Archives for November 2020

Peas in pods

November 23, 2020 by Katelyn

There were a couple of questions recently about Annie and Missy and if they knew each other before arriving to the sanctuary. Yes, they did! Before coming to the sanctuary, the seven were in the custody of the Buckshire Corporation, a facility in Pennsylvania that leases (they are still in business) animals to labs across the country for biomedical research. If you’re new to the blog, you may not be aware that the seven were used in biomedical research for thirty years prior to being retired here. At the time CSNW learned of the seven they were the last remaining chimpanzees at Buckshire and no longer being used in research; however, they had been housed together in a windowless basement for a couple of years, that we know of.

Though their cages were all lined up in a row next to one another, they didn’t all share an enclosure together until toward the end of their stay there. When space requirements for chimpanzees living in captivity changed, the facility determined they could meet the requirement by just opening the doors between the cages as opposed to building a new and larger enclosure for them. So, long story still somewhat long, when Annie, Missy, Jamie, Foxie, Burrito, Negra and Jody arrived (and yes, they all arrived with their names) at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, they’d already been living together and had had the time to work out their hierarchical structure and relationships to some degree. Which definitely made things easier for all involved!

Annie and Missy have been best friends for as long as we’ve known them. Missy is more confident and she is a master at chimpanzee politics. She knows exactly what she needs to do to stay on the boss’s good side, while still managing to covertly get what she wants, or when it’s just best to just move on. She’s also much more comfortable interacting with the other chimps. While Annie is considered the least dominant in the group (though her wonderful independence and moxie grows by the day), this holds true in her relationship with Missy as well.

Though they are very close, Missy has no problem pulling rank on Annie if she is so inclined, which typically involves food. For example, someone also asked about serving order within the group, particularly with these two as they had heard one of us in a video ask Missy if it was okay to serve Annie first. So yes, as far as the group goes, being the self-appointed boss, we typically offer Jamie her servings first. (With Willy B, Honey B and Mave, it’s Willy B who is usually served first). After Jamie, we might offer Missy and Jody their servings next and just kind of work our way along to Annie. I feel like over the years as the chimpanzees learned to trust that we understand the “rules” and have grown and developed their own relationships, it’s a little more relaxed, generally speaking. Jamie is still typically first, but it’s often the squeaky, raspberry-blowing, cage-banging, wheel who is next in line. Or the person who follows the server up and down the line, discreetly sticking their hand through the crowd (Annie is very good at this!). And I often find if I simply ask a more dominant chimpanzee if I can serve someone else first, they’re typically okay with it at this point. If they aren’t, they will absolutely let us know!

And where this probably happens the most often is with Missy and Annie. Missy often has eagle eyes on Annie at mealtimes and Annie is acutely aware of this. Being the least dominant, she will commonly look around before taking her serving to make sure it’s okay with the group. Missy can be calmly eating her serving all the while staring, unflinchingly at Annie. Sometimes it stops there, other times, if she feels the need to exert her dominance for whatever reason, all she has to do is grunt at Annie and that’s it, Annie will wait until Missy approves, or the coast is clear. And other times a screaming match ensues and Missy steps in to take Annie’s serving. (But don’t feel too bad for her, she’s excellent at boldly taking food from others if she has the chance!).

Why just yesterday I stood at the play room door watching Annie as she sat quietly on the steps looking around during a forage. Missy was sitting upstairs on the catwalk just above Annie, enjoying her food puzzle. Annie picked up what couldn’t have been anything more than a nutshell and BOOM! Missy screamed like a banshee and get this, took a flying leap off the catwalk into mid-air (picture my eyes bugging out of my head here) and for a nano second I thought she was going to catapult herself onto Annie, but she landed just above her on the stair railing! Annie screamed at the top of her lungs (who could blame her?) and fear-grimacing (this looks like a human smile with top and bottom teeth showing, but demonstrates fear or high-arousal), held her hand out to Missy in a submissive gesture for reassurance. Missy was seemingly satisfied that she’d put the fear of well, herself, into Annie and that her message had been received and then all was well. Nobody said the life of a chimpanzee is anything less than complicated. But, the same goes for humans, after all, if not more so.

While this might sound terrible to us, this is completely normal behavior for chimpanzees and an important part of their social structure. Of course, we always make sure that everyone gets enough food, but even as servers it’s important to respect their rules and follow their leads. It’s their business, not ours, and it’s imperative they work things out between themselves because they have to live together.

But that’s just one example of chimpanzee society and one aspect of Annie and Missy’s relationship. Annie and Missy spend most of their time by far, playing the most joyous, raucous games of chase, or relaxed, slow-motion wrestle while resting next to each other, or just enjoying one another’s company. They tend to build their night nests next to one another, sometimes even into a figure eight. If there’s a fight, Annie is the first to have Missy’s back, always. She is the most loyal friend you could ask for. Unfortunately, the same can’t always be said in the reverse, but Missy is where Annie runs for reassurance which she almost always receives. For the most part, where you find one, you will endearingly find the other.

Here are two more peas in a pod spotted on Young’s Hill today, captured by Chad. Good friends, Burrito and Foxie:

As another example of how complicated chimp society can be, that cute little half ear that Foxie is sporting is a result of her dear friend there, Burrito, having bitten it off in a fight awhile ago. And yet, while we humans looked on in horror and concern, within minutes Foxie and Burrito were calmly grooming one another and making amends. While I can’t say I’d care to have my ear bitten off, one of the things I envy about chimps is how they don’t hesitate to express themselves, but then they move on.

At one point, Foxie decided she and Orange Blossom were ready to move along and head up the hill. But this guy was just sitting in the path, totally unconcerned about being in the way! Now obviously Foxie couldn’t be asked to just step off the beaten path, into the pokey grass and around this guy. But that would never stop Foxie! We watched her literally climb OVER Burrito and then carry on her way:

Pretty pleased with herself:

Completely unconcerned:

Inside scoop: Though the chimpanzees arrived with their names, did you know that Burrito was originally called, Raj? While we have no idea how he wound up with the name Burrito, I don’t think any of us could imagine calling him Raj.

Well, we’re sure grateful for all of you out there. I’m not sure we could ever express just how much. Regardless of what this holiday week holds for you, may you find a little joy and ease, a little beauty and grace to keep your hearts buoyed and light. If even for a minute. Nurture your joy. Just as you help make possible in the chimpanzees’ lives.

The Bud Box

November 22, 2020 by Anthony

Primates and Bovines

Most of our staff were, at one point or another, either primatology students at nearby Central Washington University (CWU) or interns at the university’s Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute. People are often surprised to learn that CWU students can specialize in primate behavior at the undergraduate, graduate, or professional certificate level. It’s quite the niche.

We sometimes joke about our research-oriented backgrounds whenever we catch ourselves doing strange tasks around the Chimp House (like fishing stray troll dolls out of the septic tank filter, perusing Amazon for Jamie’s next favorite picture book, or shoveling chimp-size paths through the snow on Young’s Hill). Irony aside, the people who use their Primate Behavior degrees exclusively for studying primate behavior are the true anomalies. The skills developed while studying primatology are widely applicable to a variety of different career paths, and most of us end up doing things we never even dreamed of when we were students.

This point was reiterated when I remotely interviewed for a caregiver position at CSNW. One of the topics that came up was that of cattle care, which is quite different from the other Chimp House duties and may have turned off some candidates. When J.B. asked if I had any familiarity with bovines, I responded that “I have never cared for cattle.” The phone went awkwardly silent for a second, and I quickly realized my strange wording suggested I didn’t like cows. Of course, I actually meant that I had literally never worked with them before, and I tried my best to convey that I was in no way prejudiced against cattle. In fact, I knew little about bovine health or behavior but was super stoked to learn.

Shifting For Safety

In some respects, taking care of chimpanzees is vastly different from managing domesticated animals such as cattle. Sometimes, though, the overlap is considerable. From my perspective, one similarity shared by all species is the tendency to not go where you want them to, making their care more difficult.

We’ve recently discussed the challenges of shifting chimps around the building so that we can safely unlock areas for cleaning. In some cases, such as Willy B’s epic filibusters in the Courtyard and the chute, we can make alternate plans that align with the chimps’ preferences. However, we don’t always have that luxury. On rare occasions, we encounter situations when we need the chimpanzees to leave an area for their immediate safety. These improbable events may be related to extreme weather, enclosure maintenance, or dangerous wildlife. In these critical moments, confused chimpanzees tend to pay less attention to their caregivers and are less likely to cooperate.

One example is that of Burrito’s rattlesnake encounter in Young’s Hill back in September. On that day, the chimps voluntarily came inside, letting us administer antivenom to Burrito and remove the snake from the habitat. In the weeks after, we prioritized recall training. To execute a recall, we invite the the chimps to return to the building, letting us close the doors in exchange for high-value treats. In a couple of cases, this proactive cooperation helped us to humanely relocate non-venomous snakes that had mistakenly found their way into the chimps’ outdoor enclosure. Once the warm weather returns in the spring, we will surely resume this training.

Note: We are frequently asked whether we intervene in fights by splitting the chimpanzees up. We usually do not. Separating a frenzied group of chimps during an altercation is extremely difficult since they are so focused on each other during these moments. They almost always resolve the conflict and reconcile without our assistance.

Other institutions do similar activities for the sake of their chimpanzee residents. At the closed Wildlife Waystation (from whence came Honey B, Mave and Willy B), caregivers are currently teaching the chimps to willingly shift into transport cages in case nearby wildfires threaten the facility again. This ongoing effort recently garnered some well-deserved media attention. As the sanctuary community works to re-home the remaining chimps, it’s good to know that their immediate wellbeing is still a top priority. When those chimpanzees make their way to accredited facilities like ours, hopefully they’ll be like Honey B and bring their cooperative attitudes with them.

The Bud Box

Of course, the chimpanzees aren’t the only CSNW residents who need this kind of training. The sanctuary’s four cattle are also managed using positive reinforcement, and training them to voluntarily enter a smaller corral is one of our top priorities. Plausible scenarios in which we would need to confine the cattle would be to address individual health concerns, to make repairs to the pasture fences, or to evacuate the herd due to a nearby wildfire. We also use a similar process to isolate them for their annual hoof trims and vaccinations. In all of these cases, the first step is to get them out of the larger pasture and into a smaller corral. From there, we herd them into an even smaller pen and then into a narrow chute that allows for safe handling. Cattle are naturally skeptical of anything that seems different (and for good reason), so anything we can do to familiarize them with this process has a positive effect on their welfare.

The key to all this is the Bud Box. Although it sounds like a monthly subscription service for cannabis enthusiasts, the Bud Box is actually a type of cattle pen named after its late inventor, Bud Williams. Bud’s design was (and remains) quite simple: a rectangular enclosure that has one or more outflows located near the main entry gate. Cattle will often turn back once they encounter a dead end, at which point they easily divert into a narrow chute for veterinary care or transport. This relatively cheap design is wildly effective and popular. J.B. built our sanctuary’s Bud Box shortly after the cattle arrived, and it’s already proving to be worth all of his hard work.

Source: Michelle Proctor, University of Missouri

As the above diagram shows, the Bud Box is designed to keep the cattle “flowing” into the chute without much human participation or promise of reward; their aversion to containment drives them through. Ideally, all the human operator has to do is close one gate and open another. Still, it can work better if the animals are familiar with the pen and relatively relaxed. Training is one way to achieve this.

Erin and I have been doing some Bud Box training recently. During these sessions, we put some of the bovines’ regular hay into the box and then briefly close them inside. Then, we open the side gate so they exit through the corresponding chute, receiving the rest of their hay as a reward. Afterwards, we leave the swing gate wide open so that they can re-enter the Bud Box for any leftovers. The following photos show a step-by-step record of the entire process (in case you want to try it with your beloved Jersey cattle at home).

1. With the swing gate open and the chute gate closed, we place an alfalfa/grass hay mixture into the Bud Box and call the cattle over.

2. The cattle come into the corral voluntarily and slowly walk toward the Bud Box. We close the pasture gates behind them.

3. Honey is the bravest. She takes a good sniff of the Bud Box before entering.

5. More skeptical individuals tend to hang back. Meredith need a moment to observe her mother eating safely.

6. The number of cattle in the Bud Box suddenly doubles as Meredith joins Honey inside.

8. Betsy begins to eat. Nutmeg is the last one to arrive.

10. With the cattle happily filling their bellies, I close the swing gate behind them.

12. Once they’ve eaten a bit, I open the side gate so they can exit via the chute.

13. Although they eagerly leave the Bud Box, they soon decide to go back to it and scarf down the remaining hay.

Our plan is to continue this training on a weekly basis until the cattle calmly enter the Bud Box and exit via the chute with only a tiny bit of coaxing. It may seem like a lot of work now, especially for a bunch of primatology nerds like us, but this training could prove invaluable if we ever have to round up the cattle in a hurry.

In the meantime, I think we all need to appreciate how awesome Nutmeg’s hairstyle is. This anatomical feature is actually an occipital protrusion called a poll, but I think it looks more like a messy man-bun. Either way, he rocks it.

man of mystery

November 21, 2020 by Diana

If you tuned in yesterday, you read that Willy B has been asserting his desire to disrupt the routine and, instead of shifting for meals, he has one thing on his mind – keeping tabs on the neighbors, we suspect Annie in particular.

Today was a continuation of this trend. Anna, J.B. and I put our heads together yesterday to attempt to problem solve and try to give Willy B what he wants but also ensure we are able to clean their house.

I think I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but I have a blog post percolating in my brain all about how much of what we do in caring for captive chimpanzees is balancing different aspects of welfare and safety.

I don’t know if I’ll ever write that grand post. There’s a hundred examples of this sometimes difficult balancing that we do throughout each day. Rarely are there clear right or wrong answers.

Willy B’s new defiance to the routine illustrates several examples.

Because of the construction happening right now that will give Willy B, Mave, and Honey B more space and variety, we decided to not give them access to the courtyard when construction workers are on site.

There are a few reasons we landed on that decision, but mainly it was about safety. Willy B is still getting used to the courtyard and Honey B and Mave are still curious but not curious enough to take steps outside. The Courtyard is right next to where the construction is taking place. We certainly don’t want any incidents while strangers are in the vicinity.

So, this means that Willy B’s Courtyard time has been lessened and we aren’t actively working on encouraging Mave and Honey B to be adventurous, but rather leaving it up to them for the time being.

Also, the Courtyard was a bit of a quick construction project. It’s not their final outdoor space, rather it’s a stop-gap that we created after the integrations didn’t work out so that Willy B, Mave, and Honey B could have an open-top outdoor space while we continue to work on the expansion for them and for another group of chimpanzees coming from Wildlife Waystation.

In order to create the space quickly, there’s just one electric fence running between the Courtyard and the rest of Young’s Hill – the outdoor habitat that the group of seven access. With just one fence between them, we don’t have both groups outside at the same time. This means we have to balance the needs, desires, and welfare of each of the individuals in the two groups when allocating outdoor access.

This is temporary. Both groups will one day have large open-top habitats, but right now we have to work with what we have. And there’s always the possibility of Mave and Honey B never (or take years to) get accustomed to the big open outdoors. So, part of our future plans include a large enclosed outdoor space too. Balancing. Balancing.

Our routine lately has been going along swimmingly for the most part. There was that one day a couple of weeks ago when Willy B decided to camp outside. Anthony’s post that day covers some of this same material I’m relaying here. At the time, that incident was an anomaly and didn’t impact the cleaning routine. Willy B’s decisions this week, however, are putting a wrench in the routine.

Today, I opened up the Chute first thing in the morning, hoping that Willy B would get his fill of monitoring the other group / watching Annie, and would then come in for breakfast so we could clean. I realized at the time, of course, that this was wishful thinking. He chose not to shift for breakfast. And today Honey B decided to join him in his keeping-the-humans-on-their-toes mission. Mave had a fabulous breakfast and was in high spirits all day, inviting the humans to play chase whenever she could catch our eye.

Based on Willy B and Honey B’s decision, I changed up the routine a bit, eventually closing Willy B in the Chute so that we could clean all of the front rooms. Happily for everyone, it was a beautiful sunny day, and he was quite content napping at the top of the Chute.

With the construction crew off, I decided to wait until after lunch to open up the Courtyard so that Willy B could have some extra time out there, if he chose.

He chose.

Anna and I took turns hanging outside with him most of the afternoon.

It wasn’t so much that he wanted to be in the Courtyard as he did not want us to eliminate the option of him being in the Courtyard, so the few times Anna or I approached the controls to close the door, he would move from the Chute to the Courtyard.

It was nice to be able to give him this choice and it allowed me to do a little photo study of this man of mystery.

Eventually, he let Anna close the door and he came inside just before dinner. Whew!

I had a decision to make now. It was right before dinner, but the seven hadn’t been outside on the hill since this morning. They probably would have been just fine getting dinner and ending the day, which would make things easier on the humans. On the other hand, if they could have twenty minutes or so of outside time, that would be nice.

You can probably guess what I decided to do.

The question now was whether Jamie would allow me to close the hill after dinner. Jamie is controlling by nature and often chooses when the caregivers go home by sitting in the doorway to the hill, knowing full well that we won’t leave until all of the chimps are inside for the night.

After dinner, Jamie looked at me and ran outside. The gig was up, there would be no closing of the door; we were going to walk. Actually, a walk was not exactly what she had in mind. I had to get the gator from the barn so we could race.

I have to hand it to Jamie, she knows how to end a day.

Willy B also did not want a door closed during dinner – the door to the Chute. Eventually his stomach and curiosity made the decision for him and I closed the door while Anna passed out grab bags.

Now everyone is tucked in and sleeping soundly, and I’m awake-dreaming about the new spaces taking shape for Willy B, Mave, and Honey B and new chimpanzees and all of the ways they will be able to choose to keep the humans on their toes.

Here’s some exciting progress on the construction.

Doors!

Stairs!

Thanks for tuning in to today’s blog! Happy Thanksgiving week to everyone.

Reconnaissance

November 20, 2020 by J.B.

Jamie almost always walks around Young’s Hill with a purpose. Sometimes her goal is to lure a caregiver away for some private bonding time. Other times she is eager to race. This afternoon, as I was walking around the hill with Missy, Annie, and Burrito, I saw Jamie emerge from the greenhouse and plot a slow, deliberate course up the hill to her tower. On this occasion, she was determined to see what was happening on the roof of her home.

The roofers were finishing their work on the Phase 2 addition, adding flashing to the six skylights above the new playrooms. While the noise from the construction has been a bit intrusive at times, this did not seem to be Jamie’s concern. I think she just wanted to be in the know. Plus, we know she appreciates a good tool belt.

The chimps have a number of different vantage points from which they can watch the addition take shape. Sometimes the best spot is in the old playroom, especially if you bring your own popcorn (or chow).

Honey B, Willy B, and Mave have front row seats to the show. It’s their new playroom, after all.

At some point I plan to write a post addressing a question from our Q&A post about how we go about designing a chimp sanctuary, but for today, let me just say that chimps always want to know what is going on, so this has to be considered in the design brief for any chimp facility. One of the ways we can accommodate this need is by adding lots of windows, both to the outside and between different parts of the building, so that they can see what’s happening all around them. Our new addition contains twenty large chimp-proof windows for this reason. While we hope to add some simple murals to the walls at some point, anything we paint on the walls will pale in comparison to the enrichment that those big windows provide.

Sunrises and grazing cattle are great, but what interests chimpanzees even more than their natural surroundings is human activity. In fact, as I write this on the computer in the central foyer of the chimp house, I’ve got the clinic doors open so that Honey B can watch. Of all the things she could be doing, she’s chosen to sit in the medical enclosure, which is small and rather bare by design (for safety during anesthetic induction), just so she can keep an eye on the humans.

