Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
When the cold November wind is blowing over the hills of Central Washington and the caregivers of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest are hard at work scrubbing the front rooms, it’s up to the boss of the sanctuary to keep herself occupied.
This may come in the form of examining the photos in a magazine..
But it may also be a great time to build a fresh nest with that magazine, a sheet, a troll scarf, and a bunch of blankets.
In the past, we’ve talked about how we occasionally mistake one chimpanzee for another at first glance. A great example of this is when we catch Missy doing a “fake Neggie.”
The other night I snapped a couple photos of Negra in her evening nest. The camera angle and Negra’s posture reminded me a little of a facial expression I’ve seen a lot with Jamie. Maybe if you squint and cross your eyes a bit, you too can see the similarities. I’m sure the more seasoned blog readers won’t be fooled one bit.
Negra:
Jamie in a similar pose:
Over seven years after meeting and falling in love with her first troll doll, Foxie is still so intensely enamored with these strange little dolls that she carries one everywhere. Today she laid down to rest in the playroom and spent several minutes gazing at her doll before closing her eyes.
The chimpanzees seem to be enjoying the heated floors as colder weather moves in. We found Jamie snuggled up with some blankets and a Dora doll this morning:
One thing that’s quite clear about the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees is that they are each unique individuals with different tastes, activity levels, and habits.
Though for most of their lives they didn’t have these things, it’s hard to fathom Foxie without her troll and Dora dolls, Jamie without her boots, and Negra without her blankets, which she puts over her head and shoulders – something she’s done from her first day in sanctuary.
Today I tried (fairly unsuccessfully) to get a photo of Negra as she lay on the heated catwalk with a Halloween blanket wrapped around her. Here’s the best photo I got:
As I was watching her, she got up suddenly. Curious about the suddenness of her motion, I followed her. She traveled down from the catwalk, across the playroom, and into the front rooms, then went out into the greenhouse.
She was clearly on a mission, and was still moving quickly as she climbed up to the top of the platform in the greenhouse.
And this was the result of her mission:
Apparently she knew of another blanket with her name on it.
Because she seemed to be in a black and white mood today, here is a black and white photo of Negra after she got the blanket just how she wanted it:
Long live Queen Negra. We hope she has many more years and many more blankets in her future.
Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Dalyce Kowalski! Dalyce is a great friend to the chimpanzees and in celebrating her own birthday today, she has chosen to give the chimpanzees a special day! Dalyce shared this sweet note:
“I really just wanted to have a day for the chimps to have a party. I know how much they love a party!”
Dalyce, thank you for such a generous and compassionate gift for the chimpanzees! They definitely love a party! It makes it all the more meaningful that you are choosing to celebrate your own life by making a difference in their lives. All of us here wish you the happiest of birthdays!
Queen Negra hopes you enjoy your day and if you need any ideas, she has some suggestions:
Eat your favorite foods:
Stretch out and relax:
Play bite your friends:
Enjoy a moment of solitude in nature:
Snuggle with a cozy blanket:
And birthday naps are always a good idea:
It’s been seven months since we started our Positive Reinforcement Training program. In that time, both the chimps and the staff have learned a lot.
We, the staff, have learned that training is a difficult skill to develop. As we try to teach new behaviors to the chimps, we are often just as confused and frustrated as they are, if not more so. It takes a lot of patience, creativity, and most importantly, experience, to become a good trainer.
The chimps have learned dozens of behaviors that will make their lives healthier and happier, and they’re starting to discover that cooperating with physical exams and other medical procedures doesn’t have to be scary – it can even be fun.
For his part, Burrito still thinks this whole thing is too good to be true – getting praised and rewarded with food, just for showing us his teeth? He would have done that for free…
But Burrito is not the only one making progress – stay tuned for updates on Annie, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra in the coming months.
