Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Archives for May 2026

George’s Hair

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A few people have commented asking questions about George’s lack of hair in places, particularly on his lower arms. This is due to a combination of over-grooming himself and others in his new group enthusiastically grooming him.

Because George came from West Coast Game Park Safari, a roadside zoo that was open to anyone who paid the entrance fee, we do have some photos of him when he was younger. Some of them were found on the internet and some were sent to us by caring people when they found out that George had been moved to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. These older photos show varying states of hair loss in the same pattern. This indicates that he over-groomed himself starting at a very young age. Here are a few photos:

He had this same patterned hair loss when he arrived at the sanctuary, though it wasn’t as pronounced.

Now in his group of seven, all six other chimpanzees also groom him, and some of them like to pluck hair when grooming others. We’ve written before about grooming being a crucial aspect of chimpanzee social behavior. Chimpanzees especially love to groom scabs, which are much more visible on bare patches of skin.

George has a particular ingrained habit of self-grooming his shoulder with his opposite arm crossed over his chest. He’s doing this in almost every video that I’ve seen of George at the roadside zoo. He still does that here, but not as often as he did when he first arrived. You may have noticed there was a small sore on George’s shoulder from the video on Friday of his 1-year arrival anniversary party. That little wound has healed multiple times, only for the scab to be groomed off and the sore opened up again. It’s a very minor wound, but we are keeping an eye on it, just as his chimpanzee friends are.

Over-grooming / hair plucking can be a sign of anxiety, discomfort, or boredom, and it can also be a self-soothing behavior that developed during a particular period in life and persists as a habit throughout a chimpanzee’s life, well after the original stressor that prompted the behavior is gone.

Annie has a similar over-grooming pattern on her forearms, which is more pronounced some times than others.

Research has found that hair plucking is a very common behavior in captive primates. This study, for example, found that hair plucking was observed in 75% of the primates within the study group. This is part of the reason we don’t feel that chimpanzees belong in captivity. It’s impossible to give them an environment will all the opportunities to live as they evolved to as a species, even in the most enriched captive setting.

Thank you for asking about George’s bare arms. I hope this helps provide an explanation. We’re certainly interested to see if he will still be over-grooming or be over-groomed by others a year from now. Hopefully we will see him reciprocate grooming with his chimpanzee friends in the near future – that’s still something he hasn’t done!

Jamie and Foxie: It’s Complicated

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Jamie and Foxie have a complicated relationship.

As the Alpha, Jamie rules with a bit of an iron fist, and often takes advantage of her position.  Foxie is at the bottom of the social hierarchy and, because of this, is often targeted during conflicts. However, that doesn’t mean that Jamie and Foxie don’t spend quality time together, grooming and playing.

Today was one of those days!  At least as far as Jamie was concerned..

If you have the time, check out these old blogs that highlight Jamie and Foxie’s play sessions!

https://chimpsnw.org/2010/05/foxie-and-jamies-epic-play-session/ 

https://chimpsnw.org/2011/01/jamie-and-foxies-wild-play/ 

https://chimpsnw.org/2011/04/troll-play/ 

https://chimpsnw.org/2014/11/chimpanzee-pretzel-play/ 

 

George’s Anniversary

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It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since George arrived here at CSNW. In the last twelve months he has accomplished so much, he went from a being alone without many social skills to help him navigate life in a chimpanzee group to being a full fledged member of a group of 7.

While Cy and Gordo seemed to have a soft spot for this new kid right away, not everyone felt that way. George initially struggled to find common ground with Rayne, which resulted in misunderstandings and some hurt feelings but now you can find them engaged in play sessions where they only have eyes for each other and no one else gets to join in.

George’s playful spirit and youthful energy have brought something special to our little sanctuary and now we can’t imagine life without him!

For Jenna

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Something I value very highly working here at CSNW is working as a team, especially in this field. As chimpanzee caregivers we need to work very closely together. This job is obviously very fun, but it can also be dangerous work, which is why safety is so important, but also why we need to be able to trust and depend on one another. Each person on our team brings something different to the table. We need to trust each other, keep each other accountable, rely on one another, and be comfortable asking for help when we need it. That is why our team is so special because this job is so unique, sometimes our coworkers are they only ones who understand what we are going through and so this kind of work makes you really close to one another. Which is why, saying goodbye to someone, like our dear friend Jenna, is so hard.

We wanted to take a moment to give Jenna some appreciation of the the years she has spent with us! Will we will miss her greatly, as you will read, we are very happy for Jenna. Luckily, she will not be far away and we get to keep her as a volunteer!

When I first met Jenna, she was a intern. Jenna’s first shift at CSNW, she asked to start ID tests, which she hadn’t been around the chimps much and I didn’t think she would pass.  However, she passed with flying colors, it left such an impact on me and I hoped one day she would find her way back here, and lucky for us she did! Jenna has so much compassion, you won’t find another person who cares more for the chimps than her – She is always thinking about their needs. She is the first to spot a wound or behavior we need to monitor, always finding creative ways to enrich their day, and constantly looking for the best way to care for our residents. For me, Jenna brings levity to our team, her sense of humor and commentary will be greatly missed. She is always finding a way to make cleaning fun with a game of would you rather, listening to 2000s music, or coming up with a game, like pretend your a firefighter as pull the hose out as fast as possible and the spray the playroom down to see how fast we could clean – we in fact went slower, because we used all our energy pulling the hose out too fast. I will miss lunch breaks with Jenna telling us stories and her power point presentations at lunch about Gypsy Rose. However, with all these fun moments, Jenna also made a very big imprint here. I always tell Jenna she is a jack of all trades. You could put her in any role and she would flourish. She has done amazing with the health and behavior program, helping create and support the PRT program, helping give volunteers recognition, and helping me build and do outreach presentations! As you can tell, Jenna will be greatly missed and we are so lucky to have her not too far way!   -Kelsi

Jenna is a delight to work with. She is funny and always good to gossip about the latest reality TV we both consume. I like to joke that she is meant to be an influencer because she is always telling me about the latest and greatest thing I should try, from skin care to drinks.  At work she has been very supportive with helping me come up with unique ways to appreciate the volunteers and is always looking out for the health and behavior of her chimpanzee friends. I’ll miss seeing Jenna every day but I’m very excited that she’ll still be back as a volunteer!   -Anna

Professionally, I’ve appreciated and admired Jenna’s hard work both as a caregiver and as the Health and Behavior Coordinator. Her thoughtful contributions towards the care of the chimpanzees and cattle and her diligent compiling of other’s perspectives improved their lives. In my mind, there’s no higher accomplishment or legacy. On a personal note, Jenna’s wry sense of humor will be greatly missed!  -Diana

When I started at CSNW and was tasked with revamping the PRT program, Jenna was my lifeline for figuring out what we were already doing and what direction we wanted to go in. She has written so many of our shaping plans for the chimpanzee training program – including the Jamie stationing plan, nail clipping plan and others – to help the chimps with their day to day as well as long term care. Beyond that, Jenna is always there with  amazing stories to make you laugh  or coming up with games to make cleaning the enclosures go by faster. I will genuinely miss having her energy around the chimps house every day.    -Sabrina

The chimp house will be a lot less fun without Jenna’s regular presence. Even on my days off, I can hear the laughter from across the property. At least I will always know when she’s back to volunteer. The chimps have been fortunate to have such a caring, motivated, diligent, hard working, and yes, funny, person working on their behalf these past years, and we’ve been lucky to have her as a teammate. I know Cy will be keeping his eyes on the driveway, just waiting for her to arrive for her next volunteer shift. – J.B.

Jenna and I met in 2019 when she was an intern and I was a volunteer. We had just begun getting to know each other when Covid smacked us in the face and we and everyone else had to go our separate ways. Luckily, we both ended up back at the sanctuary within a few years. To say that I’ve enjoyed working with Jenna would be an understatement. Jenna is a great friend to both the humans and chimps alike! Jenna can make any situation fun, with impromptu challenges like racing Ellen in the parking lot, or timed math tests during break. I’ll especially miss the “would you rather” questions posed to us weekly and her next level story telling. Jenna will be greatly missed and I know for certain that wherever she lands next will be gaining an incredible team member and friend. I love you, Jenna! Don’t forget about us <3.   -Krissy

