There’s a memory I have of Foxie that comes to my mind frequently.
Foxie and her six friends arrived on June 13, 2008. Three days later, we put the finishing touches on the playroom and let the group into that large indoor space for the first time.
Here’s the memory, which I mentioned on the blog the day it occurred: Foxie spent a good 20 minutes walking all around the perimeter of the playroom, stomping. Foxie was born in a laboratory and the playroom was most likely the largest space she had ever been. She was 31 years old at the time.
Back then, I was eager, impatient even, to be able to give the chimpanzees more space and more freedom, but our budget dictated that we build the sanctuary around them as we slowly raised funds. It wasn’t until the end of August, a little more than two months after they arrived, that the seven got to go outside for the first time.
What we used to call the outdoor area we now refer to as the greenhouse, but this sunny, breezy, caged space served as their outdoors for three years, and was the only outdoor access some of them had ever experienced in their lives.
The construction of Young’s Hill, the open-top electric-fence enclosure that is now the outdoor habitat, took years of raising funds and planning followed by several months and many, many volunteer hands to construct. The chimpanzees had a front row seat to the construction.
Then, the day arrived. September 20, 2011, all seven chimpanzees poured out of the raceway and onto Young’s Hill, named after donors Karen and Don Young, for the first time.
Guess what Foxie did? She walked the entire perimeter (like she did with the playroom for the first time), then went back inside and didn’t go back out for over a week. Jamie, who was an old hand at exploring the hill by then, showed her and Jody some encouragement, which we captured with the point and shoot camera we were using at the time.
Fast forward more than eight years to today, and Foxie is often the lone chimpanzee on the hill, particularly when the habitat is covered in one of her favorite snacks – snow!
I took the opportunity to do a little shoveling today, and Foxie definitely appreciated my efforts that gave her access to unlimited snacking.
As I’m thinking back on what seemed to me at the time to be the sanctuary’s painstakingly slow transformation from “definitely far better than where they came from” to a sanctuary that is pretty darn impressive, along side Foxie’s gradual transformation from wary to intrepid explorer, I am also thinking about the new three chimpanzees who joined the sanctuary last August.
Things haven’t gone to plan, exactly. We hoped that Jamie would be guiding Mave out onto the hill, Honey B would be running along with her mom Missy, and Willy B and Burrito would probably be palling around in the greenhouse. We saw moments of this when we were working on the integrations, but the fights that also accompanied these budding relationships and the subsequent injuries told us that we would have to go to Plan B.
Luckily, we have a Plan B! We knew we would need one because integrations are never guaranteed. So, right now Honey B, Mave, and Willy B have a space that’s definitely better than where they were before. Their first explorations outside were a little frightening, so when we open the door at the end of the chute now, they simply stare. But we’ve created a courtyard outdoor space for them and maybe, come warmer weather, they will gather up their courage to explore. It’s up to them.
Come spring, we will be building more sanctuary around them. We will be adding two more playrooms and two more greenhouses so that we can bring more chimpanzees here this fall and so the three can have much more space than what they have now in what we refer to as Phase 1.
We also have plans to expand and divide Young’s Hill so two groups can have separate electric-fenced enclosures. We have received a donation towards this specific work from Jennifer Douglas, and the new section of the hill will be named in memory of James Douglas, who was a long-standing board member and whom we miss very much.
Once we have the (considerable) funds, we will also build a large enclosed outdoor area (think the greenhouse without the panels, but much bigger) for variety and in case there are chimpanzees who come to CSNW who cannot or will not go into the electric fence enclosure.
A few years from now, I wonder what I’ll be reflecting back on in amazement.
I am looking forward to seeing big transformations again, but I am also glad I get to see the beginnings. And I’m glad I am able to witness the little things that happen each day that we are able to share with all of you.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful journey!
God Bless!
Loved this post! Thank you Diana for all the links from the past. Sweet seeing BFFs Missy and Annie back then, especially Annie following Missy on to Young’s Hill in the video “Sometimes You Need a Little Push”. I got the feeling Annie was not so much rushing out to enjoy the hill but more running to stay close to her dear friend Missy. And the video of Burrito and Missy was funny and touching. Both look so happy and comfortable in their home as if they had lived like this for their entire lives.
I too am looking forward to what the future holds for CSNW. One thing I know, the little things that happen each day are the best, and little things can be big transformations. SO exciting hearing about the many wonderful plans you have in store. You are simply amazing in all that you have accomplished. Onward!
Intrépid, indeed! Our little Fox had her adventure pants on again, especially if that platform pic is from the same day!
It is indeed a spacious and glorious space. I can’t wait for boredom to overcome Mave and send her outside. That wonderful chimp woman deserves it! (Still love that you guys call it the “raceway”, and enjoyed seeing the clip of a seemingly larger Annie trying to catch up with Missy bipedally!) And speaking of bipedahl Annie, that was more than a “little ” shoveling, ma’am. Hope you get to rest on Sunday!
For me, James and Foxie will always be connected because of this post. I don’t know how James felt about troll dolls, but I know he was a man of vision, with the courage explore the possibilities of new opportunities, like Foxie. The new outdoor space bearing his name will no doubt bring much needed healing to new residents for many years to come. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate James and Jennifer’s deep love and connection to the chimps of CSNW, today, 11 years from now…thank you James.
Ah, Diana, thanks for all the embedded links! I so enjoyed re-visiting those early days, even reading again all the June, 2008 entries – as before, bringing tears to my eyes for the sheer JOY of it!
Boy oh boy, does this post bring back memories. For some reason, I was searching the net in 2008 and discovered a small chimpanzee sanctuary in a place called Cle Elum. It was shortly after the 7 arrived and I noticed that they only had a night house. I emailed the executive director and asked if they had an outdoor enclosure and she said it was going to be built. I recall that Foxie was really damaged. She didn’t participate in enrichment until she found a troll doll. She put it on her back and was a new mother chimp! I recall seeing the night house door open in the winter to the open screened enclosure which was covered with snow and seeing a long chimp finger reach out, get some snow on it and then the door would close. The air must have been freezing! By this time I was in daily contact with Sarah and a year after the chimps arrived we flew to Seattle, drove to Cle Elum, met Sarah for pizza and then proceeded to the sanctuary. We were in the kitchen with you, JB and Sarah and we told you guys that we felt sorry
the chimps were in the night house all winter and asked if there was a way to insert panels in winter and screens in summer in the outdoor enclosure. Alas, the greenhouse was born and we still think it is one of their favorite spaces. It’s cozy, comfortable, familiar and their first year round outdoor space. My how much has happened to the sanctuary since then under the creative direction of many but especially you and JB. It has been an honor to be a small part of this grand chimp sanctuary adventure and we can’t wait to see what is ahead. Congratulations on so many successes. Love and Pant hoots, Karen and Don
Thanks again, on behalf of the chimps who enjoy it so much, and on behalf of all of us who get so much enjoyment from watching them enjoy it!
Thank you for this post Diana. Foxie reminds me that resilience is real. With positive, loving friendships anything is possible.
I always read these retrospective postings with a sense of foreboding: one cannot appreciate the stories of the chimpanzees who reside in the CSNW without, unfortunately, being aware of their brutal treatment prior to their arrival at the sanctuary. It confounds me why such intelligent and valuable individuals were abused for so long.
It is my hope that, in time, Honey B, Mave and Willy B will have the curiosity and courage to venture outdoors onto their portion of Young’s Hill. It is beautiful to see photographs and videos of the original seven forage their land and to ascend their structures.