Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Diana

Curiosity

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by nonhuman great apes. For a time it was just an interest that added to my overall identity – like how some people like owls, or koala bears, or unicorns.

I admired “Leakey’s Ladies” – Dian Fosey, Jane Goodall, and Birute Gladikas – and daydreamed about following in their footsteps.

In truth, though, my fascination came prior to developing a true understanding and compassion for nonhuman apes. It was just an intense curiosity.

They are, after all, so familiar in some ways.

Foxie's hand holding her foot

So like humans, yet different – exotic

Foxie close-up

Jamie standing bipedal

Luckily, I happened upon the right people at the right time and was ready to rethink this fascination and the historical relationship that humans have had to other apes.

Human curiosity can lead to a lot of destruction when it is not balanced with compassion.

Now I wonder what the world would be like today if humans weren’t so curious about other species. What if we just left them alone instead of bringing them into our world to study them and then use them for our own benefit?

We can’t go backwards, though. The human world has clashed and combined and intertwined with the worlds of other animals. So there are places like Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, where we try to make up for wrongs committed against other species, and we try to demonstrate and spread compassion for our closest living relatives, and for other nonhuman animals too.

Our curiosity is just as strong, if not stronger, but hopefully compassion combined with fascination makes for a more hopeful future for all species who share this planet.

Jamie walking

Burrito looking away

Jody close-up

Missy now and then

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I took this photo of Missy a few nights ago when she had joined Jamie for some “after hours” walking around the hill. I was trying to figure out why I love the photo so much (aside from the obvious cuteness of Missy from behind).

Missy bipedal from behind

Today, while on another walk, I think I figured it out – it reminds me of a photo we took a few months after the chimpanzees arrived during a big rainstorm. It was before there was a Young’s Hill and before there were greenhouse panels covering their original “outdoor area” that we now call the greenhouse. The outdoors and the elements were a whole new experience for all of the chimps, and, without the greenhouse roof that exists now, the rain was pouring into this area.

Chimpanzees don’t tend to appreciate getting wet, and all of the chimps stayed indoors for most of the storm, but curiosity soon got the best of Missy, Annie, and Jamie. Missy was first to look out the door into the still dripping outside world:

Missy in doorway during rainstorm

At the time, I remember how thrilled J.B. and I were that the chimpanzees were experiencing something brand new. We were thrilled that they were able to gather the courage to follow their curiosity. And we knew that this was  just one new experience in a whole line of new experiences they would be facing.

Still, I had no idea exactly what was to come into their lives, thanks to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest supporters. I had no idea that Missy would embrace the two-acre outdoor habitat that was just beginning to be a kernel of an idea for the future.

I had no idea that six and half years later, Missy would run with glee across the 2-acres everyday:

Missy running

 

Exploring her territory:

Missy walking

 

 

Satisfying her curiosity:

confident Missy walking

I can’t wait to see what Missy and her six friends get to experience next, and what the next six and a half years will bring to the sanctuary.

 

 

For Lisa Stuverud

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Today’s day of sanctuary is for Lisa Stuverud from her wonderful husband Richard, who shared this message:

I’d like to sponsor a day in the name of my wife, Lisa Stuverud. April 4th is her birthday and I know how much she loves the chimps and everyone at CSNW. Coincidentally, Lisa and her sister-in-law Linda Vizzare share the same birthday and Lisa had chosen yesterday as a sponsored day in Linda’s name. (Linda recently passed away and was a big Burrito fan especially loving his Happy Dance) I am choosing April 5th, the next best day, to support and share my wife’s love of the chimps and although in the beginning is was Jamie and her Cowboy Boots that that drew her in, it would now be difficult for her to ever pick a favorite if she was asked…I know she loves them all and has sincere admiration for all you do as “their humans”.

Jamie hugging boot 4

web Jamie eyes closed use boot as pillow sleep nest blanket PR IMG_4587

Thank you both for all of your support for the Seven and us humans, Rich and Lisa! Happy Easter and Happy Birthday!

 

The Circle of Caring

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Our primary objectives as caregivers in a sanctuary is continuously improving the well being of those in our care and working to make the world a better place for all chimpanzees. We strive to provide what our tagline says: hope. love. home… sanctuary.

It doesn’t take long to realize that all of this just ends up circling back.

The chimpanzees give me hope everyday.

Sometimes the problems the world is facing seem insurmountable. Sometimes I just want to go back to sleep when I open my eyes in the morning and think of the work that lies ahead. But then there are these seven chimpanzees who lived for most of their lives with no reason for hope, yet they didn’t shut down.

Even Negra, who was ripped from her home and her family as a baby and used as a test tube for over three decades – she survived. And she can now lift her head to the sky and allow the rays of the sun to warm her face, or curl up under a blanket and sleep peacefully.

Negra eyes to sky

Negra under a blanket

Nothing gives me hope more than seeing the chimpanzees thrive at CSNW.

And then there’s love. After what humans have done to them, these chimpanzees should be angry. It would be completely justified for them to rise up Planet of the Apes style and never trust another human. Yet, surprisingly, they do show affection towards humans.

It’s easy to see that Foxie is happiest when she’s making someone else laugh or smile. She often spots me from a distance and runs over just to have a little playtime.

foxie with new trolls

 

Burrito too. Just this morning, in between his a.m. displaying, he was stomping his feet and running through the front rooms to get me to play chase.

Burrito play face

burrito bite fire hose

 

All the love I try to convey to the Seven just comes right back.

 

These misfit captive chimpanzees could melt the coldest of hearts.

 

Jamie:

Jamie hug stuffed animal

That brings us to home. The sanctuary provides J.B. and me with a physical home, but, far more significantly, the chimpanzees and the people that they bring into their lives through their sheer force of charm has created a more remarkable sense of home than I’ve ever experienced.

I really just can’t get over how amazing it is to be surrounded by such caring, compassionate, funny, and all-around lovely people that make up the staff, volunteers, and supporters. And that includes a lot of people who I’ve never even met in person. The Seven are really quite good at attracting the best people to be a part of their lives.

Sanctuary. It’s a word that is often misused, but it truly applies to this place. And, as I’ve learned, the spirit of true sanctuary is circular. Thank you for being a part of it.

Sweet Annie:

Annie

Adventurous Missy:

Missy leaping

Jody – taken this afternoon:

Jody with eyes closed

 

 

Today in Memory of Linda Vizzare

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Lisa Stuverud has sponsored this day of sanctuary in memory of Linda Vizzare. This is the touching message that Lisa shared:

Linda is my sister-in-law and my “birthday buddy” for the last 37 years. She passed away November 20th, so April 4th is going to be my first birthday without her to celebrate with. I know she knows I miss her very much and one of the things I miss the most is how much she loved Burrito especially when he did his “happy dance” :-). During her illness we often talked about the chimpanzees, the caregivers and the blog, but mostly we drew strength from all that they have overcome to then be able to do a “happy dance”…I know she was strong and didn’t stop fighting until the very end so I hope she is now doing her own “happy dