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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for March 2021

Lunch with Honey B, Willy B, and Mave

March 31, 2021 by Kelsi

Yesterday, I served Honey B, Willy B, and Mave lunch. Honey B could not have been more excited about sweet potatoes! She was food squeaking and breathy panting before I could video most of it. It is a true pleasure to serve the chimps meals. I can be so fun because it’s the simple things like sweet potatoes, lettuce, cabbage, or even ice that they just go crazy for. Today was another busy day of construction on the new playrooms and a staff meeting. So please enjoy this video of chimps eating and some photos!

This morning Missy and Annie were playing. I tried to snap some photos, but the lighting wasn’t great. However, these silhouettes photos actually turned out kind of cool!


Missy has such a great play face in these photos.

Missy in the green house.

This morning as the seven where given access to Young’s Hill, Jamie took a friend along. Foxie has been obsessed with this St. Patrick’s Day themed soft troll, but this morning Jamie was carrying it around :).

Jamie taking a nap in the playroom.

Or so I thought…

The weather was so amazing today. While the three were hand served and soaked up the sun in the chute, the seven had a Hill forage.

Burrito found some lettuce in Negra’s cabin.

With a mouth full of lettuce, he went to find some more!

So, he climbed.

And climbed!

Negra was spotted foraging for one of her favorites, lettuce.

Jamie of course got a good haul.

While we cleaned the playroom, I found a ripped out page from Jamie boot book in a very cozy nest. I am not sure if I should feel humbled or nervous. Is this a message of some kind ;)?

I will leave you all with a kiss from Burrito.

Filed Under: Annie, Burrito, Food, Foxie, Honey B, Jamie, Jody, Latest Videos, Mave, Missy, Negra, Sanctuary, Willy B, Young's Hill Tagged With: Annie, Burrito, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, forage, Foxie, Honey B, Jamie, Jody, Mave, Missy, Negra, Sanctuary, Willy B, young's hill

Burrito and the Chamber of Play

March 30, 2021 by Chad de Bree

It was a busy day today. The construction crew worked hard to begin installing the new doors in the new playrooms. Since they spent most of their time in the Mezzanine, that means Willy B, Honey B, and Mave had to stay in the Front Rooms and Chute while the crew was up there. The Three didn’t seem to mind. Willy B and Honey B spent most of their time in the Chute, while Mave liked her quiet time in the Front Rooms.

On the other side, the Seven spent most of their day on Young’s Hill.

A morning patrol was Jamie’s top priority.

While Missy found a block of ice in one of the structures.

She grabbed her ice treat and went to one of the highest structures to enjoy it in solitude.

Foxie also had her own little adventure with Angel Cake.

Burrito also joined in this morning’s walk.

What’s that around his neck you may ask? It’s a drop down puzzle, one of the chimpanzees’ evening food puzzles. Food puzzles generally come in different shapes and forms. There are those which can be passed out, those which can be scattered, and those which are hung from various places in the enclosures. For the most part, all the ones which can be hung inside the enclosures are deemed safe for them by the staff. They are hung up for various reasons, such as having one in one place to try to deter someone from grabbing them all and hoarding them, to provide just a splash of extra challenge, or to just help prevent them from breaking easily. Though Burrito is fine with having something like this, it wasn’t what we had in mind when we hang up drop down puzzles.

However, seeing how it made his entire day…

I will allow it this time.

Speaking of Burrito enjoying things, you may remember he has found a certain fondness to the rocker mirror. While we were cleaning the playroom the other day, I looked over and saw this.

He never ceases to amaze me.

We hope you have a terrific night and enjoy the video of Burrito playing with everybody!

Filed Under: Burrito, Enrichment, Foxie, Latest Videos, Mave, Sanctuary, Young's Hill Tagged With: Animal Welfare, chimp enrichment, chimpanzee, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, Cle Elum Seven, Enrichment, Sanctuary

Just a regular kinda Monday

March 29, 2021 by Katelyn

Today has been one of those days where it feels both like so much has been happening and not much at all has been happening. After a gorgeous morning fit for foraging for breakfast outdoors yesterday, we had a wild spring storm of high winds, rain, and snow overnight. So while today dawned with mostly bright blue skies and wild, cold winds, we were back to the toasty greenhouse for breakfast. Though it hasn’t been a perfect day for outdoor chimpanzee activities, this human has to say it’s been a glorious day. Every once in a while I’d catch someone like Annie or Jody, just sitting outside on their own. Sometimes we just need to feel the elements. It’s exhilarating.

