Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for November 2020

The Reflection of Oneself and Others

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Chimpanzees are an highly intelligent species. You probably know this by now if you have been following the blog for a while. One test chimpanzees have passed numerous times is the Mirror Self-Recognition Test. This test simply shows that an individual knows that the reflection they are looking at in a reflective surface (i.e. mirror) is in fact their own and not a separate individual. Only a handful of species have passed this test to date, including all the large-bodied apes (including humans), elephants, dolphins, orcas, and magpies.

The chimpanzees here are no exception. They all seem to like to look at their reflections. Willy B absolutely loves staring at himself in the mirror!

While Willy B, and most of the other residents, like to stare at their reflection, Honey B uses it a tad differently.

First and foremost, the large Looky Lou mirror in the Mezzanine is a giant swing toy!

Once she has her fun swinging on this giant pendulum, she will stand there holding it. Then ever-so-slightly, turn it to make sure the humans watched her “coming in like a wrecking ball.”

And she will make sure we were watching from multiple angles.

Even when we arrive with camera in hand, she will watch us intently taking pictures, but through the reflection of the mirror.

Honey B is so clever and fun spirited. Her intelligence never ceases to amaze us, as do all the residents here! Just the other day I was quickly reminded of how clever they really are, especially with the use of mirrors and other reflective surfaces. As I was in a (what I thought was) blindspot in the kitchen, I heard Burrito Bronx cheering and banging on the mesh from one of the front rooms. This is usually Burrito talk for, “Hey you! It’s play time!” I didn’t think it was possibly directed to me because how could he see me? Then it hit me! The door leading to the chimp area was positioned ever-so-right that he could see me through the reflection of the window on the door! Since this discovery, I’ve noticed he will position himself in the front rooms if he has the slightest hint any of us are in this blindspot trying to get some work done. “Silly humans!”

As a bonus to end the day, here are some photos of Negra and Jody today!

 

Do Not Disturb!

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The chimpanzees had their proverbial “Do Not Disturb” signs hung on every door today. And given that it was cold, foggy and pouring rain all day, who wouldn’t rather stay in their cozy nest all day?

Me: “Good morning, everyone! Would you like to come to the greenhouse for breakfast while we clean your home?”

All seven chimpanzees: “No, thank you!!” With additional commentary from Missy: “No way! FORGET it! I’m staying right where I am.”

Me: “Okay, we’ll check back with you later!”

Over on the other side:

Me: Good morning, Mave, Willy B and Honey B! Would you like have breakfast in the mezzanine while we clean your home?

Mave, Willy B, and Honey B: “Absolutely not! Do NOT even THINK about moving those doors!” Every time Willy B even SAW me he ran outside to the chute!

Me: “Okay, we’ll be back later.”

This commentary pretty much repeated itself throughout the day.

Every year about this time of changing weather and slightly changing routines, we go through a rough and tumble period. Literally. In response to the humans’ attempts to shift the chimpanzees out of each area so we can enter to clean, they are more inclined to follow their own routines. And with the changes often comes a bout of the chimpanzees exhibiting more tension with one another and getting into squabbles, some big, most small, all very loud and dramatic. Given the current state of the world, I suspect most of you could relate to having more time indoors, maybe with the same people you’re always stuck with, someone trying to change this or that and well, you can see where tensions might flare.

Of course, we humans are always happy to default to the chimpanzees’ wishes, after all, it’s their home and their comfort is always the priority. It’s also one of the many important ways the chimps can makes choices about how they want their day to go. And it probably serves as some kind of enrichment for the caregivers, helps to keep the ol’ neuroplasticity flexible and firing as we have to figure out these puzzles the chimpanzees occasionally provide for us. And personally, there’s an odd sense of satisfaction when you’re able to follow their lead and somehow manage to successfully complete everything you need to. But it’s funny to listen to us. It’s easy to get sucked into flailing about, thinking, “What on earth are the chimps doing?! How will we get everything we need to done?!” “What are we going to do??!” When in reality, it happens every year and is actually entirely normal. We just conveniently forget from year to year. So looks like it’s a good thing for us to shake up that gray matter.

While the humans waited patiently for room service requests, Foxie felt that though it was not a good time for cleaning, it was a great time for playing.

