Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for June 2017

All day forage

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The chimps have had an exciting day of forages! Breakfast in the sunlit greenhouse, lunch on the stunningly lush Young’s Hill, and dinner in the playroom.

In the wild chimpanzees spend the majority of their days traveling and looking for food. Here at CSNW we serve most of the chimps’ meals by hand to make sure that everyone gets their fair amount and it also gives us the opportunity to check out any wounds and see how everyone is doing. That said, we take every opportunity to present the chimps with choices and activities that encourage their natural behavior. Forages are a great way to get them active and engaged and I imagine they often appreciate the opportunity to do as they please and not wait around for the humans to serve them their portions.

A beautiful lunch forage with Foxie and Dora:

Missy in the treat rock:

Burrito in the hammock! (Annie to the right):

Annie standing, Burrito to the right:

Annie checking out the tire swing for sweet potatoes, Burrito foraging in the grass:

Sweet Annie:

Missy had to stop several times to keep putting food back in her mouth and picking up pieces she’d dropped. She was not going to leave one piece behind!

Whew! She made it back to the greenhouse with her corn stash!

Jamie:

Beautiful Jody:

After lunch Jamie asked me to put on her boots and sit with her near the open panels of the greenhouse that face Young’s Hill so she could groom the boots. She eventually made a nest and decided to lie down next to me and enjoy the cool breeze. So I decided I should also have a nest and got a blanket to lie on next to her, a safe distance from chimps and caging. Before I knew it Burrito came over and sprawled out in the corner next to us, and Annie and Foxie curled up on the top platform facing the hill and we all just enjoyed a few moments of rest together on a peaceful spring day. Some of us (chimps) got to rest longer than others (me), but it was lovely while it lasted. đŸ™‚ Sanctuary for us all.

Watching over her queendom

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You’ve probably read about Negra and her desire to avoid any of the drama that may be occurring in the group. She typically observes from a distance and usually only gets involved if there is extended arguing at which point she will often give a loud, definitive pant hoot indicating that it’s time to knock it off. And it usually works.

Arguing isn’t the only drama she prefers to observe from a distance. Before dinner all the of the chimps appeared to be dozing in their nests (even the boss!) so I meandered up to close the door to Young’s Hill. All went smoothly and I was feeling pretty pleased with myself when I noticed Jody and Burrito sitting at the closed doorway with their hair standing on end (pilo-erect). Given that these two don’t typically get upset when the door is closed I knew it could only mean one thing; someone was still on Young’s Hill.

I scanned the hill and found Foxie and Troll sitting all by themselves at the very top of the hill on Carlene’s Tower. So of course, I apologized to everyone and immediately opened the door.  Den mother Jody immediately led the group out to collect Foxie (and probably tell her exactly what I had done). Not only did they collect her, but they ushered her all the way back inside, making sure she was inside safe and sound with her family. It was really a touching thing to witness.

Meanwhile, as all this excitement was going on out on Young’s Hill, Negra was quietly supervising from the top of the greenhouse, under the comfort of her rainbow blanket:

Foxie safely escorted back into the greenhouse with the rest of the chimps behind her, all was well again as  indicated by Negra’s drooped lip:

And for anyone who may be worried, we always require two people to count the chimps once Young’s Hill has been closed for the evening just to ensure no one could possibly get locked out overnight. đŸ™‚

the privilege of being a caregiver

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I first started working with chimpanzees in 1998, and I have been with the Cle Elum Seven for the entirety of their life at the sanctuary, even meeting them before they arrived on June 13, 2008.

And I still can’t believe that I have the privilege of caring for these amazing, playful, temperamental, intelligent, sensitive, wild, unpredictable, joyful, unique people.

Keeping Busy

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Jamie spent over twenty years in barren laboratory cages with nothing to do. These days, she is almost never idle…when she’s not playing with her chimpanzee friends or patrolling her two-acre enclosure, she invents projects for herself with the dozens of enrichment items set out for her each day.

The Den Mother

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For as long as we’ve known Jody, she’s been incredibly confident and independent. Her happy place is lying alone in a big nest of soft blankets. But somewhere along the way, she has become very invested in taking care of her chimp family. She works hard to make sure the group stays together. This spring, as Negra has ventured farther out onto Young’s Hill than ever before, Jody has periodically gone to the top of the hill to “collect” Negra when she decides it’s time. If Negra isn’t ready to come inside yet, Jody nervously stays with her, hair standing on end. For a group of chimps who never got to know their mothers, they’re lucky to have a mom in Jody.