Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
After lunch you never quite know what the chimpanzees will be up to. Many are usually napping and occasionally there’s an afternoon skirmish that keeps everyone occupied. This afternoon was perfectly peaceful though, with many of the chimpanzees alert and interactive. A perfect moment to capture some portraits!
Terry:
Caregiver Kelsi grooming Cy:
Gordo:
Honey B:
Captive chimpanzees walk the tightrope between their ingrained wild nature and their unusual circumstances where they live a life assembled for them by humans. In sanctuary, we do our best to provide all the options for the chimpanzees that are much deserving of the freedom of choice.
Yesterday, George and Rayne had their 4th introduction. It was also their most successful meetup to date! Rayne immediately implemented a play technique where she flattened herself into “pancake mode.”
When George first arrived at CSNW he seemed very hesitant to interact with any of the enrichment items we provided him. He’s come a long way from those early days and has shown interest in certain clothing items (like socks and headbands), paper towels, books/magazines, boxes with food in them, paper and crayons, etc. One thing that we finally got to see him do after about a month of living here was start to build nests!
Here are just a few of his nests:
A rare George in nest sighting:
Diana was recently able to capture this photo of George sleeping under a plaid blanket:
Bonus: George on the Bray today!
Last week I found Rayne in the most blissed-out, comfortable spot at the sanctuary.
She had made a sweet soft nest on the perfect incline of the chute decking, catching the morning rays of sunshine.
To top it off, she had the perfect foot support from the closed door to the Bray.
Conveniently, being nested at the bottom of the chute next to the door, also means she was first in line to go outside that morning. Rayne is more than happy to lead the charge on any and all outdoor adventures!
One simple behavior can mean a lot of things if you’re a chimp. It all depends on context!
Today we celebrated the arrival anniversary of the Lucky 6! Can you believe it’s been 4 years since the trailer transporting Lucky, Cy, Gordo, Rayne, Dora and Terry pulled into our driveway??
