say good morning to whomever was out there and found good friends, Burrito (left) and Foxie (right), enjoying an intent grooming session in the morning sun. The spot they are sitting in is the east facing side of the greenhouse which looks out onto Young’s Hill (when the panels are off in the warmer weather). Even though it’s still too cold to remove the panels, it’s a favorite spot in the morning as the sun first hits here when it comes up over the hill in the morning:

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I looked up to see Negra peeking down from the top platform of the greenhouse, where it’s the warmest. Right after this photo she climbed down, gave me a quick kiss, and then grabbed some more blankets and headed back up to her nest:

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So by this time, you might be wondering (as was I) where the boss lady, Jamie, was. As the dominant female of the group, we always try to greet Jamie first in the morning. This isn’t hard to do as she is usually one of the first people we see when we come in, so it was unusual not to see her by now. Leaving the greenhouse, I turned the corner into the human hallway of the chimp house and…Jamie! Wide awake and on duty! Nothing gets by this lady. Now this is the moment as the photographer where we are either going to be in trouble for wantonly taking photos without her approval, or she’ll show us some leniency and let our pesky paparazzi ways pass. This morning, she happily obliged and even gave me several head nods when I asked to take her photo.

A beautiful start to a beautiful day.

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Jamie the walking machine

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When Jamie first started her daily perimeter walks, it was usually just once or twice a day that she would ask us to accompany her (from the outside of the fence) around Young’s Hill. Now, it averages probably about seven to eight a day, maybe even more. She will ask each of her caregivers to go along at least once, but usually three or four times! She really has become a walking machine.

I think if the humans weren’t busy trying to clean enclosures, prepare enrichment and food, write the blog, and all the other things we do in a day—that Jamie would be asking to go on continuous walks non-stop. The other day, Elizabeth and I did a “walking relay” — I radioed her when Jamie and I were on our way down the hill so she could go wait at the gate (the starting point for these perimeter walks) with boot in tow. Jamie ran SO fast to meet up with Elizabeth and go on another walk!

It’s really awesome to see how excited she can be at times, because most of the time Jamie is all serious business. As Elizabeth mentioned yesterday, her moods can swing pretty wildly.

Here’s a couple recent pictures of Jamie on walks:

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This one is from last fall, but I just love it.

Jamie looking awesome

Mood Swings

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Jamie woke up on the wrong side of the nest this morning. From the moment we arrived at the chimp house and greeted the chimpanzees, it was clear that Jamie was feeling a little cranky. This isn’t terribly unusual, and we caregivers know to just give Jamie her space for a little bit until her mood brightens.

Once the chimps got some breakfast in their bellies, Jamie’s mood did brighten. By late morning, she was feeling a lot more mellow. Keri snapped these photos of Jamie in a quiet moment with one of her boots.

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Celebrating Easter Chimp Style

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How did the chimpanzees celebrate the Easter holiday this year? In pure chimp fashion, of course (meaning, a lot of food, enrichment and a good ol’ fashion Easter egg hunt on Young’s Hill). Some of the party preparations included festive blankets, streamers, boxes in the shape of bunnies, books, toys, Easter baskets, bags and eggs.

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We decided to set out a breakfast forage in the Greenhouse this morning using appropriate dinnerware, including Easter cups, plates, napkins and straws. Breakfast consisted of grapefruit, muskmelon, grapes and oranges. Probably the biggest hit (next to primate chow) was the morning banana, almond milk, coconut flake smoothie topped with violet flowers.

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Setting up the streamers and the forage is a pretty exciting time and the chimps will often watch from the windows of the loft area that overlooks the Greenhouse. There’s usually a lot of food squeaks, head nodding and intense watching from the chimps, as staff and volunteers use their skills to transform an area into a party room.

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And what would Easter be without an Easter egg hunt? Young’s Hill is the perfect place for just that. We also “planted” carrots, beets, radishes and kohlrabi on the hill for the chimps to forage for lunch.

And finally, photos of the Cle Elum 7 enjoying their Easter party today.

Negra
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Jamie
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Jody
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Foxie
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Burrito
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Missy
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Annie
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Sometimes I wonder who has more fun at these parties; the humans or the chimpanzees. Often times, weeks before a holiday or birthday party, there is talk of what sorts of items (food, enrichment, decorations, etc.) that would be “chimp approved” that can be used to throw the party. Then there’s the time and energy that go into the preparation of the food, enrichment and the actual party setup (and clean up too). Every single bit of it is completely worth it, once we see how much the chimps enjoy the parties.

