With the extra snow and cold weather arriving at the sanctuary, Jamie has altered her fitness routine a bit. Rather than taking full perimeter patrol walks around Young’s Hill, she has decided that fast paced chase (between the greenhouse and playroom) with boot wearing caregivers suits her just fine. Of course, she expects a certain level of commitment to slipping on ice from her human friends, with the occasional break for an outdoor snow snack. This morning J.B. plowed her usual path so she can return to her full patrols as soon as she feels like it.
Bonus: Jody takes in some fresh air.
Love her sweetness. Thank you JB for plowing her usual path, routine is important! 😉
Hmm…after seeing this video, I’d have to conclude that Burrito might have more of a promising career in wildlife conservation than Jamie; she might have a more promising future in, say, upholstery…
Love the banjo accompaniment. I recall hearing this on a video from last summer when, if my memory is correct, the Cle Elum Seven were enjoying a lunch of the garden’s first yield of tomatoes. It makes suitable incidental music for eating tomatoes and ripping open stuffed toy lions.
Love and hugs to you all….
Jamie and Jody look so pleased with their snowy, plowed paradise and this makes me pleased.
She needs a FitBit!
Carla, interesting question, and I think you’ve said it nicely. My guess is that there are a heck of a lot of volunteers out there happy to step in, learn, train, and add to the incredible team that care for the chimps. Changing the routine for the seven probably would not go down well, add to their stress they will experience with the presence of unfamiliar chimps in close vicinity. Even in another building, they will be able to her each others’ hoots and screams. Likely they will be in another housing area for as long as it takes until J.B. and Diana feel it appropriate to do any mixing. Personally, I think the chimps, indeed, all exploited chimps, deserve being catered to. They’ve paid a huge price, as you know, and we owe it to them. I know you agree on that point. Happy New Year! Wouldn’t a “reunion” of all CSNW supporters be just awesome??
Hi, Francoise,
Oh, I’m totes with you on what they deserve.
But am growing anxious to find out the official sanctuary stance on what will become realistic. Maybe I didn’t phrase my question the best for fear of offending long-time supporters. But what I really want to know is, will there come a time when we have to see them no longer catered to, and try and get them treated more as if they’re wild?
Catered to isn’t what they were born to be. Wild and human hands-off IS. I haven’t followed Fauna and the Chimps one in Florida closely enough to find out if they do this, but I do know with the one in Florida and over 300 chimps, there’s just no practical way for them to receive any sort of special attention, and *maybe that’s better.* It is THAT point I’m eager to find an answer to from Jeeb and Diana. Maybe all existing sanctuaries discuss this like zoos do already…I don’t know. What I do know is everyone who works at these organisations unequivocally agrees that what is better for ANY wild animal is that they had never been taken from the wild to begin with.
Which brings me back round to my question. Was it the original goal of this sanctuary to eventually get every single resident healthy enough mentally to then be treated as if they are wild, and remove their hands-on approach? Being in captivity complicates that goal, which is why I’m wondering how that’s now parsed out. Maybe if they never get another new chimp, it was still the goal of THIS place to eventually begin treating them as if they are wild. I know right now size plays probably the biggest role in keeping that from happening, since they can’t go sleep in the woods and just come in for feedings. But ChimpSanctuaryNW has more land coming that *does* include woods—just like when they were born in African jungles. So that’s one side of the argument.
But they (at least some) weren’t *born* in African jungles. So they’ll never know that life. That’s the other side of the argument.
However, they *all* possess wild instincts. Point for the original argument.
So do you see what I mean? Where do sanctuaries stand on treatment? Is the one in Florida right in their hands-off approach? Or is it this one with 7 instead of 300+? And is this one still in their healing phase? These guys house chimps that still have wild instincts that can be reverted back to if left to do so. So what will this sanctuary do? What is their intent?
You brought up an excellent point about how new chimps could stress the situation. But “changing the routine for the seven” can’t be the major line of focus when there just aren’t seven to consider any longer. Things are gonna change, and change BIG no matter what anyone does. No matter how well transitions and mixings are done, there’s going to be stress, period. It can’t be avoided. There’s *always* stress in the wild. Always. There’s going to be takeovers; other male chimps are probably going to fight Jamie for her alpha position, and win; there’s going to be shifts in alliances as subordinant chimps now back the new alpha, because their wild instincts will force them to support the one in power as a way for them to protect themselves and to survive, since backing the alphas spells protection. These social groups form as a SOLE side effect of being wild and needing to survive, and for no other reason. No matter how many blankets we give the old and new chimps, and wear boots and play tug-of-war, these guys still operate under the illusion that they’re wild, even though it’s a severely skewed and twisted version of that. And when faced with new chimps, I think it will pull even more wild instincts out of them.
I agree with you that every abused and traumatised chimp needs to have the same wonderful loving care that these chimps have received, and I don’t even think twice about whether Diana and Jeeb will hesitate to provide that in the best way possible.
What I think I *do* disagree with you on, however, is whether catering to each individual chimp is the best possible way to treat them for long-term, once they’re out of their traumatised state and living more healthy. For me, if they can revert back to wild instincts after a period of healing (for instance, right now in her PTSD raw state, I don’t think Negra will revert to living on her own in the woods), then *that* will be the best possible way to let them live.
Thanks for jumping in. I think blogs were invented for this very reason—so followers could have lively discussions on points raised in the blog, so I enjoy this and hope others will follow suit.
Hahahahahahaha ~ gr8 fun!!!!! Thank you!
I had an idea as well. Could the pages be laminated then put on a ring binder? Should they become very worn? She is amazing with her book of Bonobos. I saw the kiss at the end but I didn’t catch what it was. She’s sweet to love bonobo babies. Thank you for always informing the public. I think y’all are the best. Merry Christmas to you all, human and ape.
This video left me laughing! Can’t get over all the big stuffed animals. Especially enjoyed how Burrito took to the big stuffed chimp. And I had totally forgotten about the 2015 video of Burrito playing with his big gorilla BFF. Too sweet! That video made me remember his surgery, I thought of it after seeing his shaved, bare six-pack of a chest. What a lucky boy to be in your care.
I believe the entire world needs to follow your blog postings. Watching the chimps is an incredibly uplifting experience. You fill my heart with happiness and hope. Thank you for sharing Cle Elum Seven JOY with all of us every day of the year. Give my love to each of them.
Pefect. This was the type of answer I was seeking, so thank-you so much for your patience whilst I worked through wording it correctly, and in a way that not only translated my meaning, but also in a way that didn’t offend long-time supporters and patrons, who firmly believe that above all else, it’s any sanctuary’s job to keep them comfortable.
Do you happen to know if ALL sanctuaries hold this same viewpoint? Or are there some that believe it’s their job to help them transition to those wild states, even if they were never raised like that? I would imagine that this is a pretty hot topic of discussion with sanctuary boards across the world, but am not sure.
Again, thanks so much.