As Sabrina said yesterday, sanctuary is often all about enjoying the small things.
For Jamie, having a LOT of small things gives her even more enjoyment 🙂
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by Diana
As Sabrina said yesterday, sanctuary is often all about enjoying the small things.
For Jamie, having a LOT of small things gives her even more enjoyment 🙂
by Sabrina
If there’s one universal truth we learn when we work with animals, it’s the fleeting nature of life. One moment, everything seems perfect, and the next, you’re grappling with the unexpected loss of a beloved friend. Their absence is felt for days, weeks, and even years after they’re gone. This poignant experience also teaches us to never take the small things for granted and to cherish the moments of joy that come our way.
by Diana
We’re sorry to share that Nutmeg has passed away. This is the worst kind of news to share. I always worry about the impact of unexpected news on you all because I know how much you care about the animals here. And while we’ve had longer to absorb the reality of the situation, it’s coming at you all at once.
I know you’ll have a lot of questions, and I’m afraid that we just don’t have definitive answers in the case of Nutmeg. We did all we could for him and made the very tough decision to no longer prolong his discomfort, despite being left unsure about why his body failed him.
Dr. Erin, who has lost more than one night of sleep over the last few days, wrote the below about Nutmeg and her job in caring for him and his family.
Erin touched on this point, but I will add that it’s unusual to see adult male dairy cattle because the males are not economically useful to the industry. Dairy cattle have been bred with maximum milk production as the goal, and this genetic selection has resulted in males growing quickly and becoming very large. Nutmeg was so big that we had trouble finding a hoof trimmer with equipment that could accommodate his frame. While he was overall healthy in his time with us, we knew that his lifespan would likely not be incredibly long because of his size.
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From Erin:
I learned in veterinary school that I didn’t want to work with “farm” animals. I knew I wasn’t cut out to have a production value attached to my patients. Naive? Perhaps. But here I am, almost 35 years later, and the concept of inherent worth is still one I apply to all my patients, all animals, for that matter, no matter what species. My practice has focused on “companion” animals, dogs, cats and horses, and now, of course, chimpanzees. In 2018 when the sanctuary welcomed 4 beautiful Jersey cattle to the sanctuary, I thought, “ok Zamzow, here’s another species you aren’t familiar with to learn about!”Â
Heck, I learned about pigs by rescuing four of them so why not cattle too! Well, that knowledge from my “food” animal (now called “agricultural” animal) classes and rotations was buried alongside a few other traumatic experiences in my life. Yet, as once learned factoids tend to do, it bubbled up here and there and continues to be bolstered by online lectures, helpful, supportive, colleagues and, the best instruction of all, lived experience. I’m no expert by a long shot and I’d be lost without my cattle vet peeps (including the amazing and recently retired Dr. Mike Fuller here in Ellensburg) and colleagues from various veterinary school teaching hospitals.Â
I have come to cherish my time with our little herd. Getting to know them, their personalities, likes and dislikes and monitoring the health and well-being of these beautiful bovines is a pleasure and I often get ‘delayed’ in the barn or pasture because I enjoy being with them so much. These cattle get to exist free from the obligation to provide anything for humans-except of course, their natural grazing abilities that help to keep the property clear of excess fire fuel. Â
When the herd came to the sanctuary in early November of 2018, Nutmeg was not even 4 years old and already twice as big as his mother Betsy. In most dairy operations, a calf is separated from their mother anywhere from a few hours to a few days from birth, a traumatic event for both mother and baby. Fortunately some dairies leave cow and calf together for longer periods but they are still weaned earlier than if the decision were left up to mama and baby. In Nutmeg and Betsy’s case, the nursing went on, even if occasionally, for over 4 years. We rarely saw Nutmeg nurse after the herd came to CSNW but every so often someone would report seeing him sneak a sip from mom. Eventually, things ran their course and the milk bar closed for good.Â
This week has been a particularly tough one for all of us that love these cattle. Monday morning, Nutmeg was laying on his side in front of the barn and couldn’t get up. Cattle can and do lay on their sides once in a while but normally sleep in a ‘sternal’ position with their head curled around toward their back legs. Because of their size and the weight, like most megafauna, it’s not safe to lay on their sides for very long. Nerve and muscle damage can occur on their down side and the force of gravity causes blood to pool in the down side lungs. There is also the risk for ‘bloat’, a build up of gas in the rumen that can be life threatening. A normal adult bovine rumen holds about 40 gallons of fluid/ingesta, a lot of weight in that abdomen that puts pressure on other internal organs if they are in the same position for too long.Â
A “downer cow” is situation usually seen in cows after they have given birth and can be due to mineral imbalances or nerve damage sustained in delivery. In cattle on pasture, it can occur due to injury or a sudden shift in diet from hay to pasture that creates a drop in magnesium. It can be a hard condition to diagnose and sometimes, they just get down in the wrong position on an incline and can’t get their feet back under them. Â
We immediately got to work to turn Nutmeg onto his other side and then get him in a sternal position – no easy feat when dealing with a 2000 lb animal, but JB and Diana are amazingly creative when it comes to figuring out what one of our residents needs. We checked electrolyte and mineral levels, administered IV and oral electrolytes, dextrose and anti-inflammatory medications and monitored his vital signs closely. When a large animal is down, it’s important that they be watched continually in case they hurt themselves trying to get up. Nutmeg was propped up and watched around the clock with staff and volunteer Anthony taking shifts throughout the day and night. He was blanketed, brushed and doted on.  JB was able to fashion a sling with some firehose so he could be lifted for short periods to take the weight off his legs. I did acupuncture and laser treatments on him as well which he initially seemed to respond to. Â
Nutmeg ate and drank water, chewed his cud and made valiant efforts to rise but by Wednesday afternoon, it was clear that he was exhausted and had sustained too much damage to his hind legs to recover. His appetite waned and the look in his eye changed. He spent his last night on a massive bed of straw in the barn, with his mama and Honey by his side and Meredith in her recovery pen just a few feet away. Staff visited and said their goodbyes and yesterday afternoon he was peacefully freed from his body and laid to rest surrounded by love. Â
Our hearts are broken and we will miss our beautiful, gentle giant so much. I am deeply thankful that he and his herd were sent to sanctuary instead of back to the dairy industry and that he was able to spend the last 5 1/2 years of his life grazing the pastures of this beautiful sanctuary with his family. Â
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We don’t talk about this much, but J.B. and I became vegan after first meeting chimpanzees and contemplating that line that humanity has historically drawn between “us” and “animals” and learning about industrial agriculture. We’re not perfect or pure vegans by any means, so perhaps the term plant-based is more appropriate, but we came to the decision from an animal welfare perspective, as did Dr. Erin many years ago. I think there are different ways of looking at personal food choices, and we certainly don’t expect everyone to come to the same decisions, but everyone should know what’s involved in producing the food they eat.
Our nearest neighbor manages a beef cattle ranch that harkens back to an older way of farming, where the cattle graze freely and contentedly. The calves stay with their moms and herds for some time before being separated, but, ultimately it’s still a for-profit business and they are separated and sold. This neighbor was more than happy to help us with Nutmeg when we first discovered our tractor was not strong enough to fully lift him off the ground. He brought his tractor over and helped us lift Nutmeg in the hopes that we could help him stand again. We are extremely grateful for Austin’s help, generosity, and undertanding.
It seems fitting to end this post with one of the last photos that Katelyn took of Nutmeg with his mom:
He will forever be her baby.
by Chad de Bree
A recent study conducted by researchers from Tufts University and Harvard University analyzed play and its importance in wild chimpanzees from Kibale National Forest. They found when food is scarce, adult chimpanzees cease to play with other adults. Adults in the wild are not inherently prone to play as is, so this finding wasn’t too surprising for researchers. What they did find interesting was though adults stop playing with other adults and focus on survival during hard times to find food, mothers will continue to play with their offspring even though they too are in a struggle to find food.
Play is important to chimpanzees, especially for the children. Playing with not just others in their same age bracket, playing with adults help juveniles to build social skills as well as it’s just a good form of exercise. This finding mirrors the what has been found in humans. Play with their parents is important to children. By playing with parents at a very early age, children, both human and chimpanzee, learn what is socially acceptable as play and the correct way to interact with others.
Though play amongst adults in the wild is sparse, in captivity, it is a whole different story. As you know, the chimpanzees here love to play, both with each other and their human caregivers. It is one way they manage their relationship with each other. Some even use play as a way to reconcile after a fight. Granted things would probably be completely different had they been able to be born in the wild and raised by their mothers. That is a scenario I earnestly wish was the scenario even though I would not be here today had that been the case. You would be hard pressed to find any sanctuary caregiver who wouldn’t wish they didn’t have their job if that meant those in their care were born wild and free. Reality, however, stinks sometimes. I can’t ignore the fact this is their lives.
Diana once wrote about the internal struggle caregivers face caring for chimpanzees. Though we love our jobs in taking care of them in a setting away from biomedical testing, we can’t help but feel a sadness that this is it. They won’t be able to travel miles upon miles a day. The won’t be able to fission off and go on adventures with those whom they choose from a community anywhere from 10 to 200 individuals, and return to the group at large when they wish. That is why enrichment is a crucial component in caring for captive chimpanzees. It helps provide variety and entertainment. It helps break up the monotony from day to day.
That being said, I hope you enjoy the video of some of the ways the chimpanzees are kept busy. And yes! I am over the moon Missy has decided to play with me more. I used to only get one good interaction with her a year. Two if I am really lucky. In fact, Missy has just been playing with everybody more; both chimpanzee and human. Not naming names, but there is one individual who seems jealous when she does decide to play with me and other caregivers.
Second note about the video. YES! That is indeed Honey B you see out on the Bray. Though it was a disagreement with Gordo that brought her out there, it was her own free will that kept her outside. All together she was outside a little over 10 minutes, most of which was by herself. There is some hope that she will decide sooner rather than later to go outside with out the chaos of a fight bringing her out there.
Here are some bonus photos from today’s lunch forage on Young’s Hill!
Missy
Annie and Burrito
Gordo
Foxie
Jamie
And last but certainly not least…
Queen Negra
by Kelsi
Rayne is known to be one of our more socially savvy chimps, it’s kind of her superpower. She is exceptionally good at reading what her group members need in the moment. Rayne is particularly good with Willy B, who has been known to be socially awkward. Their friendship has really grown over the years and it is so special to watch. Sometimes when Willy B seems to be getting worked up, Rayne can get him to start playing and make Willy B forget about causing a ruckus! It takes an extremely observant individual to read someone and know when to leave it or when to step in, Rayne is just one of those individuals.
Rayne and Willy B:
Rayne and Honey B:
Rayne and Mave:
Rayne and Lucky:
And the photos of Rayne could go on and on :). Rayne really is one really special chimp and we are sooo lucky to know her!
by Anna
I’ve been sitting on this fun video for a perfect quick blog on a busy meeting day. Burrito brings out all his silliness when he plays with his Jolly Ball! We’ve seen countless moments like this one in the last few months since he got this new toy.
by Katelyn
We are so thankful to long-time friend of the chimpanzees, bovines, and humans, Kathleen Corby, who graciously sponsored this day of sanctuary in honor of the life of Emory University primatologist, Frans de Waal, and his incredible legacy.
“I just discovered the saddest of news. On March 14th we lost Frans de Waal from this earth. Mama is still one of my most beloved chimpanzee people. I still say in my head “Mama and Monique. Monique and Mama” when I see the love and tight bonds between mother and daughter in animals or even in the deep bonds I share with the dogs I love. I’d like my dear friends at CSNW to celebrate his life today. Here’s to the emotions and intelligence in ALL of us! Thank you Frans de Waal.”
To read more about Frans’s life and impact, you may be interested in Emory University’s remembrance. And for a heartfelt perspective closer to home, read Chad’s wonderful blog from yesterday.
Willy B:
Annie and Burrito embracing in excitement and reassurance on their first day outside, on Young’s Hill:
Negra:
Mora (Dora and Mave):
Jamie with her arm around Jody:
Honey B:
Annie play biting Burrito:
Foxie and her doll:
Missy, pausing, as she often does, in Jody’s lilac grove, where she is buried.
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