Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Anna

Introducing the Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment!

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The unfortunate reality for all chimpanzees that face captivity (even ones in a high-quality sanctuary) is that captive life can be boring. Chimpanzees are highly intelligent and active primates, and the truth is that no enclosure could possibly replicate the constant changes and choices that free-living situations provide. Another unfortunate reality is chimpanzees that have grown up in captivity cannot be returned safely to the wild where they belong. It is for this reason that sanctuaries exist, to give captive chimpanzees as many choices and enhancements in their lives as possible, while still keeping them safe, so that they can enjoy their lives in peace and comfort.

Caregivers at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest are always working towards improving the quality of physical and psychological stimuli that we have to offer the Cle Elum 7. We provide a variety of environmental enrichment to challenge their bodies and minds and we are always looking for more ideas. Today we wanted to announce our newest foray into the world of enrichment project sharing, the Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment!

Several months ago we started building a database tool for chimpanzee caregivers around the world to be able to browse our enrichment activities. However, simply compiling and sharing our ideas is not the end of the road! Not only will online visitors be able to see and learn about the types of enrichment that CSNW uses, but we also hope to be able to learn from and share the enrichment of other facilities over time. We have a couple of guidelines for submitting enrichment ideas to us so please visit this link if you are interested in contributing.

Everyone should feel free to peruse this database at their leisure, adding comments or questions at the bottom of each enrichment post. Please also share this blog post on social media to help get the word out! Hopefully, this collaborative effort will lead to an open dialogue about enrichment and help enhance and improve the lives of captive chimpanzees everywhere.

So without further adieu, we bring you the Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment!

You can also find it by visiting our website https://chimpsnw.org/ and scrolling over the About Us tab or typing http://enrichment.chimpsnw.org/ into your address bar.

Happy browsing!

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The sound of Sanctuary

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One of the great things about Young’s Hill is that each morning it has something slightly different to offer the chimpanzees as far as enrichment goes. Some days the chimps might find a snake that causes alarm , while other days there might be a new plant in season to be sampled. Or maybe, there might be something as simple as a noisy cricket to grab your attention. Make sure to have your volume on when you watch the video so you can hear the sounds of Young’s Hill first thing in the morning!

Garden anticipation!

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When caregivers so much as glance towards the garden growing outside the walls of the playroom, there is always a chimpanzee or two keeping a watch to make sure they aren’t missing out on something.  Today was no different, as volunteers Denice and Yuri tackled the weeding in the garden beds, I caught several members of the Cle Elum 7 spying from various vantage points.

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My favorite photo of this morning was of Jody peeking around the corner of the raceway to Young’s Hill so she can see just exactly what’s happening to her vegetable patch:
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It’s not really a big surprise to see so many watchful eyes on the garden when it’s already starting to produce!
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The continuing adventures of Negra Chimpanzee

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Just off to the side of the newest Young’s Hill structure (aptly named “Twister”) lies another “garden” mound of prickly lettuce. As caregivers searched to identify all seven chimpanzees so we could safely enter and clean the chimpanzee-free front rooms this morning, this is where we found Negra! It’s the farthest I have yet to see Negra travel on Young’s Hill (in my first year of employment at the sanctuary) and it’s pretty amazing to see this homebody continue to throw off her blankets and go just a little deeper into her 2 acres of green.

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Negra opts out

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Independence is a trait we celebrate in the chimpanzee sanctuary community. If a chimpanzee exhibits independence, it means they take advantage of the sanctuary environment they are provided with, and choose to do what they want, when they want it. You may recall that Jamie shows a deep independent streak when it comes to letting staff close off Young’s Hill for the night (especially on warm evenings).

Negra (like Jamie) is an independent character. But unlike Jamie, she is not known for choosing Young’s Hill as the place to spend her time. She mostly prefers to nap indoors in a cozy blanket pile or sit at a window and survey the valley below the sanctuary. Lately, Negra has harnessed her courage to travel to almost the top of Young’s Hill and pick mouthfuls of wild prickly lettuce that grows especially thick on several mounds of earth.

It was on one of these mounds that I found Negra last week. As the rest of the staff set about doing a positive reinforcement training session with their chimpanzee partners, my partner (Negra) opted out of the training session and chose instead to munch happily away on the hill. The fact that Negra got to make a choice is what life in a sanctuary is all about.

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Companions

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The Hoot! Gala this year was a huge success! The generous donations of many supporters this weekend has left the humans at the sanctuary buzzing with excitement for the future of the sanctuary! If you missed our newest announcements, check out the video below!

As I walked around Young’s Hill with Jamie this morning, I stopped and watched the chimpanzees play and forage together. Missy and Annie were two that caught my eye first. Two long time friends, enjoying each others company.
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Annie and Missy have been best friends for years, but at some point there was an introduction and a beginning to their relationship. I cannot help but think about the other chimpanzees that may soon join the Cle Elum 7. We can only hope that they will form friendships like those that Missy and Annie have already established. Maybe even be a part of the Missy/Annie friendship?! When the newcomer chimpanzees get the chance to enter Young’s Hill for the first time, who will be their companion for their first outing? The possibilities are thrilling!

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