Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
As the video says, it’s been drama city the last two afternoons. It’s not the most fun to be around when chimpanzees are unhappy with each other, and it’s almost always impossible to know exactly what’s going on.
But, when we think about all of the hours in the day, the chimps spend most of them pretty peacefully. Maybe even more so than a lot of humans.
During these times of unease between the chimps, it’s nice to keep all of the tender, playful, and peaceful moments in mind.
Apparently this chunk of ice has been in the tub since Wednesday. Maybe it had been forming from it’s original snow form into the perfect solid and was ready to enjoy today!
In any case, it certainly brought more than one chimpanzee a good deal of joy today. Speaking of joy… don’t forget to bid on Comfort & Joy auction items all weekend!
They really did play for a good amount of time while Anna and I cleaned their playroom. I was very glad to get the clips I did!
As you can see from the video, the snow from yesterday was short-lived. I saw Annie walking up the stairs to the playroom loft with a big handful of snow. It’s good that they love to eat it!
What a day! The video above says it all, but below are a few still photos.
Chad, on his day off, happened to see Missy’s climb as he was accompanying a former chimp house volunteer on a walk around the hill. He and J.B. took some videos with their phones as I walked up with the camera and telephoto lens, which was not working right away, but I did get one good photo of Missy amidst the branches, foraging on pine needles:
and some photos on her way down:
There are chimpanzees in captivity who are front-and-center as soon as you meet them and every day thereafter. Burrito and Jamie, for example.
Then there are chimpanzees who allow others in their group to take the human-liaison role and more often hang out in the background.
Sometimes, this is because they just aren’t that interested in the humans (think Missy). More power to those confident types who just don’t need us bipedal apes (unless there are tomatoes to gather from the garden, of course).
Sometimes, chimpanzees are just shy or apprehensive. I can relate! It might take them more time to warm up to caregivers (think Gordo).
Sometimes, there are chimpanzees who choose certain humans they connect with, while they are pretty ambivalent about other people in their orbit (the best example of this with the chimpanzees I’ve known over the years was Washoe – she had her favorite people, and was SO EXCITED to see them. Everyone else was simply there to wait on her, and the rare occasions when she decided to pay attention to you, if you were not on her favorite list, were thrilling. And she knew this.)
Personally, I’m just not sure about Lucky and where she fits on this spectrum I just made up. She does greet her caregivers with enthusiasm, and seems to be more enthusiastic with certain humans (Jenna may be her human BFF right now). She’s not front and center like others in her group. She is often at a bit of a distance, observing.
The other day, I felt very privileged to sit down with Lucky for a somewhat extended period of time while she was in the Oakwood Greenhouse.
She quietly sat, wanting to groom my hand, and looked into my eyes. Towards the end of our interaction, she started to look around, like she was searching for something but not finding it.
After a few seconds, she reached over to the bamboo plant next to her and pulled off a leaf. Then, she handed it to me through the caging.
I don’t know what she was thinking when she did this, but it seemed to be a gesture of friendship, and it made my day.
Bonus photos of one of the more gregarious chimpanzees in Lucky’s group. The ever-present Terry:
Ya’ll, let me tell you that taking care of chimpanzees in captivity is a job full of stress and worry. But Burrito here, even when you know he can be the instigator of drama, shows us why we do what we do. Enjoy the video and take Burrito’s outlook on life to heart.
It was simply a gorgeous early autumn day today. A perfect day for J.B. to lead a big crew of volunteers. It’s so exciting to see the new outdoor habitats coming together, including trees that were recently planted and transplanted bamboo on both sides!
I was sitting with Gordo yesterday while he was gazing at his side of the hill, The Bray. I think he knows it’s for him and his friends.
Jamie and crew definitely know they will be getting a new space, and they have been watching with great interest.
Well, at least some of them have. Jody had other priorities when I was filming today.