It’s the same story on the other side, only those guys have a direct view into the kitchen.

If you don’t prep dinner fast enough, Negra will let you know. Hurry up, Anna! (if Negra could speak, she would almost certainly add some obscenities).

When you have two groups of chimps in close proximity, things get really interesting. There’s been a lot of drama in the group of seven lately, and on top of that, Annie is at full swell. So Willy B is consumed with the soap opera next door and he is refusing to shift enclosures so that he can keep an eye on things. Visual access between groups can be incredibly enriching, but it certainly cuts both ways. Hopefully Willy B will return to his senses once Annie is out of estrus. If not, we’ll have an interesting problem to work through at our next staff meeting. If the chimps don’t shift, we can’t clean!

I’ll leave you with a few more photos of the chimps enjoying the view from Young’s Hill this afternoon.

Missy:

Annie:

Missy & Annie:

Burrito:

Jody:

Senior superlatives

November 19, 2020 by Anna

Today I revisited Diana’s Inviting your questions blog to look for some inspiration for my post. Tami asked which chimp is the class clown, most congenial, most beautiful/handsome, and most quiet? This reminded me of those awkward yet entertaining yearbook surveys where students get to vote for class superlatives. I’ve taken it upon myself to nominate each of the 10 chimpanzees for their own superlative. Dissent is encouraged in the comments section 😜

Let’s start this off with a pretty easy one. Most Athletic has got to go to Missy Chimpanzee, the runner:

Class Clown? Gotta be this guy, Burrito:

Miss Congeniality would probably go to the amiable Mave:

For Most Helpful, I nominate Jody Chimpanzee for her caring den mother personality:

There is no contest for Most Relaxed. Negra wins in a landslide:

Most Loyal might go to Annie (right), for her staunch devotion to her BFF Missy:

Here’s a contentious one… I nominate Willy B for Most Handsome, based primarily on how he makes the female chimpanzees virtually swoon with excitement when they get a proper look at him (like I said before, post your objections in the comments):

Quirkiest Personality goes to the always unique Honey B:

And Most Likely to Brighten up your Day seems to be the right fit for the fierce and eccentric Foxie:

Oh yes and Jamie wins Most Likely to be your Boss of course:

Feel free to post your own superlatives nominations below!

Foot Box or Head box?

November 18, 2020 by Kelsi

This is Jamie.

As many may know, Jamie tends to be a more serious chimp and is incredibly intelligent. You can always see the wheels turning in her head. Jamie knows what she likes and isn’t afraid to ask for or demand what she needs. Often when she is gesturing for one of us to put boots on she has a specific boot in mind and we won’t go on a walk until she has the one she wants. She is never scared to ask for what she needs! It might be the trait I admire about her the most. Jamie is a busy body, she will build an amazing nest to settle in for a nice nap and the next moment she is gone grabbing an enrichment item to try to break the howdy door open to see her neighbors. As a disclaimer, it is usually a wooden toy or object that will not break the lock. But, you can’t blame her for having a hard time relaxing when there are so many people to manage. As I have mentioned before, Jamie has a good sense of humor too. When she wants to, she can get downright silly.

In the mornings while we are cleaning the playroom Jamie will often find the caregiver of her choice, have them put on the boot of her choice (Diana’s Xtratuf boots with the blue), walk or run around the Hill, and then settle into a nest or observe us cleaning from the window in the green house. Yesterday, Jamie decided that I should not clean, but instead play… I had given Jamie her new boot catalog which she seemed very pleased about. Jamie took her book and began to build a nest and skimming through the book. At some point, we were playing a game where she would put her hand in the foot box and I would knock on the box. Then Jamie put her head in the box! I would gently knock the box, she did this a few times. Afterward, we played a bit of chase and then she burst into a sprint with her new book in her mouth. I apologized to Chad and took off running to catch up with Jamie on the Hill.

Bonus!

Last Wednesday as we were closing up the chimp house for the night. I found Jody working on some night time enrichment. I have never seen Jody go to such great lengths for night time enrichment before!

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Peas in pods