Chad de Bree

The Queen Has Spoken

June 27, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Initially, I had today’s blog all planned out in my head. I was going to write about food peering, a behavior where a chimpanzee stares intensely at the food another is eating in hopes of that individual sending some their way. I was inspired to write about such topic based on this photo I got yesterday of Willy B food peering at Honey B for her coconut.

However, as I went to take some photos during lunch service, Negra had other plans for her subject. During lunch, Negra had me stand at the corner and rub her back during the whole lunch service plus some. And to clarify, by “rubbing her back” I mean with one of our approved safe physical contact methods called Knuckle Rub.

That coupled with a biweekly staff meeting, I was not able to have enough time to write out a lengthy blog or get photos of some food peering. The Queen has spoken and I, her dutiful servant, must oblige.

Here are the very few photos I was able to get today:

Foxie and Negra giving each other a kiss during dinner

Cy watching Willy B, Rayne, Terry, Gordo, and Lucky out on the Bray

Both Rayne and Gordo were able to find some coconut husks leftover from yesterday’s celebration

And a photo of the thunderstorm that was rolling in, though it quickly dissipated

Lastly, we added a whole bunch of things to our Wish List ranging from masks for caregivers to keep the chimpanzees safe from human pathogens, two-way radios for staff and volunteers who work in the Chimp House, and new enrichment items for our residents! If you are able and willing to, please take a look at the items needed to help maintain our quality care of these magnificent beings. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

2023 Day of Days: The Trifecta Jubilee

June 13, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Today was such a busy day in the most of exciting ways! Today is the Trifecta Jubilee! Today we celebrated Terry’s 33rd birthday, Negra’s 50th birthday, and the 15 year anniversary of the arrival of the Cle Elum Seven!

Today was a non-stop celebration with many happenings that came along with the undying support of Paulette Wrisley in today’s second sponsor! Thank you so much Paulette for sponsoring Terry and Negra’s birthdays!

It’s hard to believe Negra and her group arrived in Washington from the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania. There have been many growing pains for both chimpanzee and caregivers both former and current, but all of them for the better. In the 15 years, they have experience the outdoors for the first time in their lives, had room to run around and play in, and as of this year, able to climb their first tree!

It’s also really hard to believe Negra is now 50 years old! Negra is such a strong-willed person who knows exactly what she likes and wants. Though she is 50, is still doesn’t stop here from experiencing new things, when she wants to of course. Negra is such a well respected person by both chimpanzee and human. For her 50th birthday, there were many surprises for her. You have to watch the video to see what they were!

And Teeny Tiny Terry. How lucky are we to just know such a special person. In the couple short years we have known Terry, one thing about him we know is certain: he is the purest of souls! Terry wears his heart on his sleeve, and that heart holds nothing but sincerity. There are no tricks with him. What he does or says, he means, and it’s 100% love.

Here are some bonus photos from today!

Negra

Rayne

Missy

Gordo

Annie

World Environment Day 2023

June 5, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Today is World Environment Day! World Environment Day has been held annually on June 5th since 1972 to raise awareness on issues our environment is facing and how to combat them. The events are also hosted by a city or nation to lead the theme and festivities. This year is being hosted by Côte d’Ivoire with the theme Solutions to Plastic Pollution with the social media hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution.

Here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we try as much as we can to limit our footprint on the environment. From composting uneaten foods to recycling paper to reusing items for chimpanzee enrichment, we are conscious of what we use, how we use it, and how to properly dispose of it. Through the TerraCycle programs, we have boxes setup throughout the sanctuary where staff and volunteers can get rid of used gloves and masks, which are then shipped off to be recycled. We also use Tru Earth laundry eco-strips. These strips if concentrated laundry detergent help us keep the chimpanzees’ blankets smelling fresh without the use of big plastic jugs detergent usually comes in. In fact, the packing itself is zero waste and can be composted. Did you know, the people were gracious enough to set up a fundraising page for us? Every purchased made at this link, 20% will be donated to help with the chimpanzee and cattle care!

For World Environment Day, I had a plan to have photos of the chimpanzees with today’s browse: wild roses!

The chimpanzees were faster than I had anticipated. After giving them access back to their Greenhouse after cleaning, Jamie’s group left nothing buy stems of the once beautiful roses. This photo of Jamie finishing off the last rose was all I was able to capture.

I apologize, but you will just have to imagine the chimpanzees with roses.

After all the roses were gone, it was time to relax. I couldn’t tell though if Burrito was relaxing or planning his next scheme.

(Hint: it was a scheme that involved a lot of play.)

On the other side of the sanctuary, Cy’s group had an amazing day on the Bray. The weather was perfect. The sun was out. The temperature was warm but not hot. And there was a breeze that would come through every so often.

Cy looking on as Rayne and Gordo explore Ryan’s Lookout.

Rayne and Gordo marching along.

Cy soaking up some sun.

Lucky looking out to the valley and river below the sanctuary.

Rayne waiting for the train to pass by.

While most were out on the Bray, some elected to stay behind and groom in the shade.

Mora!

Mave even was able to go into full relaxation mode.

The Complete Picture

May 30, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Being a caregiver to chimpanzees is a great job, in my humble opinion. There are so many challenges that come with the job, but there are also the same if not more amount of rewards. You also see chimpanzees in a new light. Before moving up to Central Washington, I had studied chimpanzees for a couple of years. The studies, however, consisted of me helping to analyze data that was coming in from the field researchers. To learn about chimpanzees in a classroom setting is one thing, but working with them up close is another. To see everything you have read about in the flesh is like fitting the missing piece to the puzzle. The picture becomes clear. The intelligence, the emotions, the tenderness, the strength, and yes, the chaos. Everything about these beings changes. You see them in a whole new light.

Working with these individuals, you cannot help but wanting to know everything about them. That’s when the sadness kicks in. Reading about what they went through for decades is truly heartbreaking. The kicker is knowing the can never be truly free for various reasons. One example is chimpanzees are very territorial beings. They do not take kindly to strangers. The instinct for them in the wild is to kill any intruders into their home range, minus age appropriate females to diversify the genetic pool. Another example is everything a chimpanzee knows to do in the wild is passed onto them from their mothers and other elders in their community through observational learning. This includes things such as what to eat, how to get it and eat it, how to socialize and show respect to those higher in the hierarchy. Chimpanzees used in the biomedical labs, the entertainment industry, and those kept as pets are taken away from their mothers very early in their life. Sometimes after a few short hours. So they miss all these important life skills that they should know if they were in the wild.

One downfall is as a caregiver, the algorithms on social media tend to veer you toward animal related content. On paper, this would be great. The more exposure you can get, the more people will join in appreciating and help conservation efforts to save them. However, the reality is caregiver’s social media algorithms tend to only show the user what is popular. In the case of chimpanzees and other primates, these videos are the ones with them dressed up, doing tricks, playing with dogs or tiger cubs or guests. These are the videos that things like the exotic pet trade or entertainment. I will give props to the entertainment industry, which is trying to use CGI effects in lieu actual animals of late. Some studios are still falling behind that curve though. The more there is a want for chimpanzees to star in film, interact with guests at roadside zoos, or be kept as a pet, the more atrocious means are used to acquire infant chimpanzees.

Chimpanzees are a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This means chimpanzees in the wild are protected from being captured, killed, or traded. Or they should be protected from being captured, killed, and traded. Despite their CITES protection, chimpanzees are still being sought after as pets and props. Poachers almost exclusively target infants since they are smaller, a blank canvas in terms of training, and cute. In order to obtain an infant, poachers usually have to kill any adult in the area. Eight to ten adult chimpanzees are killed as they try to protect their family. Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center just posted a story on their Instagram account that is saddening and sickening, of an infant they rescued from poachers who still had his mother’s blood and hair clenched in his hands.

It can be hard to believe, but though most states ban the owning of primates (to some degree), there are still some where it is permissible. I personally believe all states should ban any primate from being a household pet. There are a plethora of reasons why. Besides the ethical reasoning due to the circumstances mentioned above, primates are notoriously difficult to keep. They need socialization with others of their kind. They are expensive. They need room. They are messy. They are violent. And they are strong. Most of these traits show up around the time they reach adolescence. This is why if you see these posts with chimpanzees, you are more than likely only going to see them in a certain age range. By the time they reach adulthood, they are no longer “manageable,” they lose their little white tuft on their back ends, and their skin tone changes dramatically, and they become nonprofitable in both the entertainment industry and pet trade.

There are many stories out there of events where a pet chimpanzee escaped from their cage and caused damage to property and/or leaving their keeper mutilated. In either case, the chimpanzee is usually the one that suffers in the end. Though the chimpanzees in our care do indeed live in enclosures, the lives of chimpanzees in accredited facilities are the best that they can get and that we can offer. We do everything in our power to make their lives as comfortable as possible and advocating for the end of these industry and trade practices. We never go into the enclosures with them and limit our physical contact. You know I love Burrito and would do anything for him (and everyone else of course), but I would never want to get into the same space as him. Burrito is goofy, charming, and playful, but he also can cause trouble, be destructive, and is incredibly strong. It would be highly irresponsible of me to do so. If I ever did and something bad happened, it would be him who suffers for my reckless decision. Essentially, he would be punished for being himself.

