Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for August 2018

Soaking up the sun

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Jody was so eager to go out on to the hill this morning that she took off before finishing her breakfast.

I am always hesitant to read too much into the chimps’ behavior, but I really do believe that Jody has a renewed appreciation for Young’s Hill this week after having been restricted to the indoors for a few days during her recovery.

She later came back for her chow bag and sat at the entrance to the hill, savoring each bite while basking in the warm sun.

While Jody’s eye still has some healing to do, Dr. Zamzow and our team of veterinary advisors are happy with the progress.

On another topic, here’s something I found interesting: This morning I discovered what can only be Jamie’s handiwork – a piece of blanket tied with a double knot to the caging. Jamie often secures her nests to the caging by threading the blankets through the mesh and she is well known for her knot-tying abilities (most likely learned when she was a youngster living with humans in the entertainment industry). Either this was meant to be the foundation of an incredibly stable and secure nest, or Jamie has started creating enrichment puzzles for the caregivers.

And in other news, have you checked out our Summer Biddin’ Online Auction yet? Your bids and donations will help us care for seven amazing chimps, support the expansion of the sanctuary so that we can take in even more chimps, and aid in the construction of fencing and a new barn for the five cows that will soon call the sanctuary home.

The other day I was repairing fencing on the View Property when this doe approached to politely inquire as to why I was in her barn. This area will be part of the winter pasture for Whitaker, Betsy, Nutmeg, Honey, and Meredith. Isn’t it incredible? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of room for both cows and deer.

The online auction is going on now and ends Monday at 7pm Pacific – check it out now before it’s too late!

Back to Normal

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For those of you haven’t been following the recent Jody eyelid saga, here’s a recap: Last Thursday, Jody’s eyelid was partially detached during a fight in the group at lunchtime. Our incredibly talented, dedicated, and caring vet, Dr. Erin Zamzow, reattached the eyelid with some subcuticular sutures, and Jody stayed isolated from the other chimps for another day or two to give her eye a chance to heal. On Sunday, we reunited Jody with the group, and everyone was so happy to have her back. Maybe a little too happy, because they wanted to spend a lot of time grooming her eye. We didn’t want anyone to undo Dr. Zamzow’s work, so we made the decision to re-isolate Jody the next day. She’s been getting lots of extra blankets and treats, and lots of extra attention from caregivers, but she made it clear that she wanted to rejoin her friends ASAP. This morning we got the okay from Dr. Zamzow to re-reunite Jody with the group. Happy day!

It’s been quite a stressful week for Jody, and she is ecstatic to be back where she belongs. And maybe a little exhausted from her ordeal. After lunch today she drifted off to sleep as Negra gently groomed her back.

Cool mornings and interesting guests!

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We’ve had some lovely (almost fall-like) cool mornings lately. This crisp air makes it prime time for exploring the great expanse that is Young’s Hill.
Annie and Foxie headed for the newest structure we are calling “The Escher.” They have no qualms about climbing to the top.

In fact, Annie took “top” to the whole next level!

Today, we had a visit from some of the firefighters from our local fire district. They have all been taking turns visiting on their shifts and getting the lay of our property and buildings. JB gave them a tour of the buildings, but Jamie had to lead the tour of the property.

Just one thing was required first:

This is Jamie expression as she watched her guest try on her current favorite boot. Notice the pilo-erect hair and intense look on her face -this is one excited chimpanzee! :

Dr. Missy

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As you may already know, chimpanzees groom each other for both socialization and hygiene. They keep diligent track of any injury their friends have sustained and are always on hand to squeeze, prod, pick at, or even gently bite an offending wound. This does a pretty good job of keeping things open and clean. At the sanctuary, no one is more dedicated to the job of wound groomer than Missy Chimpanzee (AKA Dr. Missy).

Last week we had to do a quick surgical procedure to stitch Jody’s partially detached eyelid back together. She continues to recover and improve, but as an added precaution to make sure she heals smoothly (and gets to keep her stitches as long as possible), we separated her again from the group yesterday evening. Dr. Missy will need to wait a bit longer before she can do some serious grooming.

The doctor in action:

Oranges to go

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It was the perfect late summer morning with bright blue skies and cool air. Jody was very anxious to get outside and resume her mother hen duties and make sure Young’s Hill was safe for her friends to venture on and see what she could see. And everyone seemed equally excited to be out and about with their friend and took their oranges from breakfast to go!

Jody:

Missy:

Foxie:

Reunited and it Feels so Good

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This morning we got the okay to reintroduce Jody back to the group. She received a very warm welcome as you will see in the video. Jody was greeted by Jamie and Burrito when she got access to the Playroom. Jamie was very happy to see Jody was doing well, but also needed to inspect the rooms Jody had been in for the past few days. Jody wanted nothing more than to go straight out to Young’s Hill. Most morning when the chimps get access to the Hill, Jody, the mother hen that she is, likes to be first out to ensure it is safe and secure. So of course, that would be the first place to go when you are reunited back with your friends. We are very happy to see Jody is recovering so well!

Jody laying down while Burrito (middle) grooms Jo and Foxie (right) grooms Burrito:

Annie (left) and Burrito (right) grooming Jody (middle):

And well then there is Burrito:

He was some humans arriving this morning and was very excited to see them (Burrito pant hooting):

The ending of Burrito’s excited pant hoot:

Jody Feeling Better

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Yesterday was the day after Jody’s eyelid repair surgery. She spent most of the day sleeping off the anesthesia after making a giant nest. Yesterday she wasn’t so interested in food or drinks, but was taking sips of water.

I know that chimpanzees are known for their quick healing and tough spirits, but even I was surprised what a difference a night made for Jody. This morning, the swelling around her eye had gone down considerably, and she was alert, active, and hungry! She was especially happy to be offered some lychees that an old friend brought her and was eager to dig into some pineapple. She took a little smoothie too:

It was also clear that she was very interested in being back with the rest of the chimpanzees:

Dr. Erin Zamzow came to assess things and decided it would be best to give her another day of healing on her own without the drama and focused attention of the other chimps.

Jody decided maybe another day alone wasn’t so bad…

Her friends still got to visit her while she was in her private quarters. She and Foxie played a little game of tag:

and Burrito gave her a kiss:

We made sure that Jody had lots of food puzzles and other interesting things to do and that the other chimpanzees were able to go about their daily activities, like Missy running:

Jamie hanging out in the tunnel on the hill:

and Burrito allowing me to photograph his handsome self: