Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2015

Morning greetings and breakfast forage

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One of the first things I do after arriving at the chimp house is to walk around the various enclosures to see where all of the chimpanzees are at and to greet them. Sometimes the chimps are still in their blanket nests that they made the previous night. Sometimes, they are wide awake; chasing one another along the upstairs catwalk or through the Front Rooms. At other times, they may be lined up along the caging to give morning kisses, head nods (a typical chimpanzee greeting) or to elicit games of chase with staff and volunteer caregivers.

This morning, Jamie was the first one I saw in the Playroom area of their home. I gave her a couple of quick head nods, which she reciprocated before gesturing to see my shoes. Burrito sat down next to her and slapped the floor a few times to elicit a quick game of chase. Foxie was busy getting drinks from the fountain, while holding onto her dora doll. Jody came up to where I was standing and extended her lips through the caging to offer me a kiss on the back of my hand. Annie and Missy were busy playing chase with one another. I looked into the pile of blankets on the catwalk where Negra typically makes her nightly nest, but it was empty. So, I went out to the Greenhouse portion of their home and found her on the top platform (another favorite spot of hers).

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I gave her a quick verbal “Good morning Neggie.” She turned around to look at me momentarily before going back to what she was doing.

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Oh, how I love this lady. I’ll take her quick glance toward me as a morning greeting and be forever thankful.

And, I just couldn’t resist sharing the following photos on today’s blog, as well. I think you’ll understand why when you see them. They were taken during this morning’s breakfast forage in the Greenhouse.

Annie
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Burrito
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Foxie
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Jody
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Love on a Windy Day

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Three members of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest family had weddings today – the brides are new staff member Anna and dedicated volunteer Becca, who is marrying Lars, also a volunteer. I wanted to wish them a special congratulations using photos of the chimpanzees taken on this windy day, so here goes:

Anna & Andy and Becca & Lars, may your love be…

As sweet as Annie:

Sweet Annie

 

As endearing as Burrito:

Burrito with amazing shoulder hair

 

As playful as Foxie:

Foxie carrying Dora

 

As strong as Jamie:

Jamie standing on structure

 

As unique as Jody:

Jody with hands full

 

As loyal as Missy:

Missy with sunflowers

 

And as inspiring as Negra:

Negra with green onions

 

A little backstory on the photo of Missy above – in honor of the couples, I put out two sunflowers from the garden as part of the chimps’ lunch forage. I expected Jody to be the one to get them, but it was Missy!

Here are a few more photos:

Missy retrieving sunflowers

Missy leaving the treat rock

Missy carry her stash Missy carrying her stash 2

 

Happy wedding day to all four of you!

 

Hot summer nights

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Hot summer days have led to beautiful sunset strolls with Jamie this week. It was hot enough last night that most of the chimps stayed up later than usual, sprawled out, waiting for the much anticipated cool evening breeze to come down from the mountains once the sun set.

Jamie:

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Annie:

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Foxie and Dora:

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The sunsets have been brilliant this week and despite being the result of smoke from all the raging wildfires in the state (none of which are a threat to the sanctuary), it’s hard not to appreciate their fiery beauty.

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Two of our sweet neighbors were also out for an evening stroll:

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We don’t blame Jamie for waiting for the cooler evenings to enjoy walking. It’s a peaceful way to end the long, sweltering days for the humans as well. A welcome time to relax and sink into the soothing night sounds that accompany dusk.

Earlier this week as one of the blazing sunsets turned to embers and the night shadows fell over the hill, Jamie continued walking. Sometimes the chimps appear to be looking at the sky with the same awe that we do.

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On the last walk that evening, which was close to 9:00 PM, she seemed to become a bit more apprehensive as the shadows covered the hill and though she couldn’t be enticed to squeeze in one more walk before dark (even with Keri and I both wearing cowboy boots) she decided it was still nice enough to sit in the safety of the raceway to Young’s Hill and take in the view of the valley below as the breeze ruffled her hair.

Eventually, the motion sensor lights came on outside the greenhouse, but still she was content to sit in the doorway as we waited with her. But that’s part of the magic of summer evenings, the cool breeze, the stillness of the night, and relaxing in the company of good friends.

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First Impressions: Jody

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Last week I had every intention of doing a blog about Jody, but Jamie stole the show. Jody can be a tough chimpanzee to get to know. She will put up boundaries between her caregivers (especially new ones) that are easy to respect. She has the admiration of her chimpanzee family and is high ranking (although not as high as Jamie). Jody is a lover of large nests and will sometimes leave them in the doorways of the enclosures making it a challenge to close off. If you ask her nicely, she may oblige and move her blankets. On other days, she may stay posted in an area so there is no chance to clean it. Jody is also an amazing forager. She will go out on Young’s Hill and fill her mouth and hands so full of produce that her wrists bend into a shovel shape and her impressive lips are extended to capacity. She finds delicious things to eat on the hill, even when we haven’t specifically put out a forage. Whether it be bamboo branches, weeds, or grass, she will find it and enjoy it.

Today I took some photos of Jody as she lounged in the playroom. She had the beginnings of a nest built and a bamboo shoot ready to be snacked on. She also had a green-haired troll in her pelvic (hip) pocket.
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Burrito was on standby as I photographed Jody. Keeping a watchful eye on her and making sure I didn’t step out of line.
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Beautiful, tough, and respected, this is Jody chimpanzee.
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Bouncing Back

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Burrito’s been through a lot lately. In early June, he fractured a canine. The injury itself didn’t seem to phase him, but in order to prevent future pain and infection, we needed to extract the tooth. In late June, we performed an exam to do some blood work, check on his heart condition, and assess how he would do under prolonged anesthesia. And in late July, we performed the extraction.

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Before he came to the sanctuary from the research lab in 2008, Burrito was sedated for procedures pretty frequently. The routine nature of these “knockdowns” probably didn’t diminish the fear associated with them. Until Burrito’s tooth ordeal, we’ve been incredibly lucky that none of the chimps here have required medical intervention beyond a dose of antibiotics here or there.

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When you care for former lab chimpanzees, you hope that they know they’re safe now, and that they trust the difference between their current home and their former ones. We’ve spent the last seven years working to gain these chimps’ trust, and one nagging fear is that something will happen to lose you the trust you’ve earned.

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Regardless of the fact that Burrito was surrounded by friends who love him and who want the best for him, it’s likely that the two procedures he had to undergo recently brought back some scary memories from his past life. And regardless of the fact that we’ve seen firsthand how incredibly resilient and forgiving chimps can be, it’s still hard not to fear that you’re going to push things too far and damage the relationships you’ve built.

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But we shouldn’t have worried. Burrito has bounced back to his sweet, goofy, mischievous, happy self. His love for the simple things in life – a ripe avocado, a good grooming session, a long and loud bout of chase with a human friend – is as strong as ever. May we all strive to be as irrepressible as this guy.

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