Parties are a way of breaking up the routine of day-to-day life and we’re more than happy to make this happen for the chimps, but we certainly do not do it alone. We want to be sure to offer a huge thank you to everyone that helps make celebrations like these so special, including Jayne Roepke, Lisa Stuverud, and Patti Sims. Thank you for all of the holiday decorations, enrichment, eggs and food. You helped make this Easter a hit!!

For Lisa Stuverud

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Today’s day of sanctuary is for Lisa Stuverud from her wonderful husband Richard, who shared this message:

I’d like to sponsor a day in the name of my wife, Lisa Stuverud. April 4th is her birthday and I know how much she loves the chimps and everyone at CSNW. Coincidentally, Lisa and her sister-in-law Linda Vizzare share the same birthday and Lisa had chosen yesterday as a sponsored day in Linda’s name. (Linda recently passed away and was a big Burrito fan especially loving his Happy Dance) I am choosing April 5th, the next best day, to support and share my wife’s love of the chimps and although in the beginning is was Jamie and her Cowboy Boots that that drew her in, it would now be difficult for her to ever pick a favorite if she was asked…I know she loves them all and has sincere admiration for all you do as “their humans”.

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Thank you both for all of your support for the Seven and us humans, Rich and Lisa! Happy Easter and Happy Birthday!

 

The Circle of Caring

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Our primary objectives as caregivers in a sanctuary is continuously improving the well being of those in our care and working to make the world a better place for all chimpanzees. We strive to provide what our tagline says: hope. love. home… sanctuary.

It doesn’t take long to realize that all of this just ends up circling back.

The chimpanzees give me hope everyday.

Sometimes the problems the world is facing seem insurmountable. Sometimes I just want to go back to sleep when I open my eyes in the morning and think of the work that lies ahead. But then there are these seven chimpanzees who lived for most of their lives with no reason for hope, yet they didn’t shut down.

Even Negra, who was ripped from her home and her family as a baby and used as a test tube for over three decades – she survived. And she can now lift her head to the sky and allow the rays of the sun to warm her face, or curl up under a blanket and sleep peacefully.

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Negra under a blanket

Nothing gives me hope more than seeing the chimpanzees thrive at CSNW.

And then there’s love. After what humans have done to them, these chimpanzees should be angry. It would be completely justified for them to rise up Planet of the Apes style and never trust another human. Yet, surprisingly, they do show affection towards humans.

It’s easy to see that Foxie is happiest when she’s making someone else laugh or smile. She often spots me from a distance and runs over just to have a little playtime.

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Burrito too. Just this morning, in between his a.m. displaying, he was stomping his feet and running through the front rooms to get me to play chase.

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All the love I try to convey to the Seven just comes right back.

 

These misfit captive chimpanzees could melt the coldest of hearts.

 

Jamie:

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That brings us to home. The sanctuary provides J.B. and me with a physical home, but, far more significantly, the chimpanzees and the people that they bring into their lives through their sheer force of charm has created a more remarkable sense of home than I’ve ever experienced.

I really just can’t get over how amazing it is to be surrounded by such caring, compassionate, funny, and all-around lovely people that make up the staff, volunteers, and supporters. And that includes a lot of people who I’ve never even met in person. The Seven are really quite good at attracting the best people to be a part of their lives.

Sanctuary. It’s a word that is often misused, but it truly applies to this place. And, as I’ve learned, the spirit of true sanctuary is circular. Thank you for being a part of it.

Sweet Annie:

Annie

Adventurous Missy:

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Jody – taken this afternoon:

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Today in Memory of Linda Vizzare

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Lisa Stuverud has sponsored this day of sanctuary in memory of Linda Vizzare. This is the touching message that Lisa shared:

Linda is my sister-in-law and my “birthday buddy” for the last 37 years. She passed away November 20th, so April 4th is going to be my first birthday without her to celebrate with. I know she knows I miss her very much and one of the things I miss the most is how much she loved Burrito especially when he did his “happy dance” :-). During her illness we often talked about the chimpanzees, the caregivers and the blog, but mostly we drew strength from all that they have overcome to then be able to do a “happy dance”…I know she was strong and didn’t stop fighting until the very end so I hope she is now doing her own “happy dance.”

The best example of Burrito’s “dance” where he stands bipedally, clutching his thighs with his hands and moving from foot to foot is in the Emmy award winning video put together by KOMO 4 of the chimpanzees’ first moments on Young’s Hill. You can see the video here – Burrito’s dance is at 3:30.

And here are a few photos of Mr. B.

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Thank you, Lisa, for being such a good friend to the chimpanzees, for sharing this day with them, and for sharing your touching memories of your time with Linda during her illness.