Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for October 2020

A Jamieween Tale of Two Scarecrows

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Today was Jamieween, a day unlike any other.

Today we celebrated Jamie Chimpanzee’s birthday and Halloween. And boy did we celebrate.

All of the humans truly outdid themselves this year. Enrichment Coordinator Chad has been thinking about and planning some special surprises for Jamie’s 43rd, and there was a lot of improvised fun sprinkled on top. Caregivers came in on their day off to help and share in the celebration.

I’ll start with Jamie. She had a particularly fantastic day. It was chilly early this morning, but as soon as I opened the hill for the chimps, Jamie bolted out and I joined her on the first walk of the day. The morning light choosing spots to illuminate on the hill was so beautiful (the photo below doesn’t quite capture it, but I posted a short video clip on Instagram), and I was glad she invited me along to enjoy it.

There were many gifts for Jamie throughout the day (thanks to those who purchased items from our wish list for Jamie!). These gifts were left for her in different areas for her to find. Katelyn noticed that Jamie had a particular interest in mummies a while back – she was carrying around a national geographic and paying special attention to some photos about mummies. So of course mummy books were a part of her celebration.

Kelsi and Anna created a “haunted box fort” for her in the playroom so she could enjoy some of her new books.

Later, after a refreshment…

…she checked out another one of the mummy books in the greenhouse:

Yesterday the winds were howling, but today was still and crisp and even warm, so of course we had to set up some Halloween food forages outside. The chimpanzees got to enjoy their very first pomegranates of the season – whole pomegranates! Jamie was quite pleased.

If you have seen past Jamieween celebrations, by now you might be wondering about the pumpkin and Jody…

This year, Chad had the idea of making scarecrows for the chimps with edible heads, so the pumpkin stood in as the head of the scarecrow on Young’s Hill.

Behold:

Due to her actions in past years, Jody has been bestowed the title of Great Pumpkin Thief. It wasn’t certain that she would be holding that honorific this year, however, because while Jody was off collecting pomegranates, Annie took an interest in the jack-o’-lantern (minus the lantern):

 

Annie also un-stuffed the scarecrow a bit and founds some hidden nuts.

But in the end, Annie left the pumpkin in place for Jody, the true thief, to strike again.

There was no obstacle, including one Burrito Chimpanzee, that would stand in her way:

Just look at that determination:

Everyone, as in years past, eventually got to enjoy the fruit of Jody’s labor by partaking in some of the pumpkin. Queen Negra nibbled on some from her bed, sharing with Missy:

For the other group of chimpanzees, we decided to use a head of cabbage for the scarecrow noggin. Chad added the jack-o’-lantern touch and Anna secured the scarecrow to a post:

I can’t look at that and not laugh. On the other hand, I can also imagine a horror movie with that character.

Willy B may have thought the same. He did not want to interact with the scarecrow, but made a quick job of devouring the cabbage:

Mave and Honey B were enjoying a lettuce forage in the chute while Willy B had his personal Jamieween treat, and later all three had a little party in the mezzanine with sparkling cider and popcorn:

Mave hoots while Honey B eats popcorn

Then for lunch they too got whole pomegranates. These, however, were extra special as they had had a visit from carver Chad. I’m sorry I did not get any photos of Willy B putting a whole pomegranate in his mouth and attempting to chew.

For dinner, Willy B, Mave, and Honey B got their own taste of pumpkin, which they devoured. Here’s Honey B:

Jamie ended her day by grabbing one of her new boot books and collecting some corn cobs in a box to enjoy in the front rooms, emitting low, contented moans as she ate.

All of the chimpanzees had a day of non-stop partying and are now sleeping soundly. There were many other photos as well as videos of the day, but I see that it’s dark and late and I should get home to my own haunted home.

I hope you all had a fun treat-filled day like the chimpanzees and that it continues into the night!

Happy Birthday, Jamie Chimpanzee!

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Sherry Padgett sponsored this most amazing of days, the day we celebrate our beloved boss’s honorary birthday (of course, we celebrate Jamie herself every day)! It’s what’s known around these parts (and really all over the world, to her fans and followers) as Jamieween!!:

“My earliest introduction to CSNW – just last year – was watching a YouTube of Jamie reading her first boot book; and I was immediately in love. I went back to the Blog’s 2008 beginning and read every blog post, watched every video, like it was the Best Book Ever! Love and Hallow-hoots to all .. but especially Jamie, who is still and will always be the best Boss I ever had. I want to sponsor her special day to make it her happiest Jamie-Ween ever! Please give that girlfriend some pears on me. :)”

Sherry, this is amazing. I think you belong to an elite club of blog readers at this point! I did the same thing when I first learned of the sanctuary, but I only had a mere couple of years to backtrack through at the time, so your love of the chimpanzees and dedication to reading ALL THOSE POSTS (!!) brings a huge smile to our faces. Jamie is such a special chimpanzee person. Thank you so very much for thinking of her and helping to provide our brilliant resident woman of mystery, intrigue, and occasionally fear-inducing trickery, with the best birthday yet!

Naturally, as one of the biggest celebrations of the year here at the sanctuary, party prep is underway in the chimp house, so be sure to tune in later today to see the shenanigans!

Happy Birthday, Jamie! We couldn’t love you and your unique, beautiful, creative, crazy-intelligent self any more. We are all so grateful you are in our lives, and honored to be part of yours.

Happy Jamieween everyone!!

Amazing pumpkin past:

To date, no Jamieween would have been complete without The Great Pumpkin Thief, Jody! Will she make an appearance this year??:

This most beautiful birthday woman, Jamie. We love you, James. <3

Happy Anniversary, Lisa and Marcus!

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Lisa and Marcus Andrews sponsored this wonderful day of spooky sanctuary and shared this message: “Happy Anniversary to us, and Happy Halloween to everyone!”

Me being me, I really cannot think of a better day in which to celebrate pretty much anything one would choose to. Happy Anniversary, Lisa and Marcus! May it be full of all the mystical magic and wonder this day holds. And many thanks to you both for making today’s celebration of our own Jamie Chimpanzee on her birthday (officially known as “Jamieween”) all the more special with your support.

Happy Halloween/Jamieween everyone!

Burrito and Jody:

Negra:

Foxie and Jamie:

Burrito:

Missy and Annie:

Contact

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As part of our ongoing Q&A series, I thought I’d address one of the most common questions we get: Do we ever wish we could have more physical contact with the chimps?

As many of you know, we strictly limit the ways in which we interact with the chimpanzees out of concern for our safety. Chimpanzees are incredibly fast and powerful animals with large, muscular jaws and massive canine teeth. Estimates vary, but it’s safe to say that chimpanzees possess at least twice the upper body strength of humans, pound for pound. And for chimpanzees, aggression is not an aberration but rather a normal part of the way they interact with one another and the world around them.

It was then that the troll realized he had made a terrible mistake.

Compounding the risk posed by their strength and natural behavior is the frustration they experience in captivity. One of the profound ironies of caring for chimpanzees is that you are far safer strolling through an African forest amidst a community of over a hundred free-living chimpanzees than you are standing near the enclosure of a captive chimpanzee. In fact, when Jane Goodall, the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, lost the tip of her thumb, it was not to one of the chimpanzees of Gombe that she had spent decades living among but rather to a chimpanzee in a laboratory cage. Frustration is not limited to chimpanzees in laboratories, however. Even in the best zoos and sanctuaries, we deny chimpanzees control over their lives and the ability to make choices for themselves. To put it bluntly, all captive chimpanzees are prisoners to varying degrees and we should not be surprised when they occasionally act as such.

So if we are concerned with safety, we’re left with a cautious and largely hands-off approach to caring for captive chimpanzees. In those times when we do have contact, we do so through the mesh fence in very controlled ways. We like to use the term protected contact, which originated as a way to describe the safe management of elephants from behind a safety barrier. At CSNW, this means that our bodies never penetrate the caging. If the chimps want us to touch them, we do so with the tip of a knuckle while the chimps press their bodies against the mesh. If they want to touch us, they must extend their fingers all the way out and we limit their reach to our bare elbows or wrists. These methods, along with countless hours of training, help limit opportunities to get bitten or grabbed.

