May 1, 2020 - Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

One of the ongoing and typically lengthy discussions at our weekly staff meetings involves coming up with ways to encourage Honey B, Willy B, and Mave to go outside. Would a forage in the courtyard help motivate them or lead to frustration? Does the presence of staff reassure them or do we make them nervous? How can we modify the chute or the courtyard to put them more at ease? While we are willing to try anything and everything within reason, we also know from experience with the Seven that it often just takes time.

I’m excited to share that Willy B’s time may have arrived because this morning he took a few small steps outside.

Sorry – no good photos of the occasion! But squint really hard and you can see Willy B making his first step onto the boardwalk outside as the photographer hides around the corner.

During his first few attempts, he clung with one hand to the inside of the chute, leaning out as far as he could without losing his connection to something safe and familiar. Once back in the chute, he would psych himself up for another go while tapping his knuckles on the floor, all while keeping his eyes on the prize – a handful of grapes, scattered just outside the door. Eventually, when he had retrieved all of the grapes within reach, he released his grip on the caging and sat squarely outside of chute on the boardwalk. It was then that he stopped reaching for grapes altogether and just sat for a moment to look around. Over the course of about 30 minutes he did this again and again, until he decided that he’d had enough for one day and returned to the building. Sometimes we make progress in small steps.

You wouldn’t know it now, but many of the Cle Elum Seven were just as terrified to go onto Young’s Hill when they first had the chance. Missy and Jamie took to it almost immediately, but Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jody, and Negra were extremely hesitant (click the links for blog posts we wrote at the time). It took time – in some cases months or years – and plenty of encouragement from friends for them to overcome their fears.

Here’s Jamie, back in 2011, throwing her arm around her pal Foxie to encourage her to walk further outside.

And here’s Foxie again, this time with a little extra motivation…

We hope that Willy B will step further and further outside each day. Who knows, maybe one day he can be the one to throw a reassuring arm around Mave or to lure Honey B through the grass by carrying her favorite scooter or fanny pack. And just as it was for the Seven, the once-terrifying great outdoors can finally start to feel like home.

Today was sponsored by some of the amazing student interns and volunteers who we get to work with through Central Washington University and the Primate Behavior and Ecology (PBE) program!

“This is a donation from the 2018 PBE Cohort to our wonderful CSNW Family – we are so grateful for everything y’all have taught us and for introducing us to some amazing people (Chimps, cows, humans). We hope to hear some breathy pants, barrel drumming, and food smacking soon! We miss y’all so much and thank you for being a huge part of our years here. Love, Rose Amrhein, Rhiannon Belcher, Kailyn Campbell, Elizabeth Coggeshall, Erin Emerson, Rachel Fuller, Shaun Mayo, Emily Patton, and Maddie Spencer.”

This past year has been a particularly challenging one for our volunteers, all of whom have graciously weather the uncharted territory of unpredictable days and needs at the sanctuary with everything from the amazing arrival of Mave, Honey B and Willy B from Wildlife Waystation in California, to the subsequent attempts and ending of their introduction to the seven, to learning the layout and safety protocol of a new building, only to have things finally start to calm down just in time for a worldwide pandemic.

These dedicated people have consistently and joyfully shown up for their shifts, often with thoughtful gifts of support in hand, and have demonstrated patience and creativity when the days usual activities were on hold or catawampus, and worked so hard when we needed the help. And even though the current state of things is preventing them all from being here while they stay safely hunkered down at home, their support remains unwavering, even from afar. We’re so lucky to have so many amazing humans to help us provide the best lives we can for the chimpanzees!

Rose, Rihannon, Kailyn, Elizabeth, Erin, Rachel, Shaun, Emily and Maddie, thank you so much! Your support, hard work, and dedication to making the lives of so many primates better is very appreciated! The difference you do, and will continue to make with your lives and your hearts is inspiring and hopeful. We miss you all, too, and hope to see you back here soon!

One thing’s for sure, no matter where life takes you, you’ll never have another supervisor like Jamie: