Honey B shows Mave how to escape when your hands are tied behind your back.
Archives for April 2020
Glorious Sunshine!
A little summer-like weather rolled into the sanctuary today. Many of the chimps have been spotted taking leisurely outdoor strolls to soak up some Vitamin D. On the other side of the building, the “Californians” have been spending a good deal of their time in the outdoor chute, checking in on their neighbors and getting their own doses of sunshine.
Annie lounging in the toasty greenhouse.
Burrito and Jamie taking a walk on Young’s Hill.
Mr. B, looking for a game of chase!
Missy poking her head out of the raceway that leads to Young’s Hill.
Here’s hoping that wherever you may be today, you’re able to get outside for a nice socially distant breath of fresh air!
Day 31
Today marks day 31 of our new normal, for the humans, that is. For any new blog followers; because of COVID-19 we have been taking extra precautions to make sure the chimps are not exposed. We have a whole routine just to walk into the chimp house in the morning. We glove & mask up, disinfect our shoes & personal things, and we change into scrubs. All throughout the day we are changing gloves and washing our hands. The other part of our new normal, which is were we started counting our new normal, it is just staff and one volunteer that met our very strict criteria. So, to say we have been busy would be an understatement! We have been keeping a record of our new normal. See photo below. But, if we wanted to get technical we believe this started 36 days ago.
However, for the chimps nothing has changed! They are blissfully unaware of the pandemic going on and they are all enjoying the nice weather! In the photos you can see the green grass coming back (EEEK!)
We have the marvelous Missy! Today, on Young’s Hill Missy and Annie ran out of the raceway chasing each other. Missy was also walking all over the fire hose on the Hill, she has some seriously amazing balance!
A perfectly graceful twist as the dismount!
Missy sprinting down the Hill.
I mean that takes a strong core balance!
Jamie leading the perimeter walk, while Burrito followed. Missy and Annie were chasing each other and took a break to join the walk.
I noticed Annie had been draping this piece of blanket over her waist, she kind of stuck a side in each pelvic pocket to create a waist band. Than when everyone got access to the Hill in the morning. I saw Annie carrying it out with her. Even through sprinting after Missy, Annie kept it with her or knew exactly where it was so she could grab it!
Negra gathered everyone’s orange peels and headed out onto the Hill.
Burrito looking over towards the Chute, hoping to catch a glimpse of Honey B, Mave, & Willy B.
On the Phase 1 side, Honey B was being her goofy self. I found Honey B balancing on this fire hose, wearing a headband, and upside down.
Later, she went up to look at herself in the mirror.
She is a pretty amazing individual.
Super Lunar Vibes
Some days, you just have a very good day. Other days seem to be good because of cosmic forces at play. Tonight is a Pink Supermoon. Meaning, the moon will be the closest to Earth than any other time this year (supermoon), and it also coincides with the Pink Moon, the name given to the full moon of April.
Today was a suspiciously quiet day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. All the chimpanzees spent most of their time resting or napping.
It was even a quiet day for Willy B, Honey B, and Mave.
Today, we also determined Jody is recovering tremendously and should have a play date. And what better friend to have visit you than Foxie?
When I first opened the door that separated them, they flew into each other’s embrace. They then engaged in a small game of chase before spending nearly all day grooming and napping with each other.
Whether today was just a good day, or the Pink Supermoon was emitting super lunar vibes, it’ hard to say. I’m just glad it was a magnificent day for the chimpanzees.
Moments of spring
It’s been another crazy busy day here at the chimps’ (and bovines’) home, but it was a gift to us all to have our first warm, spring day. And as if on cue, the swallows returned from their wintering grounds en masse, immediately taking to swooping the property, chittering loudly and staking out the nesting boxes, getting straight to work. One of our returning bluebird pairs also returned today which was so exciting to see.
Dear, beautiful Annie soaking up the morning sun from the raceway (with wonderful Missy in the background):
I hope you are all getting moments in the sun, be they literal or figurative, and taking good care of yourselves. May you rest easy tonight with visions of sunshiney Annie in your head. 🙂 I’m going to go and eat my lunch…er, linner (?) now! I totally forgot! Goodnight, all!
How to Speak CSNW
A few months ago, a behaviorist at Chimp Haven wrote an enlightening blog post about the terminology that their staff uses when communicating with each other. They titled their post “How to Speak Caregiver” and used it to explain some of the stranger aspects of their shared vocabulary.
In general, the sanctuary community is full of variation that could be referred to as culture (if you subscribe to those kinds of labels, ha ha ha ha..). Just as chimpanzees exchange learned behaviors with others in their social network, so do sanctuary caregivers. This leads to distinct cultural differences between organizations. As existing personnel teach valuable skills to newcomers, for example, quirky behaviors and traditions often tag along. Some of these variants have become ubiquitous in the animal care industry, while other newer traditions are more common among sanctuaries than they are in other institutions. Due to decades of gradual exchange among facilities, the terminology at CSNW is largely consistent with that used elsewhere (e.g., “shifting”) despite some minor differences (e.g., Chimp Haven’s “wad” vs. our “wadge“).
The most fun and interesting of our vocabulary terms, in my opinion, are those that refer to novel innovations and are therefore unique to CSNW. The following post highlights some of my favorite items in our local “dialect” of the caregiver “language” (accompanied by photographs taken by our staff). Some of our regular blog readers may be familiar with these terms, while others may not. It is my pleasure to enlighten you all.
Troll Scarf
A collection of several plastic dolls (usually Troll Dolls but sometimes Dora the Explorer ones, too) that are tied into a wearable cloth item for enrichment purposes. The chimpanzees sometimes adorn themselves by throwing the scarves over their shoulder. This behavior, called draping, is also practiced by chimpanzees living in the wild. Without caregivers to provision them with troll scarves, free-ranging chimpanzees tend to use animal pelts (sometimes from monkeys that they’ve hunted) or leafy vines that they gather in the forest. Honey B, meanwhile, hasn’t caught onto the scarf phenomenon and prefers to wear unusual donated items such as sweaters and aprons.
Young’s Hill
The chimpanzees’ expansive outdoor habitat. Often referred to as The Hill, the 2-acre enclosure is named after supporters Don and Karen Young (who generously sponsored its construction). It was completed in 2011, although there have been numerous upgrades over the years. The perimeter of the enclosure consists of two rows of tall wooden posts lined with electrified wires to securely contain the chimpanzees. The fencing surrounds a hillside meadow that now features numerous man-made structures for the chimpanzees to climb on. Many of these landmarks each have their own names and stories (e.g., The Treat Rock, The Twister, The Escher, Negra’s Cabin, The Shaky Bridge, The Courtyard, and more). My favorite aspect of Young’s Hill is the panoramic view of the surrounding pastures, riparian wetlands and evergreen forests.
Gator Race
An exhilarating activity in which a human drives the John Deere Gator (our small farm vehicle) around the outside perimeter of Young’s Hill while one or more chimpanzees sprint around the interior boundary, seemingly trying to compete against us in a race. Missy is the fastest of the chimpanzees and has a habit of sprinting way ahead of the Gator (and the other chimps), leaving everyone in the proverbial dust. Jamie likes to hype herself up while the engine idles by standing bipedally and clapping before charging forward for short bursts. Gator Races are generally more interesting when the caregiver is wearing some rad footwear.
Night Bag
A brown paper bag filled with small amounts of dry foods served to the chimpanzees at the end of the day. These are not only nutritious and tasty; they also stimulate the chimps’ natural tendency to selectively process foods and keep them occupied while we caregivers do evening chores. The most popular ingredients are dehydrated fruit, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, popcorn, and sunflower seeds.
Going for a Walk
The act of strolling the perimeter of Young’s Hill alongside Jamie. Other chimpanzees sometimes join the caravan, but Jamie often does this activity alone. Jamie and her companions seem to do this for several reasons, the foremost of which is to patrol the boundary of the group’s territory. Free-living chimpanzees conduct regular patrols to survey their home range and wage war on neighboring groups. The walks also seem to serve as exercise for the CSNW chimps and help them to maintain a set daily routine. The walks also seem to have a prosocial purpose since Jamie will frequently use gestures to request that caregivers join her. Jamie is also a footwear enthusiast and appreciates patrolling with people who are sporting new and/or interesting boots.
The Chimp House
The sanctuary’s main building that currently houses all of the chimpanzees. The original structure consisted of five enclosures (four front rooms and a playroom) as well as a small area for human activities. The Greenhouse enclosure was added shortly after the chimpanzees arrived and was followed by a connection to Young’s Hill in 2011. The first phase of a major expansion was completed in 2019 and gave us humans a foyer, bathroom, laundry room and vet clinic. Notably, it also included five new enclosures (three new front rooms, the Mezzanine and the outdoor chute) that enabled us to provide a home for another group of chimpanzees. The second phase of the expansion will include additional playrooms and greenhouses, hopefully allowing us to take in more chimps!
Grooming Tool
A short length of plastic hose material used by the chimpanzees to manipulate the environment outside the caging. We keep a quiver of these (yes, it’s literally a quiver made of recycled firehose) in the enrichment storage area because they are an important, popular and safe item for the chimpanzees to have. Jamie, for example, uses them to prod and inspect footwear as the humans are wearing it. We wouldn’t want her to be grabbing anyone’s clothes or accessories with her fingers, so the plastic grooming tool is employed as a substitute. These grooming tools can also be used as fishing poles (for retrieving items that have fallen into the hallway just outside the enclosure) and as drinking straws (for taking sips or gulps of smoothie and juice). Other sanctuaries use instruments such as wooden spoons or bamboo sticks for similar purposes. At a few sanctuaries, caregivers call them “tickle sticks” (phrasing!).
The Foot Box
A small cubby that allows us to take radiographs (x-ray images) of chimpanzee feet and hands. J.B. conceived this idea last year during Burrito’s painstaking recovery and fabricated the steel frame in his garage later that afternoon. Now that the box is securely installed, the chimps are learning to place their extremities inside of it and remain still. Once the chimps voluntarily do this, we can acquire high-quality radiographs that can inform how we manage injuries and conditions. At first, Foxie used the Foot Box to store her dolls and Jamie was seen putting a wooden toy in there. In the past couple of weeks, however, the Foot Box has begun to serve its original purpose. Jody has cooperated with us by voluntarily placing her injured foot into the box and holding it there like a true champion. Today, we were able to send detailed images to Dr. Erin without having to immobilize, sedate or restrain Jody in any way. Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, J.B. and Diana’s x-rayed troll doll may be one of my favorite images in the entire history of the sanctuary. That’s why they make the big bucks.
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If you can think of any other jargon that you’d like explained, feel free to comment here or on the corresponding Facebook post!
P.S. I owe a huge deal of gratitude to Chimp Haven’s Jordan Green for writing the original blog post that inspired me.
Chimpanzees are terrible at social distancing
Even if we were able to explain to the chimpanzees that we thought it would be best for them to keep their distance from one another, I guarantee they would not be compliant. Chimpanzees are in each other’s personal space constantly.
When they are grooming, it can be difficult to see where one chimp begins and the other ends, like Burrito grooming Foxie’s back today:
Even chimpanzees who are more human-focused frequently want physical contact with their caregivers. We’re strict about safety and never want to put ourselves in the position of being harmed by a chimpanzee. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re even more strict as we protect them as much as we can from potentially picking up any viruses from us.
Jamie can still find ways to groom us, or more accurately, groom “her” boots.
As for isolation, chimpanzees don’t take to it very well.
When Burrito was in his long recovery a few months ago, he actually did remarkably well. It helped that he still had contact with his chimpanzee and human companions through the fencing every day and he was able to watch the group to keep tabs on what they were up to. I think he discovered some benefits to being alone, such as midnight bagel deliveries and not having to deal with other chimps during mealtimes. Still, he was more than ready to go back with his group.
Jody has been isolated from her group for the last few days while she recovers from her foot procedure. She too can interact with the other chimpanzees and the humans through the caging, but she’s less comfortable than Burrito with this temporary separation.
I’m sure many of you can relate right now as you isolate alone or with your family.
One of Jody’s favored activities is nesting, so we are providing lots and lots of blankets for her. She, in turn, is ripping up those blankets to create even better nests.
Today Kelsi put a big pile of blanket strips that Jody created in a laundry basket and we put it in front of Jody’s room so she could pick them out herself.
We’re trying to keep her busy, and maybe she’s learning that it’s okay being a spectator instead of in the mix with the other chimpanzees once in a while too:
I heard someone describe this period the world is going through right now as everyone isolated alone, together. We’re glad to be a part of your together.