Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for July 2019

Raising Standards

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Yesterday, after we thought the playroom was squeaky clean, the chimps were invited back in. Volunteer Miranda and I gave Jamie a drink from the hose. Often after a drink we like to offer Jamie a paper towel to dry off. Jamie used her towel like normal, wiping her hands and dabbing her face, so Miranda and I went back to cleaning. Minutes later I noticed Jamie wiping down the new door, which we call the “howdy” door. Apparently as you will see, expectations have been raised.


I have to be honest, it was really hard to get photos today. The chimps were spread out everywhere and enjoying their day, but in not great places to snap some photos. However, I did manage to get a few bonus photos for you guys!

Look at this happy Neggie:

Jamie doing a little grooming (boots and herself):

Burrito grooming Missy:

Another Door Opens

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Yesterday was an exciting day for the chimps. As we promised, we are giving you a more detailed description and a video today!

As the team continues modifying the facility to prepare for the arrival of three chimpanzee individuals from Wildlife Waystation, the current residents get to observe the ongoing changes. Yesterday, their attention was focused on the wall that separates the existing Playroom from the new wing of chimpanzee enclosures. Until recently, a pair of steel mesh doors and a solid barn door separated the Playroom from the meadow outside. With Phase I of the expansion almost complete, however, the wall now serves as the primary barrier between the old and new sections of the building. It is here that the new arrivals will meet the seven chimpanzees who already live here, and we have to make structural modifications accordingly.

J.B. had his kit (pictured above) ready to go yesterday morning as we unlocked the Playroom for routine cleaning (without any chimps inside, of course). The first step was to cut off the existing doors, then Level II intern Fritz helped the staff to carry them out of the building. Then, with the the wall and new doorway now fully accessible, J.B. installed a sheet of clear plastic into the steel door frame leading into the new expansion (pictured below). (The materials for this door were salvaged from the former Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg.)

The solid plastic window locks into the frame but can be replaced by other materials that allow for varying degrees of physical, visual, and auditory communication between the chimpanzees on either side. In caregiving/zookeeping jargon, this customizable interface is known as a “Howdy Door.” Such devices can be extremely valuable when introducing unfamiliar chimpanzees to one another. Although the plastic insertion still needs a bit of polishing, it gave the chimpanzees their closest peek yet into the enclosures which will soon contain Honey B., Mave, and Willy B.

As seen in the video, the chimpanzees all expressed interest in the newly-exposed doorway. Jamie certainly spent the most time in front of the Howdy Door, alternating between supervising J.B. and trying to take the door apart. Burrito used the hard surface for percussion while Annie, Jody and Foxie all inspected it on their own terms. Although we didn’t capture them on camera, even Negra and Missy gave the door a quick inspection once everyone else had cleared out. Even after Level III volunteer Miranda served the chimps their lunch in the Greenhouse, most returned to the Playroom to watch the door as they digested (like Annie, below).

It is difficult to predict how each individual will react to meeting an unfamiliar chimp through the window, but they certainly notice, and get excited by, each new change.

A closer look…

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Today the chimpanzees got a closer peek into the new Phase 1 part of the expansion. The whole team was busy helping with the big change, documenting the chimps’ reactions, and carrying on with usual cleaning and caregiving.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the video!

Dining Out

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It’s almost like summer officially arrived today. The sun felt stronger this morning, and the grass on the hill looked considerably more golden than it did they day before. On this side of the Cascades, the Northwest is drying out. Although we have blue skies and warm weather ahead, we also have to contend with an arid and dusty landscape until the snows arrive later this year. It will be a sad day when the last raspberry is picked and the chimps will have to wait until next summer for more.

The chimpanzees are dealing with the annual desiccation of Young’s Hill in their own way. Today’s lunch of nuts and veggies was spread across the habitat, motivating them to spill out of the Greenhouse and forage. The prairie grass was extra crispy underfoot, causing the chimps to tread carefully while wading through in search of food.

Negra:

Burrito:

Jody:

Jamie:

After collecting handfuls of produce, the chimps all climbed onto the habitat’s various wooden structures. From there, they could eat their meal in the warm sunshine while sitting far above the prickly grass below.

Foxie:

Negra:

The meal ended the way that all great meals end; the chimps put their feet up and took a well-deserved siesta.

Burrito:

Even this dismembered troll doll dozed off.

Only one chimpanzee returned to the outdoors to enjoy some alone time in the shade…

…and I soon identified her as Foxie, enjoying a moment of solitude in the warm summer breeze.

Today is for Kevin Clark

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Long-time friend of the sanctuary, Shelley Winfrey, sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees today in memory of Kevin Clark:

“For my brother, who passed away…he would have loved the chimps!”

Shelley, thank you so much for the lasting difference you make in the chimpanzees’ lives in honor of your brother, Kevin. We’re always touched to share in this special day with you. All of us are sending all the good thoughts for a day of comfort and joy as you think of Kevin.

Good friends, Foxie and Burrito:

They Know

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The Cle Elum Seven Chimpanzees spent decades in biomedical research laboratories and holding facilities in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.

The minimum space requirements for housing chimpanzees under the Animal Welfare Act remain shockingly, well, minimal. It’s still legal to keep a chimpanzee in a 5’x5’x7′ cage. These days, however, most laboratories that are still housing chimpanzees allow them to live in social groups and give them some sort of outside access. The National Institutes of Health recommends (though doesn’t require) enclosures that provide at least 250 square feet of space per chimpanzee. As a point of reference, for our group of seven, that’s a total of 1,750 square feet. Think about the size of your apartment or house as a comparison. Now think of yourself having only that amount of space for the rest of your life. Still, 250 square feet is way beyond the twenty-five square-foot cages that the Cle Elum Seven spent much of their lives.

The changes in how labs house chimpanzees came about in part due to pressure from a public that had gained insight into the deep intelligence and social lives of these beings that are so closely related to us.

Beyond just amount of space, providing an enriching, stimulating, interesting environment for chimpanzees is about giving them lots and lots of choices. Even if they only use some of their space a fraction of the time or only pick up a certain object one out of every five times it’s available, simply living in an environment that provides a large amount of variety is a huge part of giving intelligent primates at least some of what they need.

After spending decades in small spaces without access to the outside, I wonder if the Cle Elum Seven could have imagined a place like CSNW with 85,000 square feet of space.

Once they were at the sanctuary, their bodies and their minds knew what to do.

They followed their instincts, put their muscles to work, and got down to the business of exploring.

They reached into their imaginations and indulged in private games and adventures.

They broadened their palate and relished opportunities to search for and gather food.

No one had to teach them to be chimpanzees.

(Just a note about these photos – they were all taken today! The photos include Foxie, Jamie, Annie, and Missy.)