Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Chad de Bree

The Reflection of Oneself and Others

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Chimpanzees are an highly intelligent species. You probably know this by now if you have been following the blog for a while. One test chimpanzees have passed numerous times is the Mirror Self-Recognition Test. This test simply shows that an individual knows that the reflection they are looking at in a reflective surface (i.e. mirror) is in fact their own and not a separate individual. Only a handful of species have passed this test to date, including all the large-bodied apes (including humans), elephants, dolphins, orcas, and magpies.

The chimpanzees here are no exception. They all seem to like to look at their reflections. Willy B absolutely loves staring at himself in the mirror!

While Willy B, and most of the other residents, like to stare at their reflection, Honey B uses it a tad differently.

First and foremost, the large Looky Lou mirror in the Mezzanine is a giant swing toy!

Once she has her fun swinging on this giant pendulum, she will stand there holding it. Then ever-so-slightly, turn it to make sure the humans watched her “coming in like a wrecking ball.”

And she will make sure we were watching from multiple angles.

Even when we arrive with camera in hand, she will watch us intently taking pictures, but through the reflection of the mirror.

Honey B is so clever and fun spirited. Her intelligence never ceases to amaze us, as do all the residents here! Just the other day I was quickly reminded of how clever they really are, especially with the use of mirrors and other reflective surfaces. As I was in a (what I thought was) blindspot in the kitchen, I heard Burrito Bronx cheering and banging on the mesh from one of the front rooms. This is usually Burrito talk for, “Hey you! It’s play time!” I didn’t think it was possibly directed to me because how could he see me? Then it hit me! The door leading to the chimp area was positioned ever-so-right that he could see me through the reflection of the window on the door! Since this discovery, I’ve noticed he will position himself in the front rooms if he has the slightest hint any of us are in this blindspot trying to get some work done. “Silly humans!”

As a bonus to end the day, here are some photos of Negra and Jody today!

 

Sweet and Sassy Honey Turns 13!

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Today, Honey Cow turns 13 years old! Here are a few facts about Honey!

Honey and her bovine family recently celebrated her second year here. Honey is one special bovine. Of the four cattle, she wears the sassiest of pants in the bunch.

If she feels the herd is moving to slow for her liking…

She is not afraid to pass everyone up and take the lead.

When caregivers go to serve the cattle hay, minerals, or any other treat, Honey is the one of the ones to first run up to them, but will also nudge you away for being anywhere near her and her food (it sort of reminds me of when petting a cat).

Though she is not the biggest in her group, her personality is far larger than most.

She arrived here two years ago with her daughter, Meredith.

She also arrived here with her friend, Betsy, whom she was featured with in a reality television show and was saved with from the dairy industry.

You can also sponsor Honey by becoming a Bovine Buddy to her!

Happy Birthday, Honey! We couldn’t imagine not knowing you!

Strivin’ to Survive: A Scarecrow’s Tale

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As some of you have seen, this Jamieween included A Tale of Two Scarecrows. The first scarecrow was put out in the Courtyard for Willy B, Honey B, and Mave.

If you read the blog on Saturday, Willy B made quick job of the cabbage head while leaving the body intact. Diana and Kelsi, brought the scarecrow’s body in and placed in the Mezzanine later that night. (You can see him in the corner just beyond Mave.)

We all kind of suspected Honey B would be the first one to be curious about it. I’m told that she indeed was. I wasn’t there to witness everything unfold at that time, but I’m told Honey B indeed was the one to be the first to inspect it. I was there, however, the following morning as I brought breakfast up to Mezzanine and she was sitting on it’s chest pulling alfalfa out searching for more treats.

The other scarecrow was placed onto Young’s Hill for the Seven to enjoy.

So far, it has had a longer life… so to speak.

This year, Jody did not disappoint and was the Great Pumpkin Thief once again.

Though Jody made way with taking the scarecrow’s head, its’ body still remains on Young’s Hill to this day.

Yesterday, as Jamie and I were coming back from our walk/run around the hill, a shadow near the scarecrow caught my eye. As I saw this shadow, my mind raced with anticipation that somebody was finally going to bring it inside and find every treat! (I apologize for some slightly blurry photos, but it was difficult to hurry and focus in time to catch it as it was happening.)

Who could this be? Was it Annie returning to claim what once might have been hers? Was it Missy whose curiosity got the better of her to finally investigate the a few days after?

As the camera (finally) began to focus, it was clear to me who was going to try to finally put this scarecrow to pasture.

Jody!

She had returned to finish the scarecrow off!

She brought up the torso, removed a significant amount of alfalfa, and found some remaining treats inside. She attempted to untie the torso down from the structure, however they were tied on too tight to remove. Instead she took what she could get and moved on.

I expected today to see the scarecrow completely removed by day’s end. However, today was slightly rainy and most everyone chose to remain indoors.

So the scarecrow survives just one more day… for now…

Who will be the one who finally takes this scarecrow out? Will somebody else’s curiosity prevail?

Missy seems like she might be ready to see what this thing is all about.

I couldn’t choose between these next two photos, so you can choose which one you like better to fit this story.

Or will Jody comeback and claim her prize?

UPDATE:

As I was closing up I decided to take a gander to see if the scarecrow was still there. Only and empty shirt remains.

We will never know who the Scarecrow Destroyer is.

Two Years Down, Many More to Come!

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Today is a very special day! It marks 2 years since Betsy, Honey, Meredith, and Nutmeg arrived and began to call Washington their new home!

A photo from the first day they arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!
Photo from today as they watched Jamie and I sprint around Young’s Hill.

From the first day they arrived in Central Washington to today, these four individuals have been such an honor and treat to be able to get to know!

To honor their second year in Washington, we had planned something special for them. However, similar to the events that unfolded on Meredith’s birthday a couple of months ago, we were unable to photograph or film the events as they were more interested in their hay than their celebratory cob treat today.

So instead, here are some photos from their second year at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!

Betsy in February eating some alfalfa in the Winter pasture.
That one time they were hiding from me in the Creek back in June.
Mobbing the Gator full of hay in April.
Making the march today to the other pasture where they were treated with cob, but decided hay was better. L to R: Nutmeg, Betsy, Meredith, Honey.
Betsy up near the pine trees that line the top of Young’s Hill in October.
Nutmeg in the Spring pasture in August.
Honey in the Spring pasture in September.
Meredith being beautiful in October.
Honey today!
Betsy (with Jamie in the background) in July!
Meredith in the Summer pasture on her birthday back in September!
Nutmeg making his was back to the barn today.

We can’t wait to celebrate more years to come!

Remember! You can help contribute to their care by becoming a Bovine Buddy to one or all of them! This will help us tremendously to make sure they have many more years to come here!

Adventure Awaits

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Yesterday, as I was helping clean the Playroom, I noticed Foxie sitting at the door that leads to Young’s Hill.

Was she contemplating going outside? Was it too cold for her? Was she just waiting for somebody to return? I admittedly stopped cleaning and watched her for a few minutes. After some time, others began to return from their patrol around the hill.

Jody returned with some fresh picked greens.

Then Jamie returned with Burrito right behind her.

After their return, almost everybody spent the rest of the time on the top platform waiting for us humans to finish cleaning.

Annie, Burrito, and Jody

It’s hard to say what Foxie was thinking or why she herself didn’t choose to go outside, but today was different.

When cleaning was done today, Jamie requested Kelsi and Anna to go on a walk with her.

They were soon joined by Missy and Burrito. All three of them thought it was an amazing idea to sprint up the hill, which included making Kelsi and Anna sprint as well.

While Jamie, Missy, and Burrito were running around with the human caregivers, I caught two familiar figures out of the corner of my eye.

Jody and Foxie decided to have their own little adventure.

The Adventures of Jody and Foxie aren’t quite like the others. They can be equated to being like two old friends taking a walk in the park. Really just a casual stroll through the outside enclosure. If someone takes an interest in something, the other stops and waits for them.

Foxie decided to try to climb one of the structures. As she did, Jody waited for her.

When they were done with their adventure, they headed back inside the Greenhouse.

Right around the time Foxie and Jody decided they had enough adventure, the Trio’s adventure was coming to an end as well. It should come to no surprise that Missy was the first one to make it back. She usually sprints the entire hill, leaving everyone else in her dust.

Jamie and Burrito were not far behind though.

You may have noticed Jamie’s attire might have changed from the beginning of their adventure to the end. Both Anna and Kelsi told me she started out with a scarf, then half way through it turned into a waistband, and at the very end it turned into a sash. We never know how the chimpanzees will react and interact with the different enrichment items they are provided. Sometimes they are a hit, sometimes they fall flat. Jamie though has an ability to shape the items in such a way to her liking. We don’t give her instructions on how to use an item or force her to interact with it. It’s always her choice and her way. I cannot wait for Jamieween to arrive!

And here are some bonus photos I just wanted to share from earlier in the week:

Honey B enjoying a magazine with peanut butter smears.
Willy B getting ready to take an afternoon nap.
Annie waiting for everybody else to return from a patrol.
Negra enjoying her dinner celery from the other night.

Everybody Loves Mavis

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Today is all about Mave (aka Mavis)!

Last week, Diana invited all of our followers and readers to submit whatever questions they may have (this includes you). One question which was asked on the Facebook post was about Mave’s eyes. I personally cannot resist talking about Mave in general because she is such a unique individual. That goes without saying, her eyes are also unique among the 10 chimpanzee residents here.

Her eyes are a little bit lighter in coloration compared to the rest. The question asked was to clarify the coloration of the outside (sclera) of Mave’s eyes. The follower was curious if Mave’s sclera was lighter in color, similar to a human’s eye. The answer is yes!

Mave does have a lighter tone of sclera. Compared to someone like Jamie:

Though chimpanzees generally have darker sclera and lighter iris, it is not uncommon for some chimpanzees to deviate from this. The easiest explanation for this is genetics. Some chimpanzees inherit a mutated gene that causes their sclera to be white or lighter brown in stead of black. A classic example is the case of Pincer. Pincer was and adult male of the Ngogo community in the Kibale Forest of Uganda. He is also well known due to his unique expressive eyes and has been photographed and filmed for many documentaries. While most of the males in Ngogo have the traditional eye coloration, Pincer was born with a mutated gene that caused him to have eyes that looked human, which he passed down to the several children he sired, who also have his eyes.

There are several theories as to why chimpanzees are so different compared to humans in this aspect. One of the most prominent theories is the “cooperative eye hypothesis.” This states that humans adapted to have a lighter sclera and darker iris in order to communicate more effectively. It’s easier to follow the gaze of someone with a light sclera and dark iris. Conversely, chimpanzees adapted to having darker sclera and lighter iris to hide their intentions, making their gaze more cryptic. I.e. if they are looking at a high value food item, it would be harder for others to see what they see or where they are looking.

This has been a long accepted theory, though recently researchers have started to question if this is the case. Last year, researchers discovered there wasn’t too much difference between the contrast between the iris and pupil in chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. This just means though we have opposite coloration schematics in our sclera/iris contrasts, the ratio between light and dark is essentially the same. Though we think it’s easier to follow the gaze of a human with white sclera and a darker iris, chimpanzees may think it’s easier to follow along with someone with a darker sclera and lighter iris.

Regardless of the theories, I think we can all agree that we all love Mave and her eyes are just one more thing that makes her, her own unique individual here (though all 10 of them are unique).

That being said, let’s go into a Day In The Life of Mave!

When caregivers first arrive in the morning, the first thing we do is immediately start to make breakfast. Mave is a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day! She gets really excited when she sees breakfast being brought out! (You can hear it here.)

I tried to get a shot of her initial reaction to seeing breakfast, but she was too quick for the camera to focus on.

After breakfast, Mave generally is very low key. She will spend a lot of time grooming by herself, or with Willy B and Honey B grooming them.

Lunch with Mave can be hit or miss. She will either show some (minor) excitement for it, or just wait for the one or two things she wants offered and leaves.

After lunch, she loves to spend time in the Mezzanine. Usually, grooming (either herself or someone else) or gazing at herself in the Looky Lou mirror. Who can blame her?

When she’s not doing any of those things, she loves to relax.

She also has a very distinctive pose all of the staff try to capture when she’s relaxing where she looks like she’s deep in thought.

When dinner comes around, she shows almost (but not quite) the same excitement as breakfast. I want to re-share this photo from yesterday of her eating spaghetti because I like it.

After dinner is finished, it’s time for nighttime enrichment.

Then it is bed time!

Mave really finds away to entrench herself into the hearts of everybody who gets to know her!

And don’t forget! You can help support Mave by becoming a Chimpanzee Pal!

Giving Choices, Giving Thanks, Giving Day for Apes

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Before we get into the bulk of the blog, lets play a game shall we?

She loves to be in forts, and can build her own quite well, though maybe not as well as some of her group mates. She loves to lay on her back and grasp her feet together in the air. Who is in the fort? Answer is at the end of the blog.

While you ponder who could possibly be in a fort, let’s get into today.

Thank you so much those who could donate for Giving Day for Apes so far! We are not quite at our goal but there is still time to donate. The fundraiser ends at 9pm PST/12am EST. But either way we want to send our sincerest thank you to those who have donated and continue to support us past, present, and beyond! Because of you, you have helped us try to provide the best lives we possibly could for Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Honey B, Jamie, Jody, Mave, Missy, Negra, and Willy B!

One of the things you have helped us provide is choice.

The choice to choose which doll will be the Doll Du Jour.

Today, Foxie choose Dora as her companion.

The choice to nap on a rainy day.

Annie spent most of the day napping. Doesn’t she seem so sweet napping?
Jamie too choose to spent most of the day underneath a blanket in the Greenhouse.
As did Negra!

The choice to either eat inside or outside.

Jody decided to eat her breakfast inside the Front Rooms while the rest of the group ate in the Greenhouse.

The choice to go outside.

Though it rained most of the day, we still gave Willy B the option to enjoy the Courtyard, which he did!

The choice to play with friends…

Mave and Honey B spent the most of the day playing together.

Or the choice to have a quiet grooming session.

Jody and Missy groom Burrito in the Greenhouse. (I’m sorry everybody! I tried to include everybody today, but this was the best I could get of Missy! I’m so sorry!)

And the choice to make the caregivers go on a run around Young’s Hill…

Burrito made caregivers join him go around Young’s Hill multiple times today!

And then play with them upon return.

He stopped for two seconds to allow me to get this photo, before it turned back in to a blur of fur.

With all the generosity throughout the years during events such as Giving Day for Apes, you have helped us provide them with one of the most precious things in life: Choice! So thank you!

And drum roll please!

The answer to who was in the fort…..

MAVE!

Thank you for playing!

And as a bonus:

Right as we were serving dinner, I was indeed able to get a proper photo of Missy!

The choice to enjoy a baked sweet potato!