Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2015

Foraging for food and a doll

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While setting up a lunch forage on Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees’ 2 acre outdoor enclosure, volunteer caregiver Patti spotted an “abandoned” French Dora doll. After some deliberation, we decided to leave the doll on the hill and see who would rescue her. Hint: the answer is in the video below.

Burrito had a hard time deciding between which to grab more of, small bell peppers or primate chow.
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Jamie and Annie shared time on the treat rock foraging for cherry tomatoes (straight out of the garden), eggplant pieces, peppers and primate chow.
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Negra spent time in her cabin on the hill before making her way back to the Greenhouse.
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Missy never misses a chance to climb the various structures in search of food.
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Don’t worry, Foxie (who has an obsession with dora and troll dolls) had her own stash of dora dolls from her birthday party yesterday!

Today is in honor of Beate

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Birgit Neher to honor her sister, Beate, “for all she does for the animals.” Beate, thank you so much for your rescue work with animals! We hope you have a beautiful day and may all the love and care you provide to so many special beings come back to you tenfold.

Birgit, thank you for thinking of the chimpanzees in honoring Beate today. What a lovely way to celebrate! We are so grateful to you both for making a difference in the lives of animals, and for extending your compassion to include the chimpanzees.

Jody enjoying a moment of summer solitude in the tall grass on Young’s Hill:

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Foxie’s 39th!

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Today we celebrated Foxie’s 39th birthday! It was a day filled with some of her favorite foods – lots and lots of fruit, fruit smoothie in shot glasses…

Foxie found a smoothie shot on the hill:

Foxie with a smoothie shot

Foxie drinking a smoothie shot

plus there were carrots, celery, more fruit, avocados, sweet potatoes, corn, and fresh-pressed carrot & apple juice!

 

There’s a video below, but first a few shots of the chimps enjoying the celebration in their own way:

 

Burrito looking for food:

Burrito searching for food

 

 

Annie chillin’ in the hammock:

Annie chillin in the hammock

 

Negra getting that last bit of coconut from the cup:

Negra with cup

 

Jody in her characteristic belly-to-the-ground position, finishing her meal:

Jody belly down

 

And Missy, who was not going to let a bit of the flaked coconut that was in this piñata go to waste.

Missy holding pinata

 

Not one…

Missy with her head in a pinata

 

 

little bit

Missy with her face in a pinata

 

There were several people who contributed to Foxie’s celebration, including Karen Young who provided decorations and money for food, Tracy H. who sponsored the day, Jayne R., and many people who sent Foxie Dora and troll dolls. Thanks for making her day special!

Enjoy the video!

 

 

Happy Birthday, Foxie!

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This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by Tracy Headley in honor of her pal, Foxie’s, birthday! Tracy is a luminous soul who holds the chimpanzees in her heart and welcomes them into her life at every opportunity. She is such a good friend to the chimpanzees and humans alike, advocating however she can to make the lives of so many, better.

We would also like to thank Karen and Don Young for ensuring that today’s Dora the Explorer themed celebration is one for the records! Karen and Don have also been a big part of the chimpanzees’ lives and have made possible their amazing outdoor area, Young’s Hill. We have watched Foxie (with Dora and trolls) explore Young’s Hill this year like no other. Walking the perimeter with her caregivers, bravely testing out climbing structures, and often leading the way on adventures with her chimpanzee family. Karen and Don send this special message for Foxie:

“Happy Birthday to beautiful Foxie, the first chimp we met at CSNW and the reason we became involved with this amazing sanctuary. To witness the comparison of how you are today to how you were then is miraculous! We hope you have fun at your birthday bash and wiggle your toes at all of the food goodies and a new Dora doll! Happy, Happy Birthday! Karen and Don”

Tracy, Karen and Don, thank you so much for all you do to ensure the chimpanzees live the lives they deserve, filled with hope, dignity and love.

As we prepare to celebrate our beloved and endearing Foxie’s 39th birthday, we are filled with gratitude. Gratitude that despite all that she endured and had stolen from her during her three decades in biomedical research, she is full of joy, courage and love. All of which we are profoundly honored to witness, and share in, each day. Happiest of birthdays yet to you, dear Foxie! We love you!!

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We are so touched and grateful to all of you who have reached out to make sure Foxie and her family have a wonderful day. She has received new France Dora dolls, new troll dolls (including a France troll!), decorations, toys, and treats. It’s going to be quite the special bash for a special lady so check in later today to join in on the festivities!

First Impressions: Jamie

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Today was a challenging day for me to decide who I was going to write about. At first I was convinced that I was going to write about Jody and her impressive foraging techniques.
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But as I took more photos of Jody enjoying her corn, Jamie interrupted me and put a stop to the close-ups. Being the boss, she has very persuasive powers, so not only does she cancel the blog post about Jody, she also gets this post to be about her.

Jamie is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She is dominant and intelligent, while still being endearing. This past week I have tried to go on several walks with her. She has gestured emphatically as I’ve tried on cowboy boot after cowboy boot. I’ve tried on matching boots and mismatched boots, tiny boots and gigantic boots. None of which seem to get her to start our hike. Only with the help of Elizabeth or Katelyn (wearing boots), has it been acceptable for us to walk together. Today it was JB’s turn to try on multitudes of boots. In hopes of enticing her outside, I tried on a separate pair of boots as well. Jamie found this suitable, and the 3 of us took a walk around the hill as Jamie foraged along the way. The more, the merrier!

Jamie climbs down from foraging on top of the tower on Young’s Hill
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Positive Reinforcement Training

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A few months ago, we began a positive reinforcement training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees. (Read JB’s thorough description in this blog post.) Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them. By teaching them to present certain body parts for inspection, for example, we will be better able to check on and treat wounds.

We started by teaching the chimps to touch a “target.” A target can be just about any object – we use PVC pipes with colored tape on the end. When a chimp touches the target, the caregiver who’s working with them presses a clicker (click = “good job”) and then rewards the chimp with a small piece of fruit or other treat. Once a chimp has learned this “targeting” behavior, we move on to asking for different body parts. The routine is the same – when a chimp presents the body part we’ve asked for, they hear a click and get a treat.

When we started this program in April, we invited Gail Laule from Active Environments to spend several days at the sanctuary training the staff on these positive reinforcement techniques. This week, Gail has returned to check up on our progress. Here are some photos from today’s sessions.

Jamie presenting her shoulder to Diana:

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Jody opening her mouth while working with me (Elizabeth):

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Annie presenting her back (Anna and Negra are on the right):

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Negra “targeting” with Anna:

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Negra presenting her shoulder:

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Participation in this program is totally optional. The great thing about PRT, though, is that the chimps want to participate. It’s a win-win. It’s enriching for them (and for their bellies!) and the cooperative behaviors they learn are going to improve their lives by allowing us to give them the best care possible.

First Impressions: Missy

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My training as a new staff caregiver at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has many dimensions. It consists of learning many safety and cleaning protocols, as well as becoming familiar with the daily routine. When I am not doing safety checks, cleaning enclosures, or practicing moving doors, I get a chance to learn more about the chimpanzees’ personalities. This post will be the first of 7, as I share my first impressions of each chimpanzee as an individual.

Today’s post is about Missy. One of the very first things I learned about Missy is what a good friend to the other chimpanzees she is. She is always ready and willing to support her companions in whatever cause they deem worthy of their attention. Sometimes Jamie chooses that she does not want Young’s Hill to be closed in the evening. Missy is often ready to endorse Jamie’s decision. She will take shifts with the boss to stand guard at the hydraulic door so that it cannot be moved. Caregivers must wait patiently until Jamie calls off her commands and decides to build her nest for the evening.

I truly admire Missy’s independent and supportive qualities.

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