Our construction friends arrived en masse bright and early, everyone working hard to finish the expansion as soon as possible. Since they arrive a little before chimp house staff do, Honey B, Mave and Willy B were up and extra-ready for breakfast. Maybe because they knew they had an a busy day of supervising workers ahead:

The three also decided some strong words needed to be had with one another, well, specifically Honey B and Willy B. I was folding blankets (oh, I digress, but did I mention one of our dryers completely refused to power on today? Imagine normally having two washers and two dryers running from the second we walk in each morning until the second we leave at night to just get through the day’s laundry unexpectedly being squished down to the use of one dryer. As I type this, I can hear poor Chad’s footsteps behind me going back and forth from laundry to laundry, but we’re going to make it!). Anyway, back to the folding…I suddenly heard Honey B angry screaming at the top of her lungs and arrived to find her furious with Willy B, flailing about and then chasing him into the chute, biting at his heels, literally. So we humans put cleaning on hold and spent a bit of time observing from the sidelines to make sure things were resolved with minimal problems. They were.

The seven have added to the bubbling pot much of the day by yelling back at their neighbors, and if the neighbors were actually quiet, yelling extra loud to get a response. But outside of that, they’ve all enjoyed most of the day in the toasty greenhouse, grooming, playing chase with one another, and just soaking up all that magnificent sunshine minus the blustery wind.

After lunch, I caught Jamie just hanging out leisurely on top of a barrel, foot propped on the caging, arm resting in a firehose swing, peaceful, thinking whatever Jamie thoughts she was at the moment. I wish I knew. I asked if I could take a few photos to which she graciously agreed:

It’s somehow already time to prep dinner service for these ten incredible people. Honey B and Willy B seem to have worked out whatever needed working out as I can see them playing a slow motion game of chase…now chimpanzee laughter is ringing through the house as Mave got in on the action and is chasing Willy B. Honestly, I wish humans resolved their issues in a similar fashion. Speak your mind, express your feelings, just say what needs saying and then move on, things resolved for the time. (With maybe an occasional bite. Just kidding. But not really…;) ).

Filed Under: Honey B, Jamie, Sanctuary

In memory of James

March 29, 2021 by Katelyn

This special day of sanctuary is gifted to the chimpanzees from Jen Douglas in memory of her beloved husband, and our dear friend, James Douglas, on his birthday.

“I sponsored this day not because James would want us to remember the day of his passing, this day 2 years ago, but because he would want us to celebrate how he made a difference in this world, for humans and for chimpanzees.  He would be so excited about the upcoming arrival of the new chimps and so proud of what CSNW has achieved in the last 10 years. Slainte James!”

We will soon be breaking ground on “The Bray”, the Young’s Hill version of outdoor habitat made possible by Jen and James for Honey B, Willy B and Mave, as well as the six new chimpanzees who will be arriving soon. J.B. wrote this post last summer detailing all the expansion plans and you can get an idea of what The Bray will look like. And you can read a bit more about what a special human James was and the incredible legacy he left through his path that Jen carries on.

Jen, we’re so grateful to you and James, our friends, for the difference you’ve made and continue to make, both for the chimpanzees dear to your heart, as well as for those to come. Our thoughts are with you and your family today and thank you for allowing us to celebrate James with you. We can’t wait to see some chimpanzees racing around The Bray one day soon!

Jamie and Burrito:

The seven on Young’s Hill, looking southward, toward where The Bray will eventually be:

Mave, watching the new construction in her home:

Honey B, supervising:

Willy B, in the Courtyard:

Jamie:

Filed Under: Construction, Courtyard, Sanctuary, Sponsor-a-day, Volunteers, Young's Hill

Say It Ain’t Snow

March 28, 2021 by Anthony

Today’s weather was wild.

The morning began just as yesterday ended: with golden sunshine and unseasonably high temperatures. The cattle, despite their provisioned hay, were basking in the sun and nibbling on the fresh grass that is just starting to take over the pasture.

Betsy

The only indicator of trouble was a distant wall of clouds sweeping down the valley from the northwest. By noon, however, the skies over the sanctuary grew misty and the breeze picked up. Now, as I sit here hammering out this blog post in the foyer of the Chimp House, snowflakes swirl past the windows and gusts of wind howl overhead. Like a boxer lifting themselves back to their feet after a brutal knockdown, this winter let us know that it isn’t ready to quit just yet.

Looking up the valley towards the Central Cascades

Fortunately, we caregivers had checked the forecast and expected the sunny morning to give way to a blustery afternoon. As soon as we opened up the building, served the morning medications and confirmed that the outdoor areas were secure, we scattered the chimpanzees’ breakfast on Young’s Hill as an outdoor forage, taking advantage of the day’s most agreeable weather. The colorful spread included tangerines, pears, and some pineapple tops (the larger chunks of which went into their daily smoothie).

Missy
Jamie
Jody
Annie
Missy
Foxie

Since only one group of chimps can safely access the Hill at any given moment, Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra went out first. When everyone had gathered up the scattered food, Jamie did her usual patrol of the enclosure’s perimeter and Burrito went inside to goof around with the other chimps and us caregivers.

Burrito

Meanwhile Honey B, Mave and Willy B enjoyed the same breakfast indoors and got the opportunity to use the Courtyard later, just before lunch. Per usual, only Willy B chose to venture out into the open space; the females chose to hang out in the chute and watch the caregivers do chores inside. Honey B was even kind enough to sit still while I took a portrait of her. In exchange, I showed her some chimp photos that I still had on my memory card, including the ones of her. If Honey B was impressed, she hid it well. Honey B

Apart from the volatile weather, today was busy but uneventful. Sometimes it seems like the chimps prefer their days to move that way, with a full itinerary but without anything too unexpected. The right balance of variety and routine is crucial.

Jamie walking the perimeter

Filed Under: Food, Sanctuary, Weather, Young's Hill Tagged With: animal rescue, animal rights, Animal Welfare, chimp, chimp enrichment, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, Cle Elum, Sanctuary, young's hill

Why We Puzzle

March 27, 2021 by Diana

Raise your hand if you like to do puzzles.

There are lots of different kinds – jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, logic puzzles, math puzzles, etc, etc. Remember the Rubik’s Cube fad? Or perhaps you are mechanically-minded and like to figure out how things come apart and go back together. Maybe you’re more of a physical person and you like to do actual obstacle courses. Video games are really electronic puzzles, and we know how popular those are.

There was an increase in humans doing puzzles this last year during the pandemic and lockdowns. I’ve read a few articles about why we humans like to puzzle, and the explanations generally include things like: puzzles provide us with a sense of control, and when we solve a puzzle our biology rewards us with a chemical hit of dopamine. There’s some intriguing research showing there’s more than just a dopamine surge going on in our brains when we we are working on puzzles.

We, as primates, are hardwired to solve problems. We often do it all day long, and even choose to do it in our leisure time.

Why am I talking about this?

At the sanctuary, we provide the chimpanzees with food puzzles. A few of them have been featured in recent videos, like Honey B and Willy B acing Anna’s inspired Slinky Madness puzzle and the video that J.B. shared last week of Honey B  fishing out a peanut from a boomer ball puzzle.

On both of those video posts on social media, there were a couple of comments that questioned whether the chimpanzees were being led to frustration with these puzzles. There was even the notion that the puzzles were cruel.

A long-time blog follower, Dan Oksiuta, responded wonderfully to one such comment by saying, “While the puzzles & caging may appear unnecessarily frustrating, it is reasonable to assume they experience the same emotions of accomplishment & satisfaction as humans completing a difficult task. Treats probably taste better, too.”

Thank you for that, Dan!

The food that we include in food puzzles is a really minuscule amount, and it’s outside of their regular meals, so they aren’t choosing to solve puzzles out of hunger. They have a similar drive as we do and receive similar intrinsic rewards for solving puzzles (plus the sweet reward of a peanut isn’t nothing).

For those who have been following the sanctuary for a while, you already know that Jamie is a chimpanzee who often prefers to use a tool to get food instead of having it handed to her. Jamie’s brain seems especially wired for problem solving.

Just like humans, not all chimpanzees are the same. I don’t think I’ve ever done Sudoku and really most of my puzzling and problem solving is more of a practical nature (i.e. “how can I fit just one more houseplant on this table”).

Burrito used to be pretty bad at solving food puzzles, giving up rather quickly. As the years have passed, though, he’s gotten quite accomplished at puzzle solving. Even in the early days, when his puzzle solving wasn’t what it is today, he was eager for the nightly enrichment.

Negra, who is not known to exert extra energy for much of anything, delights in all sorts of food puzzles; in fact it’s a rare evening when she’s not clapping for her caregivers to hurry up with the distribution of the night enrichment. She might prefer the easier enrichment, like peanut butter in between the pages of magazines, but she’ll engage with even the more challenging puzzles before bedding down for the night.

An aside, take a look at our Enrichment Database for examples of the food puzzles as well as the more generalized enrichment we provide.

Boredom is the ever-lurking nemesis for primates in captivity. It can lead to depression and all sorts of strange behaviors. Providing ways for primates to problem solve is one way to keep boredom at bay.

Actually, you could consider forages to be giant food puzzles. When we spread out food, sometimes hiding it, the chimpanzees have to locate and gather their food, and they are in somewhat of a competition with the others in their group. This is an important skill to have and develop when you are a species that must find ripening fruit in the jungle.

Images or videos of chimpanzees in captivity foraging for food, especially if they are outdoors, rarely if ever results in people commenting that it must be frustrating or questioning why we don’t just hand them food (we do that type of serving too). I think it comes back to our superficial, knee-jerk perceptions of animals in captivity. We want to see them in “natural environments”, not necessarily because that’s what they like the most or what’s the most enriching, but because that’s what makes us feel the best.

So, food puzzles hanging on caging just doesn’t sit right with some people. We hear you. We don’t think chimpanzees should be in captivity either, but they are. I wrote a little post called What is Natural a long time ago that addressed something similar.

The thing is, a chimpanzee working on a food puzzle indoors in captivity is a good thing, as long as they also have access to the outdoors, live in a social group, and have a wide variety of other ways to alleviate boredom and do the things they are hardwired to do. It’s as least as natural as a human solving a Sudoku puzzle on their couch.

Here are some photos from today of chimpanzees problem solving:

Foxie with a purpose:

Jody with her forage haul, heading back to the greenhouse:

Jody experiencing the sweet rewards of a successful forage:

Willy B is still the only one of his group of three who will venture into the open Courtyard. Mave and Honey B are more comfortable inside and in the Chute. We’ll be thinking of ways to help them look at the outdoors differently and are hopeful that their expanded space will help, but, in the meantime, we make sure the spaces they do spend their time in have lots of things for them to do.

The next two photos aren’t great, but they show that we put some lettuce on top of the Chute for Mave and Honey B while Willy B went into the Courtyard to get his lettuce.

The photo below is of Mave up high in the Chute pulling the lettuce through. She spends a lot of time with this food puzzle, which we’ve just recently introduced:

Honey B really likes to “groom” pebbles out of our boots. There’s no food reward, but she clearly gets a lot of satisfaction out of this task.

J.B. put lettuce at the top of the structure to entice Willy B to do some extra climbing in the Courtyard.

Sometimes it’s fun to watch other people work. Here’s Mave and Honey B watching J.B. painting murals on the other side of the window.

 

Filed Under: Courtyard, Enrichment, Featured Post, Food, Foxie, Honey B, Jamie, Jody, Mave, Negra, Sanctuary, Tool Use, Willy B Tagged With: animal protection, animal rescue, Animal Welfare, chimp enrichment, chimpanzee, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, primate protection, primate rescue

Jamie is not “most chimpanzees”

March 26, 2021 by J.B.

This morning, I was sweeping paper and other garbage into a pile in the playroom when Jamie started gesturing towards to me. It’s typical of her to ask for drinks from the hose while we clean but we hadn’t pulled the hose out yet. I soon realized that she was gesturing towards the pile of garbage, and upon closer inspection I saw that I had swept up some torn out and crumpled pages from one of her boot books. She wasn’t done with those yet! I picked them up and she ran excitedly to the day nest she had made in the corner of one of the front rooms. As I handed the pages to her, she emitted a low moan and stuffed them into her pelvic pocket.

Later, while scrubbing the floors, Diana pointed towards Jamie in the front rooms and suggested that I come take a look. She had filled a bucket with water from the lixit fountain, dumped her primate chow into the water, and was stirring the concoction with a plastic tube. She then used to tube to sip the chow water from the bucket and emitted a low moan each time she popped a soaked chow biscuit into her mouth.

She’s definitely her own person. So it should have come as no surprise when Diana caught Jamie taking carrot-peeling matters into her own hands the other day.

Filed Under: Boots, Enrichment, Intelligence, Jamie, Latest Videos Tagged With: chimpanzee, intelligence, Jamie, northwest, rescue, Sanctuary, tool use

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