Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Diana

the more you know

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Earlier this month, Anna revealed a half-sibling pair that we were not previously aware of (see this blog post for details if you missed it, but try to guess first just for fun).

Along with that information, we learned of the actual birthdays for Willy B and Mave!

It’s possible we could have had this information before, but their medical records did not include their dates of birth and I assumed they were unknown. So, I forged ahead and chose celebrated birthdays for Mave and Willy B, like we did for Negra, Jody, Jamie, and Annie, whose birthdays are unknown to us.

If you have a CSNW calendar, or have looked at their individual pages on our website, you might know that Willy B‘s celebrated birthday is coming up on March 1st. However, now we know that his actual date of birth is November 30th (1990).

We chose May 27th to celebrate Mave‘s birthday, but now we know that her actual birthday is September 25th (1989).

So, what are we to do for their celebrations this year?

It seemed only right that this year we celebrate both Willy B and Mave’s “calendar birthdays” as well as their real birthdays. No one is going to complain about two more parties, right?!

Speaking of parties and birthdays, don’t waste any more time if you haven’t yet purchased a limited-edition Cy’s Book Club t-shirt and/or tote bag in honor of Cy‘s birthday on March 12th

 

Below are some classic photos of these two birthday guys, but first, a very brief story from today. After morning cleaning, Cy was clearly looking for some “reading” material. I brought out a book for him. See photo below of the book’s cover:

I knew there was a risk that Cy would find something in the pages of the book that he found alarming. What I didn’t count on was that he would fixate on the smallest photos. The inside cover of the book features very small images of other books in the series (see below). While he looked closely at those small photos he frequently let out one of his unique “scary image alarm calls.”

Willy B and Rayne immediately came to his side. Based on their reactions, the other chimpanzees in his group are as perplexed as we humans are about Cy’s reaction to certain images, but it’s nice that they want to assist or just be near him when he’s alarm calling at an image in a magazine or book.

Willy B really seems to look up to Cy (we can understand why, propensity to overreact to images aside). Here are a few photos of the two of them together:

 

Sleeping Arrangements

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J.B. and I have been monitoring the chimps on the security cameras since the integration. We’re not watching them all the time, but we have a couple of iPads on after hours so we can take a look if we hear anything. It’s been interesting to see the changes in where the chimpanzees bed down for the night.

Initially, after the first few months of the integration, Honey B, Mave, and Willy B would sleep together in the front room area with the other group of six scattered about. At some point, this changed. I can’t say for sure, but I believe it was Mave who made the first integration move, choosing to make a nest in the catwalk of the Lupine Playroom near some of her new friends. From the other group, I saw Rayne on a couple of occasions nesting in the front rooms with Honey B, Willy B. and Mave or just Honey B and Willy B.

After a few months, I noticed that Willy B would start his nesting in the front rooms, but at some point in the night, he would make his way to the Mezzanine. Now, he disappears into the playrooms. This is all part of the integration process and one that is happening on their own timeline and based on nuances in their relationships and personalities that are a bit of a mystery.

Honey B has always liked the cubby in the mezzanine, and she is a woman of routine who knows what she likes. Given the happenings in the video I put together today, we’ll just see how things shake out.

Being Neighborly

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I think this video answers a couple of FAQs – the two separate groups at the sanctuary do have visual access to each other (the video “Back in the Chute” is still one of my top five from 2022), and we plan to have the separate groups in their respective adjacent habitats at the same time eventually! They will be separated by four fences and space in between. What other questions to you have about the outdoor access plans?

A Sense of Awe

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Earlier this week, I listened to an interview with author Dacher Kaltner about his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life. I haven’t read the book yet (it’s on my list now!), but I keep thinking about the premise, as I will try to clumsily paraphrase: the key to happiness is experiences that give you a sense of awe.

As it relates to the sanctuary, it brings up three things for me. The first is just the fact of being around and getting to know members of another species, a species that is so relatable and yet mysterious at the same time. Just to be in their presence for a few minutes can be awe-inspiring.

I admit that there are times when I forget how incredible an unique this experience is. And I often think about how the chimpanzees shouldn’t have been put in a situation where this was possible for me at all. But they were, and I’m one of a small number of people who get to spend my days taking care of them and trying to work towards a future when chimpanzees are no longer in any captive environment. Dreaming of that day, when chimpanzees are only found free in their native land, evokes a different and even deeper sense of awe.

The second element of the sanctuary + awe that was brought up for me is the land and natural surroundings where the sanctuary sits. As I wrote on our About Us page, the sanctuary is located on the traditional land of the Kittitas band of the Yakama Tribe. The native Kittitas people referred to what we now call the Cle Elum River near the sanctuary as Tle-el-Lum, meaning Swift Water. I imagine the members of this tribe had a reverential respect for the river and the life that it carried and nourished.

J.B. and I have lived on the sanctuary property for about fourteen years now, and the last several, since the sanctuary has acquired more land, have been without any human neighbors within sight. Our couch faces large windows that look out into the orchard and the pine trees beyond the orchard that stand tall on the hill overlooking the river. It’s an awesome view that never gets old.

When we walk out the door, we are always greeted by the sounds of stellar jays or eagles or other birds (this time of year its the busy twittering of juncos, in a few months it will be the longer calls of red wing blackbirds). The deer pass through the property regularly, the marmots and ground squirrels always show up in the spring, and every once in a while we see elk, bobcats, coyotes or wild turkeys.

 

The third element of the sanctuary + awe that I keep thinking about is the experiences of awe that chimpanzees might have. There have been a few studies in the wild that have approached this question, including some speculation about the possibility of “sacred trees.”

I don’t think we could definitively say what any chimpanzee is experiencing, but once in a while we catch the chimpanzees at the sanctuary in moments that just might be awe.

 

Here’s to more awe for everyone in 2023.

 

Lessons from Burrito

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Since Burrito had a very significant birthday yesterday (how can he be 40!), I’ve been thinking a lot about him and the life lessons that he imparts just by being who he is.

As Katelyn mentioned in this month’s birthday blog, “… Burrito reminds us it’s always possible (even when it might feel as though it’s not) to find something to celebrate, no matter how small.”

Here are some other life lessons that I think Burrito has given us:

A sense of humor brightens the day.

There’s always something to laugh about.

Your friends will forgive the occasional outburst.

Stay active, even if you aren’t feeling 100%.

If you can, get outside everyday.

Rest is important. Don’t let anyone interfere with your nightly sleep routine.

Don’t let your age stop you from being silly. Actually, don’t let anything stop you from being silly.

Don’t sweat the small stuff… or the big stuff.

Greet your friends with enthusiasm – they will appreciate it.

When life hands you lemons, eat them! Lemons are delicious.

Speaking of food, enjoy every bite.

 

Here are some Burrito lessons from Kelsi, who inspired this post:

Life is short. Don’t take it too seriously.

Spending quality time with friends trumps everything else.

It’s never too late to reinvent yourself!

 

And an addition from Jenna:

Everything is a toy if you want it to be.

 

 

for the Winter Warriors

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If you follow the blog, you may have seen the brief mentions from Kelsi and then J.B. of the very eventful end of December that the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest staff and volunteers endured this year.

For the first time in over a decade (as far as we can remember), J.B. and I had scheduled a short trip to visit family together (together!) on the east coast for some winter celebrations. Almost as soon as we left, things started to malfunction at the sanctuary as Cle Elum was hit with extreme cold temperatures. J.B. helped troubleshoot the issues at a distance, but the staff on the ground had to navigate mechanical failures and multiple days with a non-functioning well, all the while caring for the chimpanzees and cattle, getting to work in icy conditions, and taking turns staying overnight to look after office cat LouLou and pups Abbey and Benny.

The nonhumans were none the wiser to these issues as the staff and volunteers managed to maintain the routine and get creative with procedures as though everything was in pristine working order. Meanwhile, J.B. and I had to extend our time away due to the weather and the complete meltdown of the aviation industry.

All of this, whilst also being away from their own families, the staff carried on with the CSNW Christmas countdown on the blog and the preparation for holiday festivities without skipping a beat.

J.B. and I couldn’t be more grateful. Neither of us worried in the least that this crew of staff, volunteers, and their spouses could handle whatever obstacle Mother Nature and Murphy’s Law presented to them. There was never a doubt that the nonhumans at the sanctuary were in the best hands possible.

Today, we thank them most humbly with this sponsor-a-day post, and invite you, too, to thank them for looking after the sanctuary every day under any and all circumstances!