Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chad de Bree

Field Notes: Welcome

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Happy Tuesday, everybody! I just wanted welcome everybody to a new series we will be offering: Field Notes. As the research coordinator here, I try to stay on top of knowing all the different scientific articles released every month in various publications and try to figure if any of the new research can be utilized by us to help our mission to provide lifelong care for rescued chimpanzees.

The goal of this series is kind of twofold. First, we hope that you’ll be able to learn about chimpanzees and the new and exciting behavioral research going on both in the wild and captivity. Second, we hope this will give you just a little insight on how some decisions are made here.

I don’t want to set any expectations for this series, so as of now there is no set schedule on the frequency of this. It could be weekly. It could be bi-weekly. Heck. It could even be monthly. So instead of waiting for it week-to-week, let’s just say it’s a nice little surprise when they make the blog. Plus, the articles are released at the beginning of every month and not every release has chimpanzee related articles.

I’m excited about this series and hope you all are as well! I hope this series serves a purpose for you. I hope you are able to learn something new and gain a better understanding of these amazing people.

Now, here are some photos from Sunday I was able to snap while Cy and crew were enjoying a lunch forage on the Bray:

Cy

Rayne

George

Cool as a cucumber!
Sorry for the blown-out photo. During this forage, I put out some jackpots, usually some whole fruits and veggies. The one I put on the escher escaped everyone, even Rayne’s eagle eyes. Luckily enough, George realized I was trying to communicate something to the passersby. Though it looks like it here, George actually didn’t notice it. I asked him to come down and tried to walk him to a spot where he would see it. I pointed up, he turned around, looked up, and immediately looked back at me with a silent excited scream. Seen below.

George eating his prize apple as he looks upon The Bray!

Mental Health Awareness Month

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As May ends and June starts to usher in summer, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight Mental Awareness Month. This is by no means the most in depth history about the recognized month. In fact, I will be honest that most of the information I got is from Wikipedia.

Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to raise awareness around individual’s suffering from conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and suicide. Every year there is a theme to help boost awareness. This year’s theme is “More Good Days, Together.” Mental Health America, the organization who established the awareness then known as National Association for Mental Health, chose this year’s theme to encourage everybody to reflect on what a “good” day means to them and their communities. The way I interpret that is we know what a good day looks like for us individually, but what does a good day look like to everybody else and how can we help others achieve their good day.

Jamie looking up toward the sky back in 2022 after getting access to the newly expanded Young’s Hill. One thing Jamie adores is her time outside. After living in a windowless basement at the Buckshire Corporation to be used as a test subject, the chimpanzees, especially Jamie, cherish being able to look up to the sky and feel the breeze flow through their hair.

This year’s theme really made me think: what does a good day look like to everyone else here. I know what a good day here looks like to me. To me a good day is everybody shifts without hesitation, they eat all of their meals, there were no fights, the cattle took their own meds and I didn’t have to fight someone off of someone else’s, and Bruce allowed me to love him. There are some other small minor things, but those are the big ones. Now admittedly, I really don’t know what a good day to the other caregivers looks like. 😬 I think I just assumed theirs looked identical to mine. But in the spirit of theme, it’s really making me think about that.

Also, playing with the chimps is a HUGE plus in the ingredients for a good to for me. Like going around Young’s Hill with Burrito.

Mental health is such an important topic in the caregiver world. Burnout is one cause of the low attrition rate in this career field, and burnout hits fast and hard. Most of what I say next is just based on my own observations and personal experience. If I had to guess why the burnout rate is high is just due to the multitude of things we are responsible for. I know for me, this job is always on the top of my mind. Whether I’m on site, at home, on vacation, it doesn’t matter. Every worry, whether it be a fight, some social tension, upcoming procedure, etc., all those things follow me everywhere I go. No matter what I’m doing or where I am, I have chimps on the brain.

George went on the Bray to finish eating his breakfast. When Since the moment we as staff were told we would be rescuing George, everything that came with that has been at the forefront. The rescue, the legal proceedings, and probably the biggest topic, the integration. Though the integration has subsided a little because he has adapted incredibly well.

Though George’s situation has “cooled down” from what it was for me, now Negra occupies most of my thoughts. So as you can see, this job is a one thing right after another kind of job.

This job is one that keeps you on your toes… 24/7! For me, even though this is pretty much a 24/7 type of job, I get great gratification seeing the chimps playful and happy. That, regardless of how long it lasts, is what gets me out of bed in the morning. There are the hard times, but going through the storm to feel levitated like that is 1000% worth it.

Cy and George eating the primate chow on the Bray during breakfast. The relationship between Cy and George is one that gives me hope. For them obviously, but also just the kindness that the current state of the world covers up.
Terry also took his chow out onto the Bray for breakfast. It actually ended up in a fun little run between him and Burrito on the Young’s Hill side.

For years, Mental Health America has tried to rip down the curtain of stigma that surrounds mental health for some reason. I tend to be as open and honest with mine in case it can be of any help to anybody else going through it. And it thrills me that stigma seems to be waning for now, which is why I think they chose the theme that they did for this year: to help others in need.

Burrito and Foxie being silly with one another on Young’s Hill back in January. Foxie used to rely pretty heavily on Jody for support. Since Jody’s passing, Foxie has had a whirlwind of a time trying to refind her place. Luckily, Burrito has recently taken a big step in providing more physical and emotional support to Foxie.

Be sure to check Mental Health America’s resource page of a lot of different resources out there to help you or someone you know in a crisis. The world is a better place with you in it because you help better the world.

Mave and Dora hugging after Dora got scared of something. Mave has been a huge support system to Dora and vice versa.
Burrito hugging Foxie in the early days of the sanctuary.

I’ll Gladly Pay You Next Tuesday For A Pass Today

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The funny thing about life is that things can change at the drop of a hat. Today I had planned to write a blog about just some of the things caregivers see throughout the day and the thought process on how certain decisions are made. That will have to wait for another day because time really got away from me today because of some very distracting chimpanzees who want to play and groom. So hopefully these photos will do for now.

Terry and Gordo:

Gordo (right) inspects Terry (left) after a brief conflict in their group. Grooming, particularly after a fight, is important to reaffirm friendships and trust, especially between two conflicting parties. Though Terry and Gordo weren’t conflicting parties during this one, Gordo is still showing Terry that he can trust him.

Rayne:

Like Gordo, Rayne loves things to sit in/on. Boxes. Benches. Discarded chowbags. Just as long as it’s not the actual floor unless she absolutely has to. Yesterday, when I was moseying about on that side of the building, Rayne wanted to groom with me. Usually at this point she’ll look around to find the closest box or item to sit on. I was a tad bit surprised when she grabbed the heavy duty giant ball. I was even more surprised when she decided to take the most challenging, yet direct, route to get where I was sitting. Trees. Bamboo bushes. Logs. She pushed right on through!

Annie:

This is how I found Annie in the morning. Enjoying a peaceful Spring morning at the top of her Greenhouse.

Mave:

Mave. What can I say about the lovely Mavis? Actually, I can say this. As I was typing that, we heard whimpering coming from her side of the building. When I walked back there, she wanted a lot of reassurance. I asked her what she saw. She started to walk toward the chute but stopped short of going in. When I pointed to the Chute and asked her if it was out there, she began alarm calling. Caregiver Amanda and I went out and started to look around. And lo and behold, gopher snake! So, thank you, Mave, for making us aware there was an intruder inside the fence!

Lucky:

Lucky is wondering where her dinner is. Truly. This is about 2 minutes before their dinner was rolled out.

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.

Big Day to GiveBig!

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Have you heard the news?

Cy looking at a magazine while George (and Lucky who is behind Cy’s magazine) interact with caregiver Katelyn and some guests.

Today is the last day for GiveBIG! GiveBIG is an annual fundraising event here in Washington State when individuals and organizations invest their community by donating to their local Washington-based nonprofit. At the time of this writing, we are currently hovering around 75% of our $50,000 goal! We are so close! But there is still time! Donors have until midnight (PST) to donate to their favorite nonprofit.

I know that $50,000 seems like an impossible task, but every little bit we receive gets us closer to our goal. Donations directly help the caregivers provide the upmost care to the chimpanzees and cattle. Your donations help pay for things such as food, puzzles, treats, care medical, new enrichment toys, parties for the chimps (George’s 1 year CSNW anniversary is coming up!), the support building for the staff to diligently work in, and so much more!

We need your support now more than ever. As mentioned before, we are going to celebrate George’s 1 year anniversary here. That entire time felt like a flurry of activity that it feels like a blur. It was almost like one day we had 15 chimps and BAM! Sixteen chimpanzees were now residing at the sanctuary. Since that time it has been such a heartwarming thrill watching George settle into no only his new home, but also new family! I still get a little teary-eyed when watching him on the Bray with Cy, Gordo, Rayne, Terry, and Lucky. Just knowing just under a year ago, George was living by himself in a concrete and chain-linked fence. Now George is thriving enjoy his time outdoors or spending it playing or being groomed by one of the other chimpanzees.

Cy and George watching their neighbors during breakfast this morning.

We are also now caring for a chimp with mobility issues. With some slight modifications to some of the enclosures, Negra has been able to move from one area to the other albeit with some issues. She’s able to move around a lot more thanks to some handlebars and firehose, but we feel there is more we can (and probably will) do to help Negra enjoy her favorites spots around the sanctuary. Not to mention the medications she is on to help her continue to enjoy her sanctuary life. Be sure to read this compelling, heartfelt blog Kelsi wrote about Negra a few weeks ago.

Negra drinking from a portable water source installed in one of her front rooms for easier water access.

Please consider donating to our GiveBIG campaign to help us reach our goal and help us provide the best care we can for 16 chimpanzees and 3 cows.

Gordo on the Bray before breakfast.
Lucky taking in this morning’s lovely weather.
Fabulous Foxie with remnants of today’s lunch
Oh! And Bruce! Help us support Brucey!

 

Rage Baiting

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Chimpanzees are prolific tool users. In the wild, chimpanzees have been documented fishing for termites, ants, and algae. Since we are kind of low on those fishing items, the fish for other things. For instance, as you’ll see in you video, Willy B likes to fish for attention from his neighbors. Though you’ll see Willy B doing most of the work, or lack thereof, we are sure he wasn’t the one who thought of this concept. The one most likely who started this activity is:

Honey B!

Though he didn’t start this behavior, I’m sure Willy B appreciates adding another chaos maker to his repertoire.

Thief: The Game

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One of my favorite times of day is when I arrive to the Chimp House in the morning. Usually I’m one of the first humans in to get a jump start on the day. It’s a pretty serene moment in time first thing in the morning. Most of the chimps are already awake, bright-eyed and bushy tail(less), while others are just waking up. It’s at this time in the morning you can catch the chimpanzees engaged in some grooming sessions, mall walking, or playing some kind of silly game.

The other day, as I walked in and turned on the security monitors, I noticed Lucky in the Oakwood Greenhouse rolling around with a sock. She seemed pretty content, then Rayne arrived. Rayne was determined to get Lucky’s sock. From there a game of theft, chase, and keep away ensued. What started with just a sock cascaded into what seemed to be a treasure trove of stolen goods. Ok. Really it was two, maybe three things, but that’s still two or three more that should be stolen, right?

Who do you think was the masterful thief of this game?