Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
One of my all time favorite views of the sanctuary is from the top of Young’s Hill. From this spot you can see the Cascade Mountains and the Yakima River. You can see extensive forests of pine trees as well as the hustle and bustle of cars and trains going by. If you are lucky, you can spot chimpanzees taking full advantage of this beautiful weather.
Chimpanzees like Missy
And Jamie
What a gorgeous day it turned out to be; not too hot, not too cold and not too windy. That’s a pretty good combination for spending time on Young’s Hill (the chimpanzees’ 2-acre outdoor enclosure) if you’re Negra chimpanzee. She tends to be pretty particular about when she chooses to venture out onto the hill and how long she will spend out there.
So, we took advantage of the great weather and set up a lunch forage on the hill. All of the chimpanzees spent quite a bit of time foraging. Some focused on gathering their favorite food items and eating those first, while others went more for the “sampler menu.” Lunch consisted of green onions, red cabbage, potatoes, green beans and primate chow.
As you can see in the following pictures, green onions were a big hit with Negra, Missy, Jamie and Annie.
Negra
Missy
Jamie and Annie (in the background).
Burrito. Both he and Jody had their mouths and hands full of an assortment of food items.
Jody
And Foxie carried around two troll dolls in her mouth after she was done foraging. One of them was the same doll she carried yesterday.
If you have been following the blog, you may already know that Foxie has a deep fascination with troll and dora the explorer dolls. Most days she can be seen carrying at least one in her hands, feet, mouth or on her back. It’s not very often that she is without at least one doll. This morning she actually had three different troll dolls in her mouth and hands, two with red hair and one with bright pink hair.
Sometimes she has a hard time keeping track of that many when other chimpanzees are trying to play with her. That was the case this morning. Burrito and her laughed while playing in the Front Room area of their enclosure and she lost track of all three. After they were finished playing, she picked them up again and carried them into the Playroom. It wasn’t long after that I heard laughter again and when I went to see who was playing this time, it was her and Jamie. Jamie had both of the red-haired dolls and Foxie had the one with pink hair. After their play session was over, both red haired dolls were left on the ground and Foxie carried her pink-haired doll out to the Greenhouse. And she carried that same troll doll around for the rest of the day.
Foxie foraging for lunch on Young’s Hill.
Here is another moment with Foxie and her pink-haired troll doll from this morning. Jamie is in the background eating lettuce.
It’s not always possible or easy to catch brief moments that are great examples of chimpanzee behavior. Today, I was lucky to have the camera when this episode happened on the hill; and the summer visitors were lucky to have seen it in person!
In the video below, you’ll hear the distinctive sound of chimpanzee alarm calls and see a wonderful example of Missy reaching out in a reassurance-seeking gesture.
Here are the still photos that were in the video:
Jamie chasing off the intruder:
Negra continuing to forage as Jamie takes care of the threat:
This is one of my very favorite photos of Jamie, so I like to share it often:
In ten days, all invasive research on chimpanzees in the United States will cease. Let that sink in for a minute.
In response to a petition by a coalition of animal welfare groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is elevating the status of all chimpanzees to endangered, thereby granting them a greater level of protection. Beginning on September 14th, any activity that causes harm to chimpanzees will require a permit, and permits will only be issued for research that benefits wild chimpanzees or conservation efforts. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the effective deadline for obtaining a permit was today, due to public notice requirements. And as of today, no permits have been issued.
It’s hard to overstate how important this is. For nearly a hundred years, chimpanzees have suffered and died in our pursuit of scientific and medical advancements. Later this month, all invasive research on chimpanzees will, at least for a moment, come to an end. Whether any permits will be requested in the future is uncertain, but this much is clear: the era of widespread chimpanzee research in the United States is over. And that’s worth celebrating.
Now we need to get these chimpanzees into sanctuaries. We told you at the beginning of this year about our plans for the future of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, and we’re excited to report that, thanks to your generosity, we are ahead of schedule. We’re looking forward to sharing our vision for expanding the sanctuary as it develops and working with you to see it to fruition.
At CSNW, these seven chimpanzees have found a home where they are loved and respected and supported by people around the world. But inside every laboratory, there is a Missy longing to run free, an Annie aching for companionship, a Jody yearning for comfort, a Foxie wishing for someone to play with, a Burrito dreaming of a good meal, a Jamie desperate for a sense of control, and a Negra who wants nothing more than to bask in the sun. They all deserve a life in sanctuary. We, as a community, will make that happen.
This post concludes the series on my first impressions of the Cle Elum 7. Last but surely not least, I get to write about Foxie chimpanzee. Jamie did not make this an easy photography session for me today. The boss kept insisting I model a selection of new cowboy boots that she just received. I walked at least 3 laps around Young’s Hill wearing her boots before I could sneak into the Playroom to see what Foxie was up to. What Foxie did next made my afternoon exceedingly better. She came down from her perch on the playroom catwalk and began to somersault, spin and do some “break-dance” like moves all around her enclosure. Intermittently, she would get large gulps of water from the spigot. These mouthfuls would serve as both hydration and playful ammunition that she would aim at my feet. There are so many challenges to taking photos of a chimpanzee that won’t stop running around doing flips. Foxie is a joy to be around!
While Jamie and I walked around Young’s Hill yesterday, Missy decided to make her way across the hill via the highest points of the climbing structures. I think she traversed every climbing structure the chimps have on the hill, taking in the view from each spot. Walking is boring, if you’re Missy.
As Jamie and I reached the top of Young’s Hill, Missy raced pass to the next climbing structure and we were greeted by Foxie, Dora and troll, who were on their way over to check out what was happening on the neighbor’s property. Foxie spent most of the morning sitting on the very top of the new structure. Balancing precariously (from my perspective, not hers) on the railing to be precise. She spent over an hour all on her own, seemingly taking in the view in every direction from the highest lookout on the hill.
Back to Missy, who took Jamie’s and Carlene’s Towers across the top of the hill. My heart will never tire of watching the chimpanzees as they take in the views from the hill. My heart swells thinking of the courage they’ve found to climb to such heights and sit peacefully in solitude. Can you just imagine the awe they must feel after having survived over 30 years in cages the size of bathroom stalls to now find themselves with the freedom to run, roam, and climb to their hearts’ content? The awe they must feel when taking in such a vast landscape after having lived in a windowless basement?
You can just see Missy’s head at the bottom of the ladder as she looks toward Jamie and I at the bottom of the hill. At this point Missy ran full speed all the way down the hill and back to the greenhouse. But then, why walk when you can fly?
Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for the support and love you so generously share with the chimpanzees. And thanks to all of you who were able to participate and make our amazing auction as amazing as it was. It’s each of you that make this life of awe, wonder and hope possible for the chimps.
