Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Archives for May 2022

New Friendships and Lots o’ Play!

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We’ve talked a lot about the introductions of Honey B’s and Lucky’s groups on the blog over the last few months. After opening the last door 12 days ago, we have been watching as they sort out their social dynamics and build the trust needed to be a cohesive group. It is still very early in the process and we cannot pretend to know what the future will bring, but we can have hope! A common phrase heard almost daily throughout the chimp house, along with talking about how proud we are of the 9 chimpanzees, is- so far so good!

Integrating the two groups provides multiple benefits to everyone, with a key benefit being an increase in social partners. Each person now has eight other individuals they can choose to hang out with (or not), which provides increased opportunities for friendship, play, and all the other benefits that can come from having a bigger social group. As they figure out their place in the new social structure, we have been able to watch new friendships form and bonds strengthen. Some of these have been surprising (go, Mave!) and some have been more expected based on previous smaller introductions.

Today, I was able to catch an amazing moment of play between Honey B and Rayne on camera. It was lunchtime, they weren’t at the meal, and when we went looking for them we couldn’t help but smile. 🙂 Check out the video to see why!

 

 

It’s a Day for Celebrations!

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Today is a day to celebrate mothers for all they do! Caregiver Katelyn said it best when she told me “There are 101 ways to be a mother”. So however you relate to this holiday, if you find yourself in such a role – cheers to you.

Mother’s Day is also the perfect time to celebrate the mother’s of the sanctuary, which includes: Negra, Missy, Jody, Foxie, Annie, Honey, and Betsy. Negra, Missy, Jody, Foxie, and Annie were not allowed the opportunity to raise their children, but all their living children are happy and safe in sanctuaries. They make our lives better every day, and we are so lucky to know them.

It’s also a very special day today, as we celebrate Jody’s honorary birthday! She is turning 47 today and spent the day doing some of her favorite things- foraging on the hill, eating watermelon bowls, and spending time with her group. There is no better day to celebrate Jody than Mother’s Day, as she fulfills the motherly role in her group- always making sure everyone is taken care of and safe. We love you, Jo, happy birthday!

We would also like to thank our longtime supporter Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring the day in honor of Jody’s Birthday. We are so grateful for you!

Mave’s Feminist Uprising

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Mave is currently living her best life. She seems to thrive in a larger group with more chimpanzees to interact with and look after. These last few days, she’s virtually never alone.

The video above is of a very fun play session between Mave and Rayne, but the blog post title is more about these two stories…

You may remember from a blog written by J.B. entitled “It’s Only Natural” that Terry and Dora are the only two chimpanzees who express a certain natural behavior. We know from their former caregivers at Wildlife Waystation that they haven’t always done this – they did it for a while, stopped for a very long time, then started again in recent years. Terry only requests that Dora mate when food is brought out for meals. Yep, food is VERY exciting for chimpanzees. From our observations so far, Dora is not always in the mood for Terry’s advances, but she eventually gives in to his requests.

Enter Dora’s new friend Mave.

Mave, apparently, is not willing to tolerate Terry’s behavior and will not only yell at Terry if she catches him requesting Dora to copulate, but will physically “protect” Dora. Chad wrote up the first instance of this the other day. To quote Chad, “Mave began screaming at Terry, and blocked Dora from him via hugging her.” She apparently spent the rest of lunch guarding Dora while also trying to reconcile with Terry. At that point, Terry was more interested in lunch. He did reassure Mave that all was okay, and did not make another attempt that day.

We’ll have to see how this plays out in the end, but I can tell you that the female humans at the sanctuary were feeling a certain feminine solidarity with Mave.

 

The second story is from last night when everyone was getting ready for bed. I was watching on the remote security cameras. Every night prior to last night, Mave, Willy B, and Honey B have slept in one of the Front Rooms while the six chimpanzees from the other group spread out among the two playrooms.

Last night, Cy was still up taking some alone time (or so he thought) in the Mezzanine. I watched as Mave gathered some blankets from the Marmot Mountain Playroom. I expected her to take her large pile of blankets through the Mezzanine and down through the door in the floor that connects to the Front Rooms. What she did instead was make a nest right in the “cubby” of the Mezzanine, blocking the door that connects it to Marmot Mountain. She made a beautiful nest and lied down.

A few minutes later, Cy approached where she was lying down. It was clear to me that he wanted to vacate the Mezzanine. Mave, however, remained lying down, not moving a muscle. He got a little closer and patiently waited again. Still no movement from Mave. After about ten minutes, he climbed over her to get out the door. She still didn’t move.

Mave is a female figure that we all can admire. She’s a friend to everyone but is strong and confident in her position.

If you haven’t already, I suggest you celebrate Mave by getting a Mave hoodie. I will wear mine with even more pride and admiration now.

May Birthdays!

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May birthday wishes have not been forsaken! Happy May Birthdays, friends! Though apologies for any belated birthday wishes to those of you who celebrate your special day early in the month!

And what a month to celebrate, as your beautiful “birthday twins” are Jody, whose birthday we celebrate on Mother’s Day (May 8th this year) and Mave, whose birthday is celebrated on May 27th! You lucky human birthday twins! We can’t imagine our lives without these two strong, intelligent, beautiful and endearing chimpanzee women. And we cannot imagine their lives without you.

Beautiful, sweet Jody is turning 47 this year! We choose to celebrate Jody on Mother’s Day in honor of the nine children she gave birth to while in biomedical research. Though she was never allowed to raise her own children, her mothering heart surrounds the members of the family she finds herself with. My heart sings every time I see her race to the closest log that sits immediately outside the raceway entrance to Young’s Hill, where she often sits in the morning sun and scans her group’s outdoor habitat for any overnight happenings, keeping a close eye on her fellow chimpanzee friends. She has an endearing habit of racing after and collecting her good friend, Foxie, if she deems for any reason that it’s in Foxie’s best interest to return to the safety of the greenhouse.

If you’ve followed us for awhile, you may recall that we typically celebrate Jody’s special day (and honor all our chimpanzee mamas, their children, and their own lost childhoods) with a glorious and abundant lilac forage! It remains to be seen, but our extended stay from winter may have us enjoying a belated lilac season, but perhaps that’s apropos for this blog! 😉 Rest assured, their celebration will be befitting the incredible person Jody is!

Foxie, during a past year’s celebration:

And Negra:

And Missy, who perhaps loves lilacs most of all:

And then there’s marvelous, magnificent Mave, who will be turning 33! Mave is an amazing woman. She can be quiet and reserved with two exceptions: she has the most heart-singing, wonderful food squeaks at breakfast time that ring throughout the chimp house, and when she takes a mind to speak up for herself or her chimpanzee friends in need, she doesn’t hold back.

You’ve probably heard us sing Mave’s praises numerous times in regard to her ability to calm and reassure her fellow chimps, especially during challenging times like introductions. For someone born and raised in captivity, I’ll never know just how she navigates chimp society and politics so well. I think it’s just how her amazing heart beats in life.

Honey B enjoying her first lilacs:

And as an added celebration bonus, May also happens to be Jody’s look-alike son’s birthday! Gorgeous Clay, who resides at Save the Chimps in Florida, will be turning 35 on May 20th! Clay also happens to be Burrito’s half-brother as they share the same father, Mack. With those stunning eyes, there’s no doubt who Clay’s mama is (*photo courtesy of Save the Chimps). We are so happy that Clay is safe and loved in his sanctuary home:

May this to be a hopeful, inspiring and joyful time for you all, abundant in all the good things big and small, just as you help ensure for Jody, Mave, and each of the sixteen amazing chimpanzee people (and bovines!) who call the sanctuary their home. We truly appreciate you!

The Little Things

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It has officially been one week (!) since Kelsi opened the final door that separated Honey B’s group and Lucky’s group. Like she wrote in yesterday’s blog, the staff over the last year have worked extremely hard to provide these two groups with tools to succeed through months of smaller introductions. The true credit, though, goes to the chimps as we watch them work hard to build the relationships and trust that is needed for the foundation of one cohesive group of nine chimpanzees.

The emotions of this last week have hit all the apes here in the chimp house, but taking things day-by-day has allowed us to better manage these emotions and has also provided us the ability to celebrate the little wins along the way. So, one week down and so far so good is something to celebrate indeed!

No matter the day, sometimes it really is the little things that can bring the most happiness – whether it be a moment of play between Dora and Mave, catching Negra asleep cuddled up under her blankets, or Jamie looking you in the eyes with her all-knowing gaze. These moments can take your breath away.

Terry and Mave sharing a sweet moment of grooming in the Oakwood Greenhouse this afternoon.

Lucky relaxing in the Oakwood Greenhouse.

And, on the other side of the chimp house, Jamie is still always watching. 🙂

And often kicking back, relaxing, and making sure her caregivers are staying on task.

In memory of Layla

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Long-time friends of the sanctuary, Lisa and Rich Stuverud, sponsored this beautiful day of sanctuary in memory of their precious Labrador, Layla.

“Layla was born on May 5th, 14 years ago and we knew she was ours to love from day one. It was true unconditional love. Her passing is still quite raw in our hearts and minds. We always celebrated her birthday and it just seems right to continue celebrating her life and sharing our love for her with our love for CSNW…she was with us when we read the blogs, she watched and listened to many a pant hooting video with the classic dog head tilt, she made every road trip to the sanctuary with us and waited patiently in the “Lab Cab” while we dropped off chimpanzee enrichment and food favorites. We just want to share and celebrate unconditional love today. We hope everyone gets to experience it at some point in their lives.”

Lisa and Rich, we’re sending our deepest condolences for the loss of your beloved family member, Layla. Thank you so much for allowing us to celebrate what a special being she was with you and for sharing something beautiful to smile about as we envision her through your heart. We’re so happy to know she was part of the chimps’ extended family!

Honey B:

Foxie hootin’:

Jamie:

Burrito:

Lucky, Dora and Rayne:

Some Things Never Change

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As we cautiously move forward with the group of 9 chimps, we are all trying to adjust to a “new” normal for schedules, shifting, and cleaning. Though we don’t know what the future holds for this group, I do want to express that even though we are “cautiously optimistic,” the chimps have worked so hard to build these relationships and their hard work has paid off! We are so proud of them and the way they have been able to navigate difficult social situations so far! While we humans may have helped facilitate these meet ups, they really deserve all the credit for making this group become nine, especially Cy! That guy really knows how to defuse a situation!

Meanwhile, on Jamie’s side of the building, some things never change. This morning Jamie took a nice leisurely stroll while I drove the gator beside her. Burrito and Missy chased each other up Young’s Hill as Annie followed peacefully behind. I took great comfort in doing something so familiar while we have all this change happening. So if today you needed something familiar to ground you and bring you comfort, I hope this video of the chimps on the Hill bring you some joy.

Don’t forget today is the last day for GiveBIG! We are so close to our goal, and you can help us get there!! Also, check out the article written about us in the Yakima Herald!

Grace took these awesome photos of Rayne relaxing in a box in the Oakwood greenhouse: