Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Age: 43
Nickname(s): Tiny, Fox, Fox-alicious
Favorite foods: Fruit smoothie/all things sweet, avocados
Favorite activity: “Toss the troll” with her caregivers
Important skills: Keeping the peace in the group
One thing she would take with her to a deserted island: her plastic tote filled with dolls
Dear supporter and friend of the sanctuary, Tobin, is sponsoring a day of sanctuary in honor of beautiful Jody and the special friendship she and Foxie share. Reading Tobin’s beautiful message about Jody and Foxie makes my heart so happy:
“A few years ago there was a blog post entitled “The Beauty of Jody.” Several supporters of the sanctuary commented not only on Jody’s distinctively expressive face but, moreover, on the essence of her personality. That beauty has shown forth in her devotion to her friend Foxie. Her concern for Foxie’s health and well-being, and her companionship to Foxie during her recovery demonstrates the love, home and hope which this sanctuary offers. Thus, I wish to sponsor Jody’s birthday in her honor as well as in honor of her dear friend Foxie. Every day can be – should be – “Love a Chimpanzee Day.”
Tobin! Thank you so very much for honoring and celebrating these two special chimpanzee women, the friendship they share, and for seeing them as the incredible people they are with so much love and respect.
Jody and Foxie:
Foxie visiting Jody during her recovery from a past surgery:
Last Wednesday Jamie wanted to stay out. She waited for me finish the blog. Really, she had been waiting all day. It had been pouring down rain almost all day. Or so windy it could blow you over. By the time the staff meeting was finished and the blog was done, I found her out in the Green House. The rain had subsided for the moment. She glanced over and burst into a full sprint onto the Hill. We sprinted clockwise, counter clockwise, up, down, and all around. In our sprints I would look over at Jamie, she looked happy. It started to rain again, but a little rain or mist has never stopped Jamie before. 😉
It is what felt like a true moment of happiness, cheesy, I know. In that moment it also felt like a true expression of freedom. She chose to stay out late, she got to let her guard down, and she seemed very content.
Jamie running in the rain:
Me trying to capture the moment, the look of happiness and content on her face. However, I missed it by a second because it was time to run again! *Jamie is the only person I will take a selfie with.*
The stormy view:
And the not so stormy view. It changes in the blink of an eye in Washington.
Grooming in between:
Look at that focus:
Jamie’s view today:
Bonus photos of Nutmeg!
I’m finding it hard to piece together things that have happened today at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest into a nice, fluid story. However, there were just a wide assortment of things that happened, that it’s probably best to just showcase them.
Before the clouds came rolling in to give us a nice, cool Spring rain, Willy B did venture outside. He stayed outside for nearly an hour on his own before the sun was swallowed up by the gray clouds. Caregiver Kelsi was able to grab this shot of him soaking up as much sun before it disappeared.
After Willy B went inside, we gave the Group of 7 access to Young’s Hill where first order of business was to patrol their area. Foxie was the first one to race out onto Young’s Hill, but Jody and Missy weren’t far behind.
After their patrol, the staff conducted some positive reinforcement training. Here, J.B. is asking Burrito to show him his foot.
Kelsi asked Negra to open her mouth to get a look inside.
And Anna is giving Jody a grape for showing her hand.
Positive reinforcement training (PRT) is an important tool for caregivers for medical purposes. It allows us to conduct a quick health overview of the individual or to inspect an extremity without the use of anesthesia. Though it is an important tool for us, the chimpanzees sometimes view it as a game.
The PRT session ended right as it began to rain. Listening to raindrops hit the window can drum up the desire to wrap yourself in a blanket, and take a nice afternoon nap. In Honey B’s case, replace “blanket” with “blanket fort.”
The chimpanzees were just served dinner and are enjoying their evening enrichment puzzle. Today’s puzzle is peanut butter in small containers. The idea is for the chimpanzees to fish out the peanut butter using a tool. In this case, Missy is using a chopstick. (My apologies for such a blurry photo.)
For extra stability, she used her foot to hold on the small container.
Foxie, on the other hand, bypassed using chopsticks and just used her fingers.
Now if you please pardon me, I hear raspberries being blown by a certain Burrito Chimpanzee, and I think it’s time for his nightly ice. Good night, everybody!
Every one of these ten chimpanzees has been beside themselves with joy today. From the moment we arrived this morning there’s been a continual stream of laughter, chasing, wrestling, jumping, swinging and general shenanigans. Which equates to a continual stream of joy in the hearts of the humans. Though I suspect you may be able to relate, I sometimes feel I could never fully express the deep gratitude and contentment it gives me to see them so light, so happy. Just because.
Last night, after a glorious spring evening of sauntering around and around the hill with Jamie (ending in a final run in the dark accompanied by Missy!), Chad, Anthony and I didn’t get home until 10 o’clock! As tired as we were, I think we’d all say we can’t imagine a better way to spend our evenings. Especially in the midst of a global pandemic, so many of us isolated from much that brings us a sense of well-being. But I will say, the humans have been wishing for a bit of that superpower chimp energy today. 😉
Burrito has been the chimpanzee equivalent of a slinky, leaping and springing from top to bottom and end to end of the chimp house, leaving his caregivers winded. Foxie has been playing toss the Strawberry Shortcake, loping through the chimp house and doing pirouettes with the humans (this makes us beyond happy to see her back to her old self after a bout of feeling unwell), Negra was seen carrying a troll doll in her mouth while chasing Missy through the playroom, and Jamie even skipped part of breakfast to get a head start on walking around the hill with me. These are just the tip of the shenanigans.
Over on the other side, Honey B was seen zooming through Phase 1 with a blanket turned cape flying behind her and Mave hot on her heels, their laughter ringing throughout the chimp house to the outdoors. Honey B really is a super heroine in our eyes though. And it was this raucous, never-ending laughter that enticed Willy B back inside after his daily (!) foray into the courtyard. Mave considered it, briefly, but decided she was more interested in girl time inside with Honey B. There were moments when Willy B looked so comfortable sitting out there in the open air, taking in the sights and sounds, grooming himself, it was as if he was saying, “I’ve always loved being outside, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chad was the designated Willy B observer today and captured these sweet photos:
The prize…a whole apple. Willy B still isn’t comfortable staying at the top of the structure just yet, which makes perfect sense, but his comfort level continues to grow day by day.
And a bonus Mave photo from yesterday’s special celebration:
It’s been warm and humid today, but the skies are darkening and the temperature dropping, so I suspect that our anticipated late evening with Jamie will be cut short with a storm on the way. The chimps have caught sight of their dinner of whole lettuce, sweet potatoes and mini peppers and you’d think they’d never had dinner in their lives for the ruckus.
May you find at least a respite in the midst of these challenging times and rest with the ease and full hearts that you help provide the chimpanzees.
Update: Jamie will not be thwarted by mere raindrops. We just walked five rounds in the rain and she’s beckoning again. And really, what a gift that is. And I’m pretty sure that Burrito is sending Chad on a wild goose chase for snow! Chad is dishing out ice cubes as I type. And Burrito is blowing raspberries telling him to, “Move it!!” Goodnight, all. 🙂
This sanctuary is full of mothers. We spent the day honoring them.
For those of you who may not already know, five of the sanctuary’s ten chimpanzee residents (Annie, Foxie, Jody, Missy, Negra) were used for breeding in their past lives as biomedical research subjects. All of their children were taken from them immediately after birth, thus denying them the ability to care for and raise their offspring. Their infants were raised in laboratories as a scientific resource, but this practice was incrementally brought to a halt. Some of their sons and daughters made it to sanctuaries where several are still enjoying their retirements.
Missy’s daughter, Honey B, was transferred to this sanctuary last summer when the facility that previously cared for her, the Wildlife Waystation, permanently shut down. It was unfortunate that so many individuals lost their homes, but it was serendipitous that we were finishing a new wing of enclosures exactly when Honey B and her companions needed it most. (Note: The sanctuary community is currently raising funds that will care for the Waystation’s remaining chimpanzees and help create new homes for them at reputable sanctuaries. You can visit this page to learn more!) Missy and Honey B were able to meet, but it’s unlikely that they recognized each other. Amid the drama of attempting to integrate their two groups, their face-to-face meeting was relatively uneventful. Still, we sometimes notice that Honey B has a tinge of Missy infused in her personality and appearance. There are many ways in which they differ, but Honey B occasionally behaves with a Missy-like flavor. Notably, they both play chase the same way. Today, Chad managed to capture portraits of the two in the same pose and posted it on the sanctuary’s Instagram, so you can all see it for yourselves.
Today’s festivities weren’t centered around that relationship alone. Every year, we celebrate Jody‘s birthday on Mother’s Day. Nobody knows Jody’s real birthday, but we do know that she gave birth to nine infants during her time in the laboratory. All were taken from her. We would never allow the chimpanzees to breed since we would be furthering a practice that we aim to end and condemning yet another chimpanzee individual to a life of captivity. Nevertheless, Jody possesses a tender maternal spirit and serves as a guardian and peacemaker within her group of seven adult chimps. It seems like Jody was born for motherhood and, despite her tragic past, she has found a new way to fulfill that duty with enthusiasm.
The chimps aren’t the only ones who have brought new life into this world. The sanctuary’s small herd of four cattle consists of two mother-offspring pairs; the enormous steer Nutmeg is Betsy’s son and Meredith is Honey’s daughter. Among the humans, current staff members Erin and Anna are mothers to children of their own when they aren’t busy caring for chimps. Recently, we received the good news that our friend and former coworker, Keri, joyously welcomed her second child, Skyler, into her family. This is just one of the many ways by which the CSNW family continues to grow.
For all of these reasons and more, today is an important day to celebrate mothers of all species, whether they were allowed to raise their own children or not.
Chad, our Enrichment Coordinator, assembled a celebratory forage of lilac flowers, corn, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. Honey B and Mave tried lilacs for the first time and loved them, although Willy B wouldn’t even give them a taste and seemed way more interested in climbing the outdoor structure yet again. Of course, Jody savored her floral snacks while her six companions scoured the Hill for caches of food. As a whole, the chimps thoroughly enjoyed the midday celebration and spent most of the afternoon resting and foraging in the warm sunshine of late spring. I have included some photographs of today’s events (taken by Katelyn, Chad, and I).
Whether you are a mother or not, we hope you enjoyed this celebratory Sunday and showed appreciation for the people who shaped you into the person you are today.
Honey B’s excitement over paper is just one of the many things that endear us to her. If you’d like to buy more paper for more escapades, I just added some to our Amazon wish list.
I had to add in a little update at the end of the video about Willy B, of course. He’s getting more and more comfortable in that Courtyard!