Dearest Jenna, I will miss your delightful, often quirky sense of humor (thankfully I have the Stepbrothers 2025 calendar to keep me giggling in your absence), stellar chimp caregiver skills, and keen sense of observation. I hope your next workplace knows how lucky they are to be gaining you as a team member! Do you know you are the only person I have written a poem about sourdough starter for?! The sanctuary vibe won’t be the same without you. I will give Lucky some extra love in the coming weeks as I am sure she is going to miss her favorite human. I hope to catch you on your sanctuary visits/volunteer shifts but be warned, I will probably stalk you at your new place of work!   -Erin

Though I’m so happy for Jenna and her next chapter ahead, selfishly, I’m so sad for us humans. But particularly so for the chimpanzees. Caregiving is a dream job, but it’s also one of the hardest. Jenna is a uniquely calm, but present caregiver, so tuned into their well-being and always meeting them where they’re at. Her care, experience, creativity, and humor will be greatly missed. Thankfully we will all still get to see her occasionally and meanwhile, all the new people coming into her life are getting a real gem. Wishing you all the good things, Jenna!  -Katelyn

Jenna was one of the first people I met at the sanctuary, and then and every day since, she’s made work (and life) more fun, silly, and brought each of us closer together. She’s been a unifying force on our team, showing up with kindness and fun – from coaching us through the latest tiktok dance (to later perform for the chimps) to entertaining us with a new story (if you know Jenna, you know she has THE BEST stories!!). As a caregiver, she is observant, thoughtful, creative, and positive. She makes life better (and more fun!) for the chimps too, and I know we will all be thrilled to see her each time she comes back to visit (Lucky especially!). I will miss Jenna greatly, but know that wherever she goes next will be better for having her, just as we are. Thank you for everything, Jenna!  -Ellen

Thank you Jenna for your time and dedication. We can’t wait to see Jenna flourish in her next adventures!

Jenna and Lucky:

Jenna, Grace, and I presenting in Cle Elum:

Jenna and Jamie:

Jenna and I made a calendar for the Christmas party:

Jenna and The Rock, plus Poppy:

Jenna going to cattle:

Jenna and Erin:

Jenna and Negra:

Photogenic Chimpanzees

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When I arrived at the sanctuary this morning, I was determined to get as many photos as I could before our weekly staff meeting/training began. One, because a lot of you just love seeing photos of the chimps and their daily adventures. Two, because I wanted to prove to myself that I could get as many photos of as many chimps as I could. Granted, as some of you are aware, trying to get photos of some of them is almost impossible because either they come running up and get too close to the caging to get a photo, or they are in those few spots around the sanctuary where it is impossible to get a photo. Looking at you George, Cy, Dora, and Mave.

So please enjoy the product of this self challenge!

Burrito at breakfast:

I had to get these photos using all the sneakiness I could before he came down

Rayne during lunch today:

Gordo doing a little self-grooming:

Willy B also self-grooming:

It’s imperative to watch the neighbors when you’re done grooming

Foxie and Moana go for a walk around Young’s Hill:

Sweet Lucky:

Missy at breakfast:

Terry waiting for a caregiver grooming partner after lunch:

Just noting that I did indeed get photos of Jamie and Annie, but they were a one shot scenario where the photo didn’t come out. Honey B was busy doing Honey B things on the Bray and in the Chute. She was just to fast/busy for me to get a photo. And Negra said no in her own Negra way by burying her face in her nest when the camera was raised. I obey all of the Queen’s demands.

For me, I would consider getting photos of half the chimps today was a success. Maybe in the near future I will try again.

Scenes From the Day

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And what a beautiful day it has been. It’s 75 degrees and sunny, the grass is lush and green, the wild balsamroot and lupine are flowering, and our Greenhouse fig tree has produced fruit! One fruit, to be exact. What’s the best way to cut a fig into 16 equal portions?

Annie spent the afternoon keeping Negra company, though after a raucous morning of being bullied by Burrito, Annie was just as much a beneficiary of the arrangement.

The chimps largely tuned out the construction activity next door, despite the train of semis dumping loads of boulders for a retaining wall throughout the day. I thought that George would be more concerned about all the noise and the people, but he’s taking it all in stride so far (playing with Dora in the Front Rooms as I write this).