Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chad de Bree

Random Assortments of the Day

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I’m finding it hard to piece together things that have happened today at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest into a nice, fluid story. However, there were just a wide assortment of things that happened, that it’s probably best to just showcase them.

Before the clouds came rolling in to give us a nice, cool Spring rain, Willy B did venture outside. He stayed outside for nearly an hour on his own before the sun was swallowed up by the gray clouds. Caregiver Kelsi was able to grab this shot of him soaking up as much sun before it disappeared.

After Willy B went inside, we gave the Group of 7 access to Young’s Hill where first order of business was to patrol their area. Foxie was the first one to race out onto Young’s Hill, but Jody and Missy weren’t far behind.

After their patrol, the staff conducted some positive reinforcement training. Here, J.B. is asking Burrito to show him his foot.

Kelsi asked Negra to open her mouth to get a look inside.

And Anna is giving Jody a grape for showing her hand.

Positive reinforcement training (PRT) is an important tool for caregivers for medical purposes. It allows us to conduct a quick health overview of the individual or to inspect an extremity without the use of anesthesia. Though it is an important tool for us, the chimpanzees sometimes view it as a game.

The PRT session ended right as it began to rain. Listening to raindrops hit the window can drum up the desire to wrap yourself in a blanket, and take a nice afternoon nap. In Honey B’s case, replace “blanket” with “blanket fort.”

The chimpanzees were just served dinner and are enjoying their evening enrichment puzzle. Today’s puzzle is peanut butter in small containers. The idea is for the chimpanzees to fish out the peanut butter using a tool. In this case, Missy is using a chopstick. (My apologies for such a blurry photo.)

For extra stability, she used her foot to hold on the small container.

Foxie, on the other hand, bypassed using chopsticks and just used her fingers.

Now if you please pardon me, I hear raspberries being blown by a certain Burrito Chimpanzee, and I think it’s time for his nightly ice. Good night, everybody!

Reaching for New Heights

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Today is absolutely a terrific day for many reasons. The weather is bright and sunny with temperatures near the 70s. Many of the seasonal birds are back and gleefully darting back and forth, grabbing what they can to make their perfect little nests for the Spring. The cattle are out grazing in their new pasture. And Willy B hit another milestone in his adventures outside.

You’re eyes are not deceiving you. Willy B made a couple of attempts to climb the outdoor structure. He is capable of climbing the structure in the Courtyard, however, it is still really new to him. He first would poke his head up to scan the platform for any food. When he noticed there wasn’t any up there, he would come back down and just sit. After the first initial scan for food, it seemed like his curiosity wasn’t about food anymore.

It seemed like he was determined to conquer any fear he may have had and want to be on the platform. However, today was not that day. After several attempts, he decided it was best to just sit in the open air Courtyard, and take in the scenery. This in itself was another big milestone. Willy B ventured out further than before, and stayed out longer with out constantly darting back to the safety of the Chute.

He also made attempts to walk on the grass multiple times today.

But his excursions onto the grass weren’t long.

He even performed a mini-display. We’re still not sure if he was hyping himself up for another attempt to climb, or to show his neighbors who is in charge of the Courtyard now.

To think of the places he has been in life, to now experience grass, open air, dirt, cattle neighbors, can be somewhat over stimulating and frightening for someone with a past like his. I truly admire Willy B’s spirit.

Willy B just has that kind of spirit. The spirit to take on new adventures and try new things in new surroundings.

And the determination to come out on top in the end at his own speed.

Hopefully, his confidence and sense of adventure will spread to Mave and Honey B soon so they can enjoy the wonders of their Washington home. Mave, just like yesterday, seemed like she’s hyping herself up to take that first step. It may be tomorrow. It may be next week. It may be a year from now. But that isn’t our call. There is no way to tell when either her or Honey B will be ready. The only thing we can do is try to show them it is safe and wonderful to be outside.

You can help us continue to provide care and a safe home for the 10 chimpanzees and four cattle by participating in Washington’s Give Big Fundraiser Drive. This is the first year we are eligible to participate in this annual drive, and we hope to make a big impact. The smallest donation can have the biggest impact for the 14 residents of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. So we hope you are able and willing to participate today or tomorrow.

What Friends Are For

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As some of you have read yesterday, Foxie went through a medical exam. Going under anesthesia can take a lot out of a chimpanzee, but Foxie is fierce and strong despite her small stature. By the time dinner was ready yesterday, Foxie was up, alert, eating, and ready to go back to her family. We decided to keep her by herself overnight just in case. When we arrived to the sanctuary in the morning, it was clear she was more than ready to go back with the group.

The first person to greet her was Jody of course! And since then, they have almost virtually been inseparable.

Jody made sure that for most of the day, Foxie was within eyesight or earshot of Foxie. It’s hard to see, but if you look closely between the ladder and the pillar at the top of the platform, you can see a little fuzz of a shoulder. That’s Foxie! With Jody resting right below her of course!

Jody was available nearby in case Foxie needed her. It’s hard to tell in this photo, but Jody (front) is keeping an eye on Foxie (back).

Foxie and Jody have such as strong bond with one another. It’s one relatively not talked about much as say Missy and Annie. They continuously motivate each other, lookout for each other, and just genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

May you find yourself the Foxie to your Jody or the Jody to your Foxie in life.

Bonus photos of Annie performing her famous “bird calls” and Negra peering out onto Young’s Hill after hearing the cattle call for Anthony for their daily care.

A Post About Nothing

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It’s a suspiciously quiet day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. But with the chimpanzees here, being suspiciously quiet means they are usually napping in their favorite spots around the sanctuary, or grooming with their partner of choice. (So really not that suspicious.)

When he wasn’t outside in the Chute area, Willy B spent most of his day relaxing.

While also looking devilishly handsome, of course.

And when he wasn’t relaxing, he was grooming with Mave and Honey B.

Though Honey B participated in many grooming sessions with Mave and Willy B, she also spent a considerable amount of time outside in the Chute trying to either spy on her chimpanzee neighbors, or trying to catch a glimpse of the cattle on the pasture.

I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to get much photos today of the Group of Seven. Jamie was very adamant about me not taking photos of anybody while she was around. I was able to sneak this one of Missy though, after asking Missy if it was alright with her.

 

 

Noisy Neighbors and Sock Puppets

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It’s a beautiful day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. The sun is out, there is a light breeze, and the chimpanzees are spending their time with each other both inside and outside.

When they were given access to Young’s Hill, Missy raced outside with Annie close on her metaphorical tail.

Jody was actually the first one out on Young’s Hill today, and also the first one back. What she really wanted was to spy on her neighbors. Once she realized her neighbors were not in the Chute at that moment, she headed back inside.

With Missy coming in right behind her.

Burrito, on the other hand, knows that he can just wait by the window for his neighbors to make an appearance without having to go outside to check.

And when their neighbors do make an appearance, be prepared for a lot of hooting and hollering.

Jody and Foxie caught a glimpse of Willy B as he made his way into the Chute and immediately began hooting.

Though Willy B, Mave, and Honey B spent a considerable amount of time in the Chute today, they also spent a lot of time keeping busy indoors, as well.

Mave decided she wanted to make a sock puppet.

She was actually pretty happy and satisfied with her sock puppet.

Willy B spent a lot of time napping and requesting his caregivers to play chase with him. When we wasn’t doing that, he made sure his neighbors knew of his presence by displaying in the Mezzanine.

It usually starts out with him dragging his yellow bucket around to make as much noise as possible as a buildup, before it crescendos into a scream and him boxing himself in the mirror.

When the mirror wasn’t used for Willy B’s shadowing boxing practice, Honey B used it to look at herself and her caregivers through the reflection.

Super Lunar Vibes

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Some days, you just have a very good day. Other days seem to be good because of cosmic forces at play. Tonight is a Pink Supermoon. Meaning, the moon will be the closest to Earth than any other time this year (supermoon), and it also coincides with the Pink Moon, the name given to the full moon of April.

Today was a suspiciously quiet day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. All the chimpanzees spent most of their time resting or napping.

Negra spent most of her day napping in front of her favorite windows, covered in blankets
That is until a certain Willy B walks into the Chute and causes her roommates to go into an uproar, waking her up.
Burrito even spent most of his day laying back and watching his neighbors.

It was even a quiet day for Willy B, Honey B, and Mave.

Willy spent most of his day napping and lounging around.
While Honey B spent most of her day building forts and playing with/on the mirror.
Mave looked as thoughtful as ever.

Today, we also determined Jody is recovering tremendously and should have a play date. And what better friend to have visit you than Foxie?

When I first opened the door that separated them, they flew into each other’s embrace. They then engaged in a small game of chase before spending nearly all day grooming and napping with each other.

Whether today was just a good day, or the Pink Supermoon was emitting super lunar vibes, it’ hard to say. I’m just glad it was a magnificent day for the chimpanzees.

Honey B Yoga

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Many people around the world use yoga as a stress reliever, to live a healthier lifestyle, as a spiritual practice, and many other reasons. Honey B is also a practitioner of yoga. For what reason? It would be hard to say. But she does have some interesting versions to yoga poses.

Here is “Yoga with Honey B.”

First, pick the perfect spot. It doesn’t have to be a permanent spot. Just a spot that will suit the pose. One option is on a recently constructed fort you built.

Do you have your spot? Great! Let’s start off easy with the classic “Lotus Position.”

Next, let’s ease into the “Navasana” (Boat Pose) for a little while.

After easing out of that pose, don’t forget to take a break and groom with a friend. In this case, Mave.

As mentioned before, your spot doesn’t need to be permanent to continue your yoga session. So let’s find a new spot.

Once a new spot is found, let’s get straight into “Ananda Balasana” (Happy Baby Pose).

And let’s close this session with the “Shavasana” (Corpse Pose) to end the day with your favorite blankets and piles of paper.

These are simple poses you can try at home if you are practicing good social distancing.