To help raise awareness, there are many things you can do. You can support an accredited sanctuary through donations and volunteer work. If you see a post on social media or anywhere really of a chimpanzee in an unnatural situation, you can help educate and inform by redirecting them to resources that explains why. You can also support any legislation being voted on by you government representative, both state and federal. Every so ofter a bill is proposed for the advocacy of chimpanzees and other primates and wild animals.

For Advocacy. For Conservation. For Chimpanzees.

Here are some photos from around the sanctuary!

Burrito on top of one of the stumps at the top of Young’s Hill

Missy and Jamie enjoying their breakfast in one of the windows of their Greenhouse

Missy!

Jamie enjoying a browse of goat’s beard dandelions

Negra also enjoyed the dandelions

Burrito, on the other hand, getting into my shots of Negra to make me stop taking pictures and play instead

The strawberry bed between Young’s Hill and The Bray beginning to produce berries

Beautiful, sweet Lucky!

This, That, and The Other

May 23, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Throughout the day, I had several ideas for things I wanted to share on the blog. They were all just small things that happened. Everything doesn’t always go as planned, as you may know. Every single time the idea would pop into my head, by the time I got the camera out (either the DLSR camera or my phone camera) the thing I was going to write about vanished. I was, however, still able to get snippets of each thing.

First, I randomly took a photo of a toy school bus inside Jamie’s greenhouse after we got done cleaning it.

I didn’t know that a short time after I took this photo, Jamie would utilize it.

During lunch, she was putting portions of her meal into it and bring it along with her. This is the only photo she allowed me to take from this far away.

Second, as we were cleaning her greenhouse, I was scrubbing the walls when a little friend gave me a startle.

This little frog was just hanging out watching me clean. Nobody seemed to notice them after we gave them access back to the greenhouse. They were more interested in the spread of lilacs we had placed in there for them. Jamie even sat directly above the frog without a single notice.

Speaking of lunch things, one item everyone was served was a romaine heart. You wouldn’t expect anyone to be excited for romaine hearts, however, the chimps LOVE them and were very excited for them.

Rayne took hers and found a secluded spot in the Riverview Greenhouse, away from the commotion of the food peering that was happening inside the playrooms.

After lunch, her group went out onto The Bray. As some were going out, others were going in. As you might suspect, there was a little bit of a traffic jam on the boardwalk. Three of the biggest boys were the cause of this jam. From left to right: Willy B, Terry, Cy

Lastly, there was one final patrol on Young’s Hill before dinner was going to be served. Here are Missy and Burrito returning from the great outdoors.

A New Throne

May 15, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Followers who have been reading the blog for a little while may remember the Comfort & Joy Auction from last fall. The items bidders made for the chimpanzees were then highlighted throughout the Twelve Days of Christmas series. Though we covered some, we did not cover all of the items. Mostly because some items took a little longer to get. Well, today were were *finally* able to give the California chimpanzees another one of the items from that auction. Today, Honey B was able to finally get her chair! But before we get to the photos of Honey B using the chair:

Sending a special thank you to

Diane Mattis

Thank you so much for bidding on this item. Honey B wasted no time utilizing it. Every time I went back to their side of the building to get photos her using it, the chimpanzees would stop what they were doing. I was able to get some not so great photos though. It’s the context that counts, right?

Honey B was the first to claim her new seat

When I first found her, she was surrounded by others grooming her on her new throne

As you can see, in one photo, Lucky left when I was trying to get a photo, and Terry left when I tried from a different angle. Hopefully you get the idea though. All three of them (Rayne is also included) were grooming Honey B as she sat atop her throne.

As Honey B was taking in the ambience the new chair brought to Marmot Mountain Playroom, their neighbors were busy enjoying Spring.

One of my favorite things about Spring, and my indication that it is spring, is when the Pacific Bleeding Heart flowers begin to bloom.

This plant lives right outside the door that leads to their front rooms. But there was no time to admire the flowers, or so I was told.

It was time to go around Young’s Hill.

Luckily for me, about half way through our walk/run, Burrito got distracted by some morning Spring grass. Unluckily for me (but actually luckily for me), Missy picked up where he left off.

Missy is a chimp’s chimp. She will choose her family 99.9999999999999% of the time over dealing with the humans. In my case, she usually gives me one or two good acknowledgments a year. But unlike some of my colleagues, my interactions have never been grooming with her or playing tug-o-war. It has always been running around the hill. As you may have guessed, I lose every single time.

When we reached the very top of Young’s Hill, Missy took a break and sat in the shade to lookout upon her home.

When the break was over, it was time for a quick snack of fresh Spring grass.

Not far behind Missy was her best friend, Annie.

And Burrito came around shortly after.

A little later on, they all enjoyed a nice breezy lunch forage. Though she spent some time in her cabin eating the goods she found in it, Negra ultimately decided to grab some last minute picks and take it back to the Greenhouse.

This nice sustained Spring weather has been amazing so far. We hope you are all enjoying the weather wherever you may be as well.

Bonus Photos

Rayne in relaxation mode

Jamie doing her first patrol of the morning

Missy with a lilac bounty she collected from Young’s Hill the other day in honor of Jody

Mave, Dora, and Honey B having a nice lunch together in the outdoor chute during their watermelon bowl forage yesterday

Sack Lunch Review

April 25, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Recently, Netflix released a brand new show available for streaming called Chimp Empire. The documentary follows the lives of the Ngogo chimpanzee community in Uganda’s Kibale National Park. The Ngogo group has always piqued my interest. They were, and still are, the largest community of wild chimpanzees to ever be documented with more than 160 members. To give you an idea of how big that is, the average number of chimpanzees in a group is usually somewhere between 15 to 30. I would highly recommend anyone who can to watch it. The footage is some of the best footage I have seen come out of a research area. The only other time I saw footage this amazing was from the Disneynature movie Chimpanzee.

Usually when shows or movies like this come out, I usually watch them with a grain of salt. Usually programs as such over dramatize the stories or just plain make them up. For example, Disney’s Chimpanzee had amazing footage, however parts of the story that was told was somewhat stretched. By “somewhat” I mean “really” stretched. When I first began studying chimpanzees, the best piece of advice my professor gave me was to watch films like these and be amazed by the footage, but tune out the narration. With Chimp Empire, I took the same approach to watching it, however I will say the narration of the chimpanzee hierarchy and politics is pretty spot on.

Whenever I watch any show that has chimpanzees (or any primate really), I always feel a little bit awkward watching them. I work with chimpanzees, and prior to that, studied them. So why would I do anything in my personal life that is related to my professional life? It’s even a little more awkward if I watch them with anyone else because I am 100% that person who will point out the flaws/inaccuracies in these nature shows (and yes, I do cite my sources).

As I watch them though, I usually begin to justify my viewing because to me it is different. There many many similarities I see between the chimpanzees in the show and the ones I work with. There are, however, many many differences as well. To me, watching chimpanzees in the wild and watching them in captivity is like watching two completely different species. As I’m typing this, I’m starting to realize I don’t even know if I can describe it properly to make it make sense to a broader audience. I guess one of my theories is watching chimpanzees in the wild there a certain flow to how they interact with each other and how and why they do things. Most of this societal flow is learned at a very early age with the mother as an important role in shaping their offspring’s behavior. In contrast, chimpanzees in the sanctuary world never had that opportunity to learn from their mothers, or pass that knowledge down to their offspring. In a certain way, chimpanzees in a captive setting (not including AZA accredited zoos) are figuring things out as they go. This why introductions with chimpanzees who never met each other can be difficult; they have learned what the could from each other growing up with no “seasoned” individual to pass on their knowledge. It’s even more complicated when dealing with a chimpanzee that came from the entertainment world because they pretty much have zero social skills since most don’t even see another chimpanzee until the finally find a sanctuary home. And yes! It really is heartbreaking to think about in what they have missed not being born and raised in the wild.

So if you have the capability, I do recommend watching the footage from Ngogo in Chimp Empire. I give the footage 5 out of 5 Razzle Tazzle Terry Berries.

Speaking of Terry, today him and his group had a nice lunch forage in their greenhouses. We decided to spice up their lunch with the addition of one of their favorite food puzzles: grab bags! Usually, grab bags are filled with toys, scarves, socks, and a food puzzle of the caregivers choice. I tend to think the reason why grab bags are such a popular item because you never know what you’re going to get when you grab one. This time, we also included parts of their lunch. Being thrilled is one way of putting their reaction when their lunch was brought out to be set up.

Terry flipping through a magazine with peanut butter smeared between pages in the out door chute