Foxie! I mean, honestly, look at her beautiful self!!:

Getting ready to launch herself at the photographer because she’s super sassy and it’s super fun (notice the toes rubbing together – Foxie speak for feeling very happy and content):

Foxie loves to pass us her dolls then lie on her back and flail around. She makes these adorable snorting noises and gets pretty excited when you make them back:

I could never express to you how much I cherish this joyful soul of a chimpanzee woman:

Meanwhile, on the other side, beautiful, beloved Honey B was busy preparing to make a huge fort nest and allowed me ONE photo before she needed to get started:

Terroir

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As I drove through the canyon on my way to the sanctuary this morning, I thought of a passage from science-fiction author Jeff VanderMeer.
Natural places are no different than human cities. The old exists next to the new. Invasive species integrate with or push out native species. The landscape you see around you is the same as seeing an old cathedral next to a skyscraper.

VanderMeer’s work, perhaps best described as ecological horror, explores how humans perceive and withstand environmental changes. Watching their surroundings undergo both subtle and dramatic transitions, no matter how neutral they are at their core, alters the emotional fibers of his characters.

Driving up the sanctuary’s driveway, I could see that the contractors had just finished covering the new wing of the chimpanzee building, which is hopefully just a few months away from completion. I reminded myself that I was an intern here just a couple years ago. Now everything looks a bit different. We have a new driveway, new barn, new structures, and new wing of enclosures. There are new residents (both bovine and chimp), new staff, and new protocols. It’s hard to believe that sanctuary itself hasn’t even existed for two decades yet because it hasn’t stopped evolving.

The land where the Chimp House sits was once an uninteresting pasture, but there were saloons and homesteads all along our stretch of highway. The nearby towns were base camps for coal miners and pioneers, and the surrounding forests have been sculpted by the flames of many wildfires and saws of many loggers. If you go back far enough, the Yakima and Snoqualmie people served as stewards of these lands for thousands of years. On a grander scale, massive herds of prehistoric bison and elk grazed the icy tundra that existed before humans arrived on the scene. Now, in a plot twist that would be just as confusing to the coal miners as it would to the prehistoric bison, ten retired chimpanzees call this place their sanctuary home.

What has not changed, in my lifetime at least, is the terroir of this place. For those of you who share my apathy for wine, terroir is a French word used to describe the suite of environmental and agricultural factors contributing to a wine’s quality. Importantly, though, terroir is not something that can be measured. It’s not just a composite of rainfall, or soil, or topography. It is an amalgamation of all these things into one noticeable character, and it can only be sufficiently experienced via taste.

One of the ecologists in VanderMeer’s novels uses the concept when describing a mysterious landscape, the feeling of which he cannot sufficiently explain using scientific language alone. It resonated with me when I first read it because it makes so much sense. I thought of all the places I’ve been lucky enough to live and work in, including this sanctuary, and recalled the unmistakable terroir of each. I wish the followers and donors, many of whom have never even visited this part of the country, could all come to this place and (without disturbing the residents) experience it for themselves. There’s nothing quite like walking around a dew-covered Young’s Hill in the morning and hearing a chorus of anticipatory pant-hoots rise up from the Chimp House, and words don’t do that experience any justice.

I know that having you all visit wouldn’t be possible, even in the absence of a global pandemic, so I hope you will all be content to view some photos that I’ve recently taken of this beautiful place as it continues to evolve into something else.

 

let’s hear it for the bovines

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If you are not in the mood to read words at the moment, watch the video above and scroll down for some photos.

Yesterday was my day to muck out the cattle barn and feed the bovine family.

The staff person assigned to “cattle care” for the day generally carries out this task after the morning duties in the chimp house – mainly serving the chimpanzees breakfast and doing a lot of cleaning.

J.B., Anna, Kelsi, and I got done with the chimp house cleaning pretty early, and I decided to finish up some donor thank yous before heading out to give the cattle their hay.

Because it’s winter, the cattle are given hay in their barn, which is on the side of the property where our home office is located. (side note: during the summer months they graze the pastures, helping with fire protection, and do not need supplemental hay.)

I tried not to look out the window too much, but I could feel them staring at me as I was finishing the thank yous. They are quite aware of the schedule and they are not shy to remind us when we are behind.

One funny thing – they had hay leftover from yesterday; they almost always do, but that does not matter. They want the new hay and they want it delivered on time.

Thank yous complete, I went to the old barn on the property and wrestled a half-opened bale of hay into our gator (utility vehicle). I was quite aware as I was struggling to do this that if anyone had been watching they may have thought I was attempting to perform some sort of slap-stick comedy routine; at one point I laughed out loud at myself.

I finally triumphed over the bale of hay and was able to deliver the good stuff to the bovines.

As Chad described earlier this week as part of wishing her a happy birthday, Honey is the sassiest of the bunch and does not put up with any nonsense from the humans. As they were all contentedly eating from the hay feeder, I went around to each one and pet them, even sneaking in a hug of sorts with Betsy and Nutmeg, who very graciously put up with my affection.

When I got to Honey, she looked at me askance. I touched her head gently and she flipped her head up to remove my hand. I did it again, and she repeated her head flip, but with a little less enthusiasm. And then, rather than backing away or trying to get me to back away, she returned to eating. This was progress in our slowly developing relationship, so I left it at that and left her in peace while I mucked the barn.

Four cattle leave a surprising amount to muck.

One other side note that might answer a question you have: we often use the term cattle or bovines because there are technically just three cows in the group: Honey, Betsy, and Meredith. Nutmeg is a steer (of formidable size but mostly gentle spirit), not a cow.

I finished up, luckily did not get the gator stuck in mud, and went back to the office after changing my shoes and jacket. Then I grabbed the mail to take to the post office.

As I was driving to town, I noticed that I smelled of hay and perhaps a bit of manure, and I thought to myself that this is why I love living where we do. No need to put on any airs, you know what I mean?

I reached up to scratch my head, a piece of hay fell into my lap, and my finger got stuck in what I quickly realized was smoothie.

I had served Mave, Willy B, and Honey B breakfast earlier. Honey B likes to hang on to her smoothie cup herself. She had stopped drinking from it and I reached for it, thinking she was done, and she proceeded to spit a mouthful of smoothie on my forehead. Honey B could also be described as sassy; maybe there’s something in the name.

So, for the second time that day, while all alone, I laughed out loud at myself.

What a very strange and enchanted life I have, going to the post office with chimpanzee-spit smoothie in my hair and smelling of cattle.

Truly, it is enchanted. Here’s that video which is also above. I took the first bit of this video last week and J.B. took the other clips today:

J.B. also got some great photos of Betsy and Meredith today:

Betsy (foreground) and Meredith behind her
Betsy in profile with her thick winter coat
Meredith
Betsy and Meredith with the neighbor’s horses in the background
gratuitous photo of handsome Willy B by J.B.
messy paper double chimpanzee nest found in the loft of the playroom this morning

 

The Snow Diet

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It seems Burrito was unable to eat all of the snow in his two-acre enclosure yesterday so today he and the gang were back at it.

Burrito sampled the snow at various locations but decided to return to the same platform where he and Foxie shared a snack yesterday. And again, he patiently waited his turn until Foxie had her fill.

Missy took a brief moment to spy on her neighbors and the ongoing construction before scaling a climbing structure in search of the white stuff.

People often ask us if we ever put sugar or fruit on top of snow for the chimps. We certainly have, but the chimps seem to really enjoy – and maybe even prefer – snow all by itself. As caregivers, we are always trying to balance keeping the chimps enriched with keeping them healthy. And one of the few things squarely in the center of that Venn diagram is a zero-calorie snack that falls from the sky and keeps the chimps entertained for hours each day.

I only wish I enjoyed it as much as they do.

Happy Birthday, Mari!

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Today was sponsored by Lynn Wilson in celebration of Mari and her special day!

“This is a happy birthday gift to Mari. She loves all of the chimps and cows at the sanctuary. She has also been able to interact with the three from the Waystation. Have a great birthday Mari.”

Lynn, thank you so much for such a compassionate gift for Mari, the chimpanzees and the bovines! We appreciate you choosing to share her special day in this way.

Happy Birthday, Mari! Thanks for loving the chimpanzees and the cattle. We hope this day is filled with wonder and magic you couldn’t have imagined!

Mave:

Honey B:

Betsy, Nutmeg, Meredith and Honey:

Burrito hopes you get lots of snow snacks 🙂

Ice-capades

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Ahhhh that time of year has arrived where the chimpanzees scurry around Young’s Hill, picking up bountiful mouthfuls of snow and ice along the way.

Burrito is a real ice eating enthusiast. This afternoon we spotted him climbing all over the Escher structure searching for the cold stuff.

Snow is more fun to eat than to walk on:

Apparently, the best snow is the kind that you find on the outdoor platforms. Here Burrito waits in line behind Foxie so he can sample this particular snow pile.

Missy and her mouthwatering treat:

Annie:

Foxie: