This morning as we invited the Cle Elum 7 back into a fresh clean playroom, there was no sign of Negra foraging for pumpkin seeds or making a big nest in the loft. Nor was there any sign of her basking in the sunny greenhouse. The only clue we had to her location was the looks of concern (and maybe awe) on some of her group mates faces as they kept glancing out the door to the raceway of Young’s Hill. Even from our location at the bottom of Young’s Hill we couldn’t see any sign of her, so we set out for a hike around the hill to see if we could spot her. Finally at the top of the enclosure we found her picking wild prickly lettuce underneath a log bridge that shielded her from the wind. Jody, the sanctuary “manager,” who shows the greatest amount of care and concern if anyone goes “missing” or deviates from the day’s schedule, rushed out to collect the queen.
It takes a village…
Beautiful!! Sending so much love……
Does the sanctuary have a protocol in place if one of the chimpanzees go missing? If so, what is it? How will they handle that? Did they need to meet with city council to discuss these types of things? When they built, were there certain rules already in place that they had to adhere to, such as, did they need to be a certain minimum distance away from private residences? Does the public have to be notified when moving into the area that they’re living near potentially dangerous, habituated chimpanzees? Have nearby residents been told to stay away from them if one of them escapes? Or, God forbid, do they have permission to protect themselves from one of them if their person is in imminent danger?
Srry for the multitude of questions, but this is a topic I can’t remember the sanctuary ever covering before, and I think it would make a fascinating blog series. You know my mind–after reading one of these blogs, then it goes off on tangential topics and before you know it, I’m in another world of “what ifs”.
As always, thank-you, and cheers. 🙂
Hi Carla,
Our county did not have any specific ordinances that we had to adhere to, but we proactively work with local law enforcement and first responders to prepare for emergencies such as escapes and injuries. Our County Sheriff and Fire Departments keep emergency response manuals prepared by the sanctuary on file and they visit the sanctuary regularly.
That’s pre-tee amazing. I guess when you’ve got unique residents living in your county ya wanna belly up to the fence a time er two and just take in the beauty of the spectacle that IS chimpanzee. 😉
Thanks for your response..
Oh Negra, you never cease to inspire me. Such a wise gal staying out of the wind. (And we all need a Hall Monitor, good job Jody!!)
Beautiful Negra. You look so happy eating your prickly lettuce. Blessings. Love you Negra ????????
This post brought me so much joy. I know you must have been worried when you couldn’t find Neggie but the change in the Queen in just the past year is amazing! She seems to have found her joie de vivre, which I guess proves it’s never too late. So proud of Jody – so sweet and so brave 🙂