Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for September 2019

Jamie Project Day!

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Everyday we have a different theme for enrichment. For example, yesterday was cover the floor day where we literally covered the floor with items such as blankets, toys, and forage! Today just so happened to be Jamie project day! There are so many different projects Jamie enjoys, most have to do with construction, power tools, the gator, and so on. So we settled on a few things, some reading material, a new tool set, and a new puzzle too! Our kind donors donated new toys off our Amazon wish-list!

Jamie seemed quite pleased with these new tools, but Jamie really had her eye on the tomato garden!

Jamie brachiated her way over:

And than sauntered by to tell me know it was time for tomatoes:

Meanwhile Annie, Jody, and Burrito groomed each other and stared off toward the chute:

Yesterday the chimps also got wood wool, which they made beautiful nests with. Each nest was different, some intertwined, some on top, and some not used at all (also very messy):

Jody enjoyed some morning sun:

Mave and Willy B spent a little bit of their day grooming each:

What to do on a Rainy Day?

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Well, I guess Fall is coming whether we like it or not. Today was a pleasant rainy day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (that was a very Washington thing to say). It was the perfect day to nestle into a nice nest, eat some onions, and inspect the new neighbors. Or for the chimps at least. I for one love spending my Fall rainy day under a big heated blanket watching Harry Potter or something to that effect, I am sure Negra could relate!

Even Jamie at some point in the day had succumbed to the rainy day. We found her in the Green House under a batman sheet:

Negra in the Green House this morning:

Later, Neggie and I did a photo shoot in the portrait studio:

Mave got cozy with a big stuffed dog:

Willy B:

If you are worried that the chimps slept all day, do not fret! They spent the majority of the afternoon inspecting the neighbors and observing J.B. and Anthony working outside, lots of commotion was going on!

If you look closely you can see Honey B is wearing a headband around her thigh:

Honey B also decided to try on a glove today:

Honey B’s Style

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As highlighted in a recent post, Honey B is already known for her intelligence, energy and creativity. Not only is she an engineer and a philanthropist, but she is also a fashion enthusiast.

Yesterday, she decided that the cloth headbands we provide as enrichment are better suited as waistbands. Interestingly, she isn’t the first chimp to have this innovative idea! As caregiver Kelsi showed us last month, Annie has been wearing headbands around her waist for years.

It would be tempting to suspect that Honey B learned the behavior from Annie, which would be great evidence of cultural transmission between groups of chimpanzees. In the wild, chimpanzee communities across Africa have cultural traditions (i.e., their own ways of doing things) that spread among individuals via social learning. Chimpanzee cultures are rich and fascinating, but may be disappearing. This year, scientists published a paper about the negative effects that human activity may have on the cultural diversity of wild chimpanzees. As chimpanzee numbers dwindle and we degrade and fragment their forested habitats, their capacity for culture catastrophically decreases.

Although the process of cultural transmission certainly exists among groups of captive chimpanzees, it has been difficult to document and is seldom reported. In the case of Honey B and the waistband, it seems unlikely that she learned it from Annie. Annie only wears the improvised belt for a few days or weeks and then ignores them for the rest of the year, and she had already stopped wearing this summer’s edition before Honey B and her friends arrived from Wildlife Waystation last month. It is possible that one of the many videos we showed to the new trio features a scene of Annie sporting the headband-waistband look, but it’s more likely that they both just have similar taste in enrichment and utilize what we give them in novel ways.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if any behaviors do cross over from one group to the next! Chimpanzees are brilliant and creative, and never stop surprising us.

 

Summer’s End Begins

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The rain today did not feel like a passing summer shower. It felt like summer’s end.

Besides the rain, many smaller changes have become evident this weekend. As the temperature dipped, the mountains shrouded themselves in chilly fog and gray drizzle. The larches are abandoning their greenish hue in favor of warmer tones. The bucks that inhabit the woods around the sanctuary are showing off their new antlers, while this spring’s fawns are losing their spots and grow more independent by the day. The tourists in nearby Roslyn are sporting flannels and hoodies, not sunglasses and flip flops (and our staff and volunteers had to say a sad goodbye to this year’s edition of the Roslyn Farmer’s Market). In neighboring Ellensburg, new students are flocking to campus to begin classes next week; a handful of them will compose our next cohort of interns starting at the end of this month. The air itself seems to call for coffeehouse folk music and pumpkin spice everything. Autumn has made its first appearance of its three-month residency.

Meanwhile, the chimps are embracing the cooler surroundings in their own way.

Jamie spent this morning huddled under a makeshift tent of blankets, taking in the crisp morning air and watching the caregivers go about their morning rounds. She even snoozed for a bit before breakfast (as did Annie, in the background).

Over in the new wing, things went similarly. Lately, the new three have been chilling out in the new archway tunnel almost constantly. However, today’s weather made the uncovered chute less appealing and the trio spent more time grooming and nesting in their sheltered indoor spaces. From her secluded corner in one of the bedrooms, Mave made sure to keep looking out the window at the surrounding pastures, passing rail cars and two-lane highway far below.

Because of the drizzle and dew, we only scattered a small portion of their lunch on Young’s Hill. Even so, the seven long-term residents made the best of the conditions and found all of the carrots and walnuts that Level II volunteer Dusty placed among the tall grass and wooden structures. Of all the chimpanzees, Annie seemed to enjoy foraging in the damp prairie grass, always watching her surroundings for potential competitors and new opportunities to obtain more food.

Today’s only drama was centered around corn. Erin and Miranda, two of our dedicated Level III volunteers, served breakfast and lunch, respectively. All went smoothly until Jamie decided to get upset every time one of the lower-ranking females received an ear of corn-on-the-cob. Either she was being possessive (likely) or she’s terrified of things on cobs (slightly less likely). She kept her eyes on everyone else while she munched on her own corn, as well as poor Foxie’s.

Annie, Foxie, and Missy all processed their remaining corn and potatoes with trepidation, frequently pausing to monitor Jamie’s expression.

Missy even had a swollen eye this morning. It was not a grievous wound by any means, but served as a potential artifact of recent conflict within their social group (Note: Missy didn’t seem to care and even made J.B. playfully chase her around the Hill in the rain).

Only Negra and Burrito were left out of the corn fiasco. Negra opted to sift through her chow bags from the safety of her fleece blankets, while Burrito spent more time gazing over at the adjacent tunnel and neighboring chimps.

 

Getting to Know the Three

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Honey B, Mave, and Willy B arrived less than 30 days ago. If you’ve ever moved somewhere new, you know there’s an adjustment period where it takes some time to settle in and figure out how you fit with your new surroundings.

I would have expected this adjustment to be a pretty extended one for these three, given that they lived at Wildlife Waystation for 25 years.

I don’t think I’d be going out on a limb to say that Honey B is still gradually revealing herself to us. She was fairly reserved the first couple of weeks, seeming to just take it all in at her own pace.

She certainly is showing her curious side more. Today J.B. was working on the fence that will attach to the tunnel. He left some insulators hanging and walked away. Honey B immediately rushed over to see if she could reach them (she couldn’t).

Like Jamie, she is observant, smart, and can definitely be intense.

But today she was also incredibly playful with her new human friends, having them run from the inside to the outside. She also clapped vigorously to get my attention so I would come over for some grooming.

Mave is just that person that you want to be your best friend. She’s solid. She’s attentive to her chimpanzee friends and remains very chill about pretty much everything.

She’s also really different looking with her very freckled face and more square head. Her beautiful freckles contribute to her face having a triangular look.

And just look at those eyelashes. Sigh.

Willy B is classically handsome and proving himself to be a playful goof. He doesn’t appear as relaxed as Mave, but he also has not been too disturbed by Jamie displaying today; he just looked on with curiosity.

At breakfast, he was at the end of the tunnel eating primate chow watching Burrito who was in the greenhouse sitting down watching Willy B, also while eating chow. It was like they were having a friendly little bite together at a bit of a distance.

One of my favorite things about Willy B’s appearance is his long white beard.

It’s going to be such a joy to watch more pieces of their personalities reveal themselves over time. I think that having more friends will allow them to find out more about themselves too.

Oodles of Fun!

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Oodles: (Noun) a very great number or amount of something. For example, I have oodles of photos!

Guys, what a week! It has been a little crazy here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest or at least on the human side. It’s becoming cold and flu season and it took some of our team out this week. But, we made it to Friday and rest assure I have a oodles of extra photos from this week! Who wouldn’t want to look at chimp photos to ease into their weekend!

Also if you have ever wondered how can you could help these amazing & wonderful chimpanzees, a very simple way is to buy items off our amazon wish-list! An example could be: we have three more chimpanzees, which meaning we go through produce a lot faster. Donating Safeway gift cards is a great way to really helps us out!

Okay enough talking, let’s look at these chimps!

It is beginning to feel like fall. This morning I found Neggie wrapped up in blankets in the Green House:

Burrito at Annie’s party:

Jody catching the warm sun in the morning before Annie’s party:

Jody at Annie’s sunflower bash and foot full of celery:

and sunflowers:

Annie:

Foxie with a new tiny troll doll that she loves:

Mave in a hammock:

Honey B:

Willy B:

Fierce little Missy running off Young’s Hill:

Jamie eating her favorite, pears:

 

In memory of Carlene

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joseph Garza in memory of his beautiful late wife, Carlene. Joseph shared this lovely message about Carlene:

“Today would have been Carlene’s 62nd birthday and she would have been overjoyed to have this as a gift. Carlene K. Olsen-Garza, a lover of all things wild and beloved follower of the Seven. She would be overjoyed to hear of the reunion of Missy and Honey B, just as I when I heard the news. I’ve not been able to attend HOOT these past few years, but the Seven are never far from my thoughts and wells wishes. My late wife Carlene would be thrilled with all that’s been done for these magnificent creatures and the hope that the Board of Directors, Staff and supporters have shown through their hard work and generous contributions. BRING THEM HOME!”

Joseph, thank you for continuing to hold the chimpanzees in your heart and allowing us to celebrate Carlene and her loving heart and legacy with you. Her legacy continues to grow here, now making a difference in the lives of Honey B, Willy B and Mave, as well as all who may follow them here to this sanctuary home. We think of you both always and are wishing you and your family a day filled with comfort, love and treasured memories.

Annie and Missy enjoying “Carlene’s Tower”, the structure which Carlene’s family won the naming rights to in an auction:

Jamie: