You may have heard that Foxie has become a bit of a celebrity due to this The Dodo article and a follow up story and video on the Huffington Post.
Publicity for the sanctuary is so wonderful! New amazing people with gigantic hearts find out about the work we do and all of the chimpanzees in our care, and the world overall becomes a better place with more like-minded people connecting with causes that speak to them.
And then there are the comments on the internet…
As a general rule, it’s a bit disheartening to read internet comments, no matter the subject, but when people are commenting on something so close to your heart and making assumptions that are wildly inaccurate, it can sting.
However, it can also be somewhat enlightening.
One theme to the comments of late has been questioning why Foxie is “still in a cage.”
Here’s the truth about keeping chimpanzees in captivity – you have to put measures in place to contain them in order to keep them and the humans safe. And captive facilities, whether labs or zoos or sanctuaries, utilize concrete and steel to some extent.
Below is a photo of the type of cage that most of the chimpanzees living at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest spent years and years living in while in laboratories:
This is their sanctuary home now (the building and the hill inside the electrical fence):
I am here to tell you right now that some of the enclosures at the sanctuary are primarily caging.
The next few photos are of the greenhouse, which is the chimpanzees’ favorite area year round. It is basically a large cage.
The greenhouse was the chimpanzees’ original “outdoor” area, and was caging that was open to the elements. Greenhouse panels were added to make it a usable space year round. Here are the panels going up:
And here is what it looks like in the winter. It’s pretty toasty in there when there’s even a little bit of sun to heat things up.
The greenhouse is an incredibly usable space – chimpanzees, being strong and dexterous and having opposable toes, can easily climb up the walls, and the ceiling is made up of bars where they can hang from and brachiate, whether just to get across the room, when absconding with a prize, during play, or just for fun. I wish all enclosures could be as usable.
The caging also allows caregivers to directly interact with and serve the chimpanzees (unlike other methods of containment that we also use at the sanctuary such as electric fencing and bullet-proof / chimp-proof glass).
Caging is also handy for hanging food puzzles, like this raisin board that Jamie enjoyed tonight:
But take another look at that photo above of Jamie with her raisin board.
If you didn’t know that this:
and this:
and this:
was also a part of Jamie’s everyday existence, what would you think?
We considered this when we started the blog before the chimpanzees arrived. Would we avoid posting photos of the chimpanzees behind bars, or play sessions that were filmed in the smaller front room area? We decided we would share it all, with the idea that those who were truly concerned or curious would look into things further, find out more, and then, of course, fall in love with the chimpanzees.
And for those who simply made an assumption about the sanctuary and never delved further, well, maybe they weren’t our “target audience.”
So, for those who are reading this, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to learn and wonder and question and care.
Anyone who works at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest will tell you that our ultimate goal is to put ourselves out of business. We don’t like the fact that there is a need for sanctuaries for chimpanzees. We don’t like the fact that there are chimpanzees in captivity anywhere.
We don’t want our chimpanzee friends to be living behind bars – we want them to be wild and free in their native habitat. But that is not possible. As we explain on our FAQ page, there are many reasons why captive chimpanzees in North America cannot be released into the wild, but one of the most significant reasons is that chimpanzees rely heavily on cultural knowledge for survival in the wild. Having been raised in captivity, the chimpanzees at CSNW lack the most basic skills for survival such as finding and procuring food and protecting themselves from the dangers of their environment.
We wish that Foxie had been born in Africa into a huge and thriving population of chimpanzees. We wish that she had children and grandchildren that surrounded her and enriched her life. But she was born in a laboratory. And that is tragic.
What we get to do, though, is tell the other side of her story. The story about her falling in love with troll dolls, and being the 98-pound mediator within her group of chimpanzees, and playing wild games of wrestle and troll keep-away with Jamie.
Some of this is done on the other side of steel caging, and we will continue to show those moments.
What all of you do every day for these amazing chimpanzees is nothing short of remarkable!! All of you know each of them individually & always do your best to make their lives wonderful. Thank you!!
Wonderful post! Everyone at CSNW does a fabulous job looking after these beautiful 7. I look back at the posts of when they first arrived, hard to believe they are the same 7. Well done all of you!
Diana this is so well said. You have explained so much here and I hope that those that might question the cages will find this or other information to help them understand better. Yes, ideally, there would be no need for shelters or sanctuaries for unwanted, abused, or neglected animals, but under the circumstances they are being given a second chance at a happy life with choices that they never had before. They are loved and cared for and protected. The pictures speak for themselves:)
As someone who has followed the chimps and the blog from the start I
can say the criticism is unfounded. The chimps that arrived with the fearful, haunted eyes
have been replaced by chimps whose eyes reflect trust and contentment. To see them
running, foraging and climbing as they choose is a testament to all the love and care they
have received.
I believe they have the best life possible under the circumstances.
Such an informative post Diana, well stated. It takes time to understand and digest all the horrors relating to the why and how (bio medical laboratories) that caused chimpanzees to end up in accredited sanctuaries. And the ones in sanctuary are the lucky ones! All one has to do is follow your blog to discover how lucky the Cle Elum Seven are to be living at CSNW. These chimps have each other, a loving social group and the closet thing to a real family. They receive a nutritious, healthy diet, daily and always changing enrichment, they have their beautiful 2 acre Youngs Hill where they can run, forage, sun bathe, climb, swing and relax. And they have THE best caregivers ever! Primatologists no less!
I have had the pleasure of visiting CSNW, and I can personally state that Foxie, Annie, Missy, Jamie, Negra, Jody and Burrito are happy, healthy, beautiful, and thriving. In person, the caging fades away and to be honest, while it is clearly a visible safety divider — you do not focus on it. Active, enriched, safe, happy, chimpanzees is really all you see. You see individuals, and they steal your heart…. or maybe you simply give them your heart, willingly. ; )
Every article written on you should always end with “Follow the chimps on the CSNW Blog”. There is nothing better than your blog! I know all your devoted supporters will agree with me on this. ; )
You guys are doing amazing things with the chimps and use the “containment” elements minimally and to everyone’s best. I appreciate that you are so transparent because perspectives like this can do much damage. Your outreach effort to educate all of us has a tremendous amount of power as can be seen in your ability to counter such a narrow-minded article. Turning lemons into lemonade is important. Where is this outrage over gorilla sanctuaries…?
Keep up the good work – we follow you with eagerness and love sharing the chimps with all our friends!!
Thanks again!!
I hope this posts. I’ve not been able to post or reply for nearly a month now.
I comment on ape videos a lot on Youtube–mostly, because it’s painfully obvious there, above all other places–at just how much our education system has failed us in this country. I detest ignorance, willful ignorance being the most abhorrent of all. And when someone gets their shorts in a knot and starts belittling another Zoo or screaming that the cages must go, it’s just another reminder to me that we no longer have critical thinking skills; we detest math so much that we missed learning the very thing at its core: LOGIC.
If people learned to shut up and listen a little more often, they wouldn’t look so stupid every time they opened their mouths. If they only had the ability to reason out what they’re thinking about saying, maybe they wouldn’t say it, thus sparing us the anguish and occassional guffaw of having to read it. If they could only listen to themselves before trying to sound smart, they might realise that there are sadly, Chimpanzees in existence at this very moment, entirely and completely free of a cage. They have blue sky overhead, green grass under foot, fresh flowers to smell every day, and not one bar to keep them from holding onto each other when they need comforted.
AND. THEY. ARE. DYING.
The lab that swore they would care for them until their last breath abandoned them with no hope for survival. And because they had no previous skills, are proving they are ill-equipped to take care of themselves.
And steel bars have NOTHING to do with that.
I applaud your decision to be open–anything less always comes back to bite you in the arse. More people would do well to learn that. So I hope you always retain the ability to slough off the negative comments like the dead skin that they are–we who love and support you know better.
Btw, I wanted to thank you for your very kind remarks on Burrito’s painting. You know how to reduce a grown woman to a teary pile of humbled rubble! I will be contacting you soon about where to send the finished painting. <3 And I gotta say, I'm going to miss being with my goofball every day. Thank-you for granting me permission to travel with y'all and the chimps on this amazing journey. You now have a rabid fan and supporter for life, and I feel I have new friends from the sanctuary staff, to its 7 wonderful residents. 🙂
Blessings to you always! <3
Carla Rene’. I bet everyone would love to have your experience living with the chimps. What a great experience! I know I will never be able to visit the sanctuary so I’m sure others like me are living vicariously thru you, the photoes and updates from the sanctuary. ??????
Hi guys. I just read your last Facebook page. I didn’t hear about the Dodo article or the video on Jamie and her troll dolls. As far as negative comments, I haven’t seen any, of course there is always positive and negative comments about everything. I choose to be apart of your family and become Negra’s pal. You have rescued these beautiful ladies from a horiifc life, and given them the life they deserve. Please do not use the word “cage” in connection with the Sanctuary. The ladies are in a Sanctuary, Compound, home, or any other name, but not a cage. If people only saw the before and now pictures they would see the work you have done, the love and care you give these beautiful ladies. I have nothing but praise for your help. Please never say “cage” again. Hugs and kisses to Negra and all the ladies. ??????
Thank you for your support, Kathleen! We are so happy that you found Negra and family! Part of my point in writing this is that the chimps are in cages. They are much, much bigger cages than where they came from, and maybe bigger than what comes to mind when someone uses the word “cage,” but they are behind caging, and that’s the reality of keeping chimpanzees in captivity, as depressing as that is. They shouldn’t have to live like this, and we are making the best of a bad situation, but it’s still a bad situation.
Hi Diana, I don’t think I understand what you mean by a “cage” and why Jamie is in one. I never saw the article on Jamie in a cage, or the other chimps because kept in a cage. When I hear the word “cage” I get a chill thinking of the “cages” the chimps were kept in while in the labs. And I thought by “cages” you meant the sanctuary. Can you straighten me out? Sorry I got it wrong. How sad it is that the chimps still need to be behind bullet-prof glass. Will people ever grow up? I also want to say the chimps look like they enjoy being checked out while in the medical cages. Maybe it’s the treats!! Thank for your help. Hugs and kisses to our chimps. ??
Just wrote a response stating the “Beautiful Ladies”. Sorry Burrito, I meant ” and handsome gentleman”. ??????
Brilliant post Diana. Thank you for this and everything you all have done.
I realize that when people make uneducated statements about your passion in life it is almost impossible to not take it to heart. Unfortunately we’ve all had those experiences in life. I am disappointed that it is happening to the lovely people of CSNW. In my experience there are people on the Internet that like to consider themselves experts and play Devils advocate on issues that they are completely ignorant about. I think that the people who were newly exposed to CSNW and will actually become future followers and hopefully supporters, will explore your website and find your blog. They will educate themselves with your resources; the resources that tell the details of the day to day operations and the experiences of the Cle Elum 7 as well as all the people that are dedicated to their care. They will fall in love with your blog and they will feel like they are a part of the extended family. They will become educated by the legitimate facts.
I was introduced to your organization by the HSUS. I became interested and visited your website. I read every chimp story and overtime visited almost all of your links. Then later I subscribed to your blog. That is truly when the the sanctuary came alive for me. I felt included in this amazing group of beautiful people running, volunteering, supporting, and following this fantastic sanctuary. I feel like the chimps are part of my life. I love being allowed to really watch them transform at the sanctuary via the blog. I think the blog is one of the most powerful tools utilized by CSNW. It really exposes the true lives of the chimps and all those involved in their care. For all the ignorance you may have encountered, know that you have also educated so many people on the authentic experience of CSNW. I’m certain I speak for all of your loyal supporters and followers when I say the gratitude for offering us the true insight into these chimps lives and the amazing people dedicated to their care is immense. I know that in addition to being educated, my life is also enriched because of your sanctuary and your blog. Future followers/supports will feel the same.
This is so well written. For those (like me! yay!) who have been CE7 fans for a long time, we know these things. I think it’s good to put this very important information and perspective out again, because new fans or new people may not go back to the beginning to learn all of this.
Kathleen above said that in person the caging fades away – yes, – it fades in the blog for me as well. Oh yes, please continue to show the moments on the other side of the caging – holy coconuts! what we would miss otherwise! One thing that comes to my mind are Foxie’s amazing pirouettes and acrobatics!
The Chimps are happy, and they blossom more every day.
{{{hugs}}} <–that is me hugging the Chimps in my mind.
Thank you, everyone! I love CSNW blog readers!!! And Carla I can’t wait to see that painting in person!
Good show Diana!