Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Is there anyone sweeter than Annie? I think not!
Take a few minutes to share some moments with our beloved Annie. From a play session with Burrito, to a lovely afternoon breeze in her nest, a drink from the hose (perfect for summertime!) and a shouting match with the neighbors!
Sounds like a pretty good day, to me.
After yesterday’s doll party extravaganza, it got me thinking about Foxie and the many iterations of dolls she has gone through. This afternoon I dug deep into the blog and found what I think is the first mention of Foxie and dolls on July 14th, 2008. Starting with the now famous, pink haired troll doll, eventually dubbed “Trixie.”
Looking back also leads me to believe that Foxie found her passion for Dora the Explorer Dolls sometime in 2011. The first blog that I could find from a quick search was her carrying Dora on Christmas Eve of that year. Please correct me if I’m wrong dear avid blog readers!
Foxie has also had an array of random dolls over the years. I found this old video of Baby John as an example.
Strawberry Shortcake Dolls made their first appearance in Foxie’s life, starting in 2017 with this purple haired girl:
Yesterday, volunteer Cate brought a new Gabby Doll to Foxie and we gave it to her as an early morning birthday present. It’s always fun to see where Foxie’s taste in dolls will lead. Which toy manufacturer will benefit from her passions next?
Happiest of birthdays to our beloved Foxie Chimpanzee!
Today’s sponsor-a-day comes in the form of supporter Jayne P. sending Foxie well wishes on her special day.
In Jane’s words: “Happy Birthday to my Chimpanzee Pal Foxie!!! 48 years young on Aug. 8 and going strong. Best wishes for this beautiful girl for many years to come.”
Thank you Jane for being one of Foxie’s Pals and for sponsoring this day of sanctuary in her honor! Stay tuned to the blog to learn all about Foxie’s big day of celebration!
Wow, have we had a jam packed week and it’s only Wednesday! We had a procedure on Monday, a presentation on Tuesday, and Foxie’s birthday tomorrow!
Speaking of presentations, some of our favorite outreach events are the ones in our community! Yesterday Jenna, Grace, and I participated in the Summer Reading Program at the Carpenter Memorial Library in Cle Elum, hosted by the Cle Elum Fire Department. The Summer Reading Program has an array of different guest speakers that cover topics from learning about bee keeping, to exploring the fire station, to learning about wildlife tracking from Fish and Wildlife, and of course learning about the chimps!
Grace, Jenna, and I had different interactive stations for the kids to go to. For the first station, we showed the kids how to make enrichment for the chimps like raisin boards, paper braids, and fire hose knots! The second station was learning how to build a nest, which is always so fun to learn about, but obviously we had a nest building competition. For our third station we taught everyone about chimp vocalizations & behaviors, which obviously we taught everyone how to pant hoot!
Jenna teaching how to make raisin boards:
Here is Grace showing everyone an amazing nest she built:
Anna had to work yesterday, but Luna stopped by and built her own nest. I would say Anna has taught Luna well:
Here I am showing different vocalizations:
Thank you to the Carpenter Memorial Library and the Cle Elum Fire Department for having us! We had such a blast being apart of the community and teaching everyone about the chimps we love so dearly!
Bonus photo of Jamie:
Here is Willy B in recovery today! He is doing well and enjoying his stories on the TV:
On Sunday, August 18th, the first episode of a new four-part documentary called Chimp Crazy will debut on HBO and stream on Max. You may have already seen the trailer or seen promotions about the series.
It was produced by Eric Goode, who also produced Tiger King.
I am guessing a lot of you are now saying to yourself that there’s no way you will be watching it.
I completely understand that response, especially after watching the trailer, which includes some difficult clips:
Though it will surely be sensationalized and is meant to bring in viewers who are watching for entertainment, we’ve heard that it also tells the story of why primates should not be pets. It has the potential to make a positive difference, reaching people who don’t already care about this issue. See the page on the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) website about the documentary.
We want to know if you plan to watch, if you’d be interested in joining a discussion group about the series, and if you are aware of a bill in Congress right now, the Captive Primate Safety Act, that would protect primates from these types of exploitative situations.
Fill out this questionnaire to let us know your thoughts.
I know regular readers will want to know that Willy B is doing fine after his little procedure yesterday (does the fact that chimpanzees bite each others digits off provide a reason why they do not make good pets??!!).
I went up to check on him through the window of his private suite last night and we were also watching him on the security cameras. He had a long and deep sleep.
Chad reported that Willy B was raring to go back with his group this morning, against Dr. Erin’s orders. Willy B is notoriously difficult to give medication to, but the determined and creative staff managed to get him to take his meds in sweetened peanut butter today.
Here’s a photo Ellen just took of him in his recovery room, looking at his reflection in her phone (and, full disclosure, licking his stitched up toe, not pictured):
One of the amazing things about sanctuary work is how it brings together so many different people. Individuals with different skills, backgrounds, and interests collaborate to ensure that all the residents of CSNW receive the top-notch care that they deserve. From behaviorists, to veterinarians, to anthropologists, to dentists, to ultrasound experts, to fundraising gurus- it truly takes a village.
And, in this line of work, it takes a village of people who are always ready to step in and help- no matter the day, time, or situation. Today was one of those days where we needed the village. 🙂
During a fight yesterday, Willy B sustained a traumatic near-amputation of the tip of a toe on his right foot. In other words, someone bit the end of his toe off but it was still attached. This was clearly a wound that was not going to heal easily or comfortably on its own without surgical intervention. After seeing the wound, Ellen, Chad, and Krissy immediately worked together to get Willy B isolated in the front rooms to better assess it and contacted the staff who weren’t on site. Erin and JB got to work on the logistics of the procedure.
Unexpected plot twist: a caveat of working with nonhuman primates is that we have to take very seriously not exposing the chimps to any illness that we might have. If we feel like we are coming down with a cold, sore throat, etc., we are not in the chimp house until we feel better. You likely have seen photos of staff wearing masks, which is a precaution we take since chimpanzees are so susceptible to human illnesses. Sunday morning we learned that JB and Diana would be out due to illness and yesterday evening we learned that Erin wasn’t well either, so the three of them would have to avoid the chimp house if at all possible.
It’s for this very reason that Dr. Erin and the team here at the sanctuary have worked so hard to establish a network of veterinarians, physicians, technicians, and nurses that can lend a hand or even take over entirely when primary veterinary staff aren’t available. It’s also the reason why Dr. Erin includes roles for staff members in every procedure, even when she has enough support, so that we all feel comfortable jumping in to help when it’s truly needed. Like today.
While Dr. Erin worked to put together a team for the procedure, we were also navigating the logistics of staffing to meet the needs for the chimp house. We needed people in the clinic and we also needed people taking care of our three bovines and other 14 chimps- cleaning, laundry, meds prep, meal prep, enrichment, etc. Since today is Monday, half of our staff were also on their weekends. Kelsi, Jenna, and Anna all sacrificed their Sunday to come in and help with the procedure and also with the running of the day.
Dr. Erin is amazing for a lot of reasons- not just because she is so wonderful at her job. From last night to this morning, she was able to put together a team of experts from her network for today’s procedure. Today, we had the pleasure of working with Dr. Donna Mensching (DVM and CSNW board member!), Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Spencer Soffe (CRNA), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), and Jessica Mace (LVT). This was my first procedure that Erin hasn’t been on site for and I realized how much I’ve taken for granted the comfort that comes with having her here, because we all know she would do anything for these guys. I think I can speak for all of us, though, that as soon as the team she assembled arrived we all immediately felt like Willy B was in great hands. The team worked together to ensure Willy B got the best care. The last two bones in the injured toe were removed in order to get good wound closure and optimal healing and we will be keeping a close eye on him as it heals.
Dr. Donna Mensching working on Willy B’s toe:
Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), and Kelsi (Outreach Coordinator and also now X-Ray Technician?!) getting x-rays on his foot before toe amputation:
From left to right: Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Jessica Mace (LVT), Spencer Soffe (CRNA), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), & Dr. Donna Mensching (DVM)
The procedure went smooth and Willy B has been recovering very well. As I write this, Ellen and Kelsi are by his room keeping an eye on him. 🙂
A huge thank you to everyone who helped today run so smoothly. This is a darn good village to be a part of.
