Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
I love every part about Jamie. She is bossy, bold, determined, smart, independent, curious, and even abrupt. However, I adore the softer side of Jamie, when she allows her more vulnerable side to show. There is something deeply moving about witnessing when Jamie lets her guard down and relaxes.
Please enjoy this very close up photo series of Jamie! I think it shows her relaxed but curious side 🙂
It is really interesting watching the chimpanzees throughout the day. Whether it is onsite at the sanctuary, or checking in on the security cameras. After witnessing all the great moments such play and grooming, and even the bad moments like fights, there really is no other term to describe them other than “family.”
Families play. Families take care of each other. And families fight, whether with each other or side-by-side one another. Though there has been some instability in Cy’s group, which led to our reintegration plan, I still can’t help but to view them as a family unit. Though the fights can be a stress inducing event and seem like it dominates the day, that’s not necessarily the case. The good moments outweigh the bad by a landslide.
As we moved forward with the reintegration process, we have seen some magnificent moments with the chimps. Though we wish this process would eliminate all the fighting, we are realistic that it won’t stop all of the fighting. Though the real underlying hope is for the fighting to be reduced from the level it was. Personally, I think it’s working. A good chunk of fights we have seen in the past few months have mostly been just screaming and hollering at each other.
What initiated this train of thought? This photo I took a couple weeks ago:
One day, when lunch was brought out, Rayne reached toward Willy B for some reassurance, and this was the outcome. To me it looks a lot like the American Sign Language sign for “friends” if two people were to make the sign together. Here is a photo of a memorial of Washoe making that sign at Friendship Park in Ellensburg.
To me it’s kind of a reminder that there is always beauty in a chaotic world.
Here are some other old photos I found on my phone taken over the course of several months.
Willy B
Annie
Terry
Negra
Lucky
Cy
Mave
Honey B
Jamie’s Group watching TV
Firehose Cube
Sanctuary Wildlife
Barn Kitty in hunting mode
I know some of you are wondering where I have been for a while. There was always some sense of happiness anytime one of the other caregivers let me know people have been inquiring about my whereabouts. No, I didn’t quit or get fired. No, I wasn’t in a coma. No, I wasn’t off galavanting around the Cascades with Barn Kitty or any of the other wild conspiracies some of some of you had… Though I do wish one of those were the case, especially the BK scenario.
The uneventful, boring reason is I got injured while working. It happens at any workplace and no matter the safety precaution, these’s always that small chance. Hello, I am that small chance. I have been recovering for a little bit and am starting to ease back into doing full Chimp House duties. It’s been one step at a time but I am ecstatic that the trend is swinging toward the right direction. I also want to emphasize this was NOT chimp related. It was on my own.
I do want to take this time to thank literally everyone. From my amazing fellow caregivers to the co-directors, and yes, even to you, our dedicated, loving blog readers. My fellow caregivers really rose up to continue our same level of care for the chimps and cattle being down one caregiver for such a prolonged time. Hence the title of this blog. They are my beasts of burden. Plus I had happen to be listening to The Rolling Stones when this was typed. I will be forever grateful to them for their strength and determination, as well as understanding that when I did come back, I would have to ease into everything at a slow pace. Or at least it has been slow to my liking.
I am looking forward to continue caring for the chimpanzees and bovine side-by-side with my team at full capacity when it’s time. Hashtag New Year, New Me.
ONE LAST SUPER BONUS PHOTO
Remember that time Burrito first climbed the tree and nobody was able to get footage of it until later?
I got this when it was announced on the radio that he was in the tree and I was serving lunch to Negra. This is the only known footage of that day!
*Sorry if some of the images maybe repeats or similar to others in the past few months. I forgot who I gave photos to publish for the blog and what photos have been used.
Two things I know about chimps:
1. Whatever it is, they will find a way to break it.
2. If you want something from them, they will give it to you…for a price.
Ellen has been coming up with some really cool food puzzles lately. One, named the hanging holey lid, involves a 5-gallon bucket lid that the chimps have to rotate to reveal food beneath. The chimps discovered that the lids come with thin peel-off strips around their circumference, and they were very entertained by peeling them off and using them to floss their teeth. There’s nothing particularly dangerous about these strips of plastic but they weren’t meant to be given to the chimps so we decided to retrieve them.
Most chimps will trade for juice. But Cy had to raise the stakes…
Yesterday, Krissy posted a video of Rayne getting snow snacks following our first snowfall here at the sanctuary on November 17th.
You can tell in that video that the sky was a bit overcast. With a few notable exceptions, that’s how the sky has looked for most of this winter so far. The appearance of the sun receives a great deal of excitement from the humans these days.
And today, it was visible!
Perhaps Missy and Annie were equally excited for the sight of the sun because Ellen spotted them on one of the climbing structures on Young’s Hill.
I was able to climb up to the top of the observation deck and snap some photos of Missy walking back inside.
There was a path shoveled from a couple of weeks ago for the chimps to follow, but, still, they had to get their hands and feet in the snow some.
When I was looking at the photos I took, what came to mind is the way chimpanzees move.
Most often, when on the ground or a flat surface, chimpanzees are quadrupedal. That means they walk on both their hands and their feet. Their particular quadrupedal walking utilizes the flat part their feet, like humans, and the knuckles of their hands.
Chimpanzees can also walk bipedally like humans, just utilizing the bottom of their feet and allowing their arms to hang by their sides (or hold a bunch of foraged food like the photo of Missy below).
Their heads sit differently on their spine than humans and their hips are different, so bipedal walking is not as easy for them.
Missy, however, often does a “jump through” movement, especially when traversing the outdoors. In scientific circles this is known as “crutch-walking.”
You can see it in the photos below. Her arms are parallel and she pulls both of her feet through her arms at the same time.
After doing that once or twice, she moved on to the more common quadrupedal locomotion:
On November 17th, 2024, we had our first snowfall! (I’ve been waiting for my opportunity to share this sweet video with you and today is the day!)
Rayne was very excited to get outside, but was unsure of the snow on the decking of the chute. She made it to the end of the chute without touching her feet to the snow, but then she had a decision to make. Will she brave the cold snow on her warm feet to do a little exploring? You probably already know the answer. That Raynie is quite the explorer!
Some supporters have seen a scooter video put out by one of our fellow sanctuaries, Project Chimps, and thought a few of our residents would enjoy watching it! If you haven’t seen the original video, I will link it here. Burrito loves playing on his scooter and Honey B has a few skateboards she enjoys! I showed them the YouTube video first and recorded their reaction. As a bonus, I recorded Cy’s group watching it because I knew they’d get a kick out of it. Enjoy!
Who’s there you say? Why it’s Gordo and his silly little tapping game he played with Kelsi today!