Kelsi playfully knuckle-rubs Burrito.

All of this eventually becomes second nature for both caregivers and the chimpanzees and I can honestly tell you that I rarely desire to have more contact with my chimpanzee friends. That said, I do remember feeling differently during my first summer spent around chimpanzees. In 1998, I was an apprentice at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute, and my fellow apprentices and I would spend five or more days per week recording observational data on the chimps, cleaning near them, and coding videos of them. Our lives were consumed with chimps but we were not trained to a level where we could have any contact with them at all. It was killing us. So much so that when we’d be out on the town at night, we’d inevitably mob some unsuspecting dog and frantically pet them until they managed to break free and run for help.

There is one particular situation where it is relatively safe for us to have free contact with the chimps and where we do sometimes indulge ourselves, and that is when they are under anesthesia for medical care. In these moments, in between the IV prep and the blood pressure readings, we sometimes find ourselves holding their hands. Maybe it’s in the hopes that somewhere in the deep recesses of their subconscious they can sense that we are there with them. Or maybe we are looking to them for comfort.

Diana holds Burrito’s hand during an echocardiogram.

It’s important to remember that in normal circumstances the chimpanzees in our care get all the hugs, snuggles, play slaps, and tickles they desire from their chimpanzee friends, and the chimps and their caregivers are able to develop rich and full relationships despite the physical separation. It’s only natural to want to have more physical contact with them, but eventually you come to realize that a raucous game of chase across the mesh barrier is a perfectly fine way for two friends to play. No physical contact needed.

And in those times when we need a good ol’ hug…well, that’s what dogs are for.

Wilson is always available for hugs.

Potty Talk!

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I thought I would answer one of the questions from Diana’s blog post, “Inviting your Questions“. Also, if you have a burning question you have been wanting to ask, post it in Diana’s blog comments and one of us caregivers may make a blog and answer it!

So, let’s have an uncomfortable conversation. The question that everyone wants to know, but may feel too awkward asking. Poop, everybody does it. But, where do the chimps do it? I will be addressing this topic because it’s a fair question and one we get asked a lot. We do our best to not have poop in the videos or pictures, but the truth is it’s there.

In the wild chimps will use the bathroom and then keep traveling. Chimps in captivity unfortunately do not have that luxury of leaving it behind them. The chimps mostly poop or pee off of ledges. We see that chimps in the wild poop out of their nests in trees too. This could be why captive chimps are often using ledges. Kind of cool! Some chimps have specific spots, most others do not. There are some enclosures where they do tend to pick spots to go use the restroom. For example, the chimps often use the bathroom in the corner of the Greenhouse off the platform. It seems to be a good spot, out of the way where individuals won’t step in it. Though that might not be the pattern for everyone. In the playroom, they often go off the loft, or a barrel, or the cement steps near the drain. In the front rooms, they may use the restroom off the platform, a cement step near the drain, or again a piece of enrichment like a chair. In phase one, it seems the 3 also prefer to use a ledge. However, Willy B will pee anywhere… We clean each enclosure every day and spot clean at night. Sometimes after we are done cleaning and invite the chimps back into their space they use the bathroom right away and that is their choice. It is their home. Which is why we will spot clean before we leave for the night, because we want them to have a clean house, no one likes stepping in poop, so we do our best, but regardless there are 10 chimps and they have to use the bathroom.

Have you ever heard of fear poop? I don’t think it is a real term, but we use it. From time to time the chimps may have an altercation. When fights happen the bowel movement may let go, so to speak. Often after a fight it is a bit messy. In these cases, poop or pee could be anywhere.

Now one question you might also be wondering. Do chimps toot? Does it smell? The answer to both is yes. They have a diet of fruits, veggies, and nuts so I would say of course farts are going to smell, but not always. Just like us humans. For the chimps, there is no stigma for flatulence. They don’t laugh at each other or think it is gross, because well everyone does it! Even us, don’t lie :). Missy often lets one go when running! I mean do you see how fast she runs, there is no way anyone could hold one in going that speed!

Okay, here is a fun fact! Their pee does smell after they eat asparagus!

See that wasn’t so bad, right? Now I have some photos. We would never post photos of them using the restroom, because, well that is rude. Wouldn’t it be horrifying if someone took a photo of you and posted it. But, I have some photos to show as examples of the ledges they may use.

 

Ahh, yes, that is a nice ledge. It’s a little out of the way where no one is walking!

This photo is in the playroom. Look at all those options!

This platform is great for sleeping and also going to the bathroom over the ledge!

Another fun fact! Front room 4 is known as the portrait room because it has such great lighting. However, front room 4 is also know to be the potty room from time to time. It could be because this is a get ledge to do it!

These are the cement steps I am referring to. It’s the perfect place to stop and take a quick number 1 or 2!

The front rooms in phase 1 also have great platforms for pooping.

The mezzanine can kind of be a free for all. There are ledges and so many chairs to choose from.

See, Missy runs the toots right out of her.

Let’s not forget Young’s Hill. Because it is such a large outdoor enclosure, it is hard to find all the poop. For this area, we let nature do its thing.

Now, let’s stop thinking about poop and just look at some chimps. 🙂

Negra in a pile of blankets.

Mave looking into her own reflection.

Willy B grabbing his favorite blanket while trying to listen in on the neighbors.

Willy B being groomed by Mave.

Don’t worry, it is just a scab on Mave’s head that someone just freshly groomed.

Burrito climbing the Twister!

Jamie waiting for Burrito at the bottom.

Foxie.

Foxie exploring the Hill with her dolls. Construction is really coming along!

Honey B <3

Okay, one more of Burrito!

 

Adventure Awaits

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Yesterday, as I was helping clean the Playroom, I noticed Foxie sitting at the door that leads to Young’s Hill.

Was she contemplating going outside? Was it too cold for her? Was she just waiting for somebody to return? I admittedly stopped cleaning and watched her for a few minutes. After some time, others began to return from their patrol around the hill.

Jody returned with some fresh picked greens.

Then Jamie returned with Burrito right behind her.

After their return, almost everybody spent the rest of the time on the top platform waiting for us humans to finish cleaning.

Annie, Burrito, and Jody

It’s hard to say what Foxie was thinking or why she herself didn’t choose to go outside, but today was different.

When cleaning was done today, Jamie requested Kelsi and Anna to go on a walk with her.

They were soon joined by Missy and Burrito. All three of them thought it was an amazing idea to sprint up the hill, which included making Kelsi and Anna sprint as well.

While Jamie, Missy, and Burrito were running around with the human caregivers, I caught two familiar figures out of the corner of my eye.

Jody and Foxie decided to have their own little adventure.

The Adventures of Jody and Foxie aren’t quite like the others. They can be equated to being like two old friends taking a walk in the park. Really just a casual stroll through the outside enclosure. If someone takes an interest in something, the other stops and waits for them.

Foxie decided to try to climb one of the structures. As she did, Jody waited for her.

When they were done with their adventure, they headed back inside the Greenhouse.

Right around the time Foxie and Jody decided they had enough adventure, the Trio’s adventure was coming to an end as well. It should come to no surprise that Missy was the first one to make it back. She usually sprints the entire hill, leaving everyone else in her dust.

Jamie and Burrito were not far behind though.

You may have noticed Jamie’s attire might have changed from the beginning of their adventure to the end. Both Anna and Kelsi told me she started out with a scarf, then half way through it turned into a waistband, and at the very end it turned into a sash. We never know how the chimpanzees will react and interact with the different enrichment items they are provided. Sometimes they are a hit, sometimes they fall flat. Jamie though has an ability to shape the items in such a way to her liking. We don’t give her instructions on how to use an item or force her to interact with it. It’s always her choice and her way. I cannot wait for Jamieween to arrive!

And here are some bonus photos I just wanted to share from earlier in the week:

Honey B enjoying a magazine with peanut butter smears.
Willy B getting ready to take an afternoon nap.
Annie waiting for everybody else to return from a patrol.
Negra enjoying her dinner celery from the other night.