Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today is one of those days where we are so far off our daily routine and the blog comes in between a myriad of other sanctuary management tasks that we (but mostly J.B.) have to accomplish. We joked that we needed to come up with a technical difficulties graphic to post, but despite today’s craziness, I managed to get a couple shots of Negra. Looking at these peaceful photos brings a bit of calm into an otherwise eventful day.
When I was a kid, I walked to the school bus down our half mile driveway every morning, rain, snow, or shine. Yes, I realize this sounds like your grandparent’s story of how they had to walk to school uphill both ways in a blizzard, but my story is true! During this time of year, the top layer of the snow would thaw and freeze repeatedly, forming a thick crust on the un-plowed fields of snow that surrounded our icy driveway. If the snow crust was strong enough to support our weight, we could take a shortcut to the bus through our fields and shave off a good five minutes of walking time. We always ran the risk of breaking through the top layer and having our legs plunge into the softer snow below.
Today, Annie reminded me of my childhood, as I saw her gingerly walk on the top delicate ice layer that has covered the 8 or so inches of snow we still have at the sanctuary. She bravely took a shortcut from the plowed pathway that J.B. made the other day, to one of the structures in the middle of the hill.
The other chimpanzees (Foxie seen here), still seem to stick to the less treacherous plowed pathways.
Annie continues to surprise us with her intrepid outdoor exploration.
Have you ever noticed a photo of the chimpanzees looking larger and “fluffier” than normal? Having hair that is pilo erect means that it involuntarily stands on end due to excitement, fear, or cold. Humans become pilo when we get goosebumps, and since we have less hair, it’s less obvious. Another example of piloerection is when a dog’s hackles go up. Looking to see if a chimpanzee is pilo or not helps caregivers gauge their arousal level. I perused through some of our old photos and videos to find some good examples of each chimpanzee demonstrating piloerection.
Foxie:
Burrito spends a great deal of his time in a “fluffy” state, so it was very easy to find a pilo picture:
Jody:
Annie (possibly pilo because she is running through the cold):
Jamie (about to display):
Missy:
I had a tough time finding a photo of Negra with pilo erect hair, but that’s because she’s usually in action during a fight. In the following video from a couple years ago, you can see Negra and others during a conflict. Watch for some good examples of piloerection:
This morning as we shoveled a pathway to one of the platforms on Young’s Hill, I could tell it was going to be well worth the effort. The sun was so warm and comforting that I knew there would be chimpanzees out on the hill the moment I gave them access to it. There is a certain infectious energy that spreads around the building when the weather is nice. The humans and chimpanzees alike thrive with this kind of atmosphere.
This morning a line quickly formed and everyone but Burrito (who later followed) and Negra (who basked in the greenhouse sun instead) were out on the hill at once.
They all headed for the closest platform.
Missy took up post at the top of the ladder with Jamie, Annie and Foxie underneath.
Missy:
Jamie:
Jody spent a lot of her time on the ground eating snow. Here she sports a relaxed facial expression with a very drooped lip (classic Jody face).
Missy and Annie were last to come in for lunch because they were too busy spending time together on Young’s Hill. Here’s to great moods and more sunshine in 2016!
Generally, a chimpanzee’s display involves pant hooting vocalizations, pilo erect hair (hair that stands on end), and it builds up to a dramatic finish. Each chimp seems to have their own preferred method or technique when they display. Burrito often claps his hands as he runs around the enclosure. Jamie usually has a plastic barrel with her to bang on and push around. Sometimes she adds in other enrichment for more impact..
The chimpanzees have spent the last two meals welcoming 2016 in the only way we know how, with back to back forage parties! Last night they had a black and white themed forage complete with a sparkling pear cider “champagne” toast and today we broke out another bottle of cider and the chimpanzees had a New Year’s Day brunch forage.
The party meal..
Pear cider with black eyed peas, persimmons, kale, and a box of mixed nuts:
The party attendees..
Annie:
Burrito:
Jamie licking out smoothie from a tiny glass:
Jody:
Missy stacked her plates to keep everything together:
Negra lost a bit of her brunch on the floor:
But she still managed to get some of it back to her upstairs nest:
Foxie was on hand to vacuum up Negra’s lost black eyed peas:
Foxie again:
If you haven’t seen it yet, please enjoy this video as we look back on some of the best moments of 2015. Wishing you and yours, a very Happy New Year from all of us at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!
In the last couple of weeks caregivers have been busy trying to come up a few additional enrichment activities to help beat off the inevitable extra boredom that comes with a snow filled late December. Yesterday, in addition to extra shoveling on the hill, Katelyn and I set up a special lunch forage in the front rooms at the end of cleaning. We scattered some of their lunch in front of the caging and set out long plastic tubes so there would be an added challenge of using the tools to gather part of their bounty.
I got a couple closeups of some of them enjoying their lunch.
Negra mid-chew:
Burrito with an orange pepper slice:
Missy:
Today we put out three buckets of soapy water in the front rooms (made with small squeezes of non-toxic dish soap). Jamie went to each bucket and grabbed the paper towels that were accompanying the water. She then proceeded to wipe her face vigorously with them.
I later caught Jody enjoying the enrichment in a slightly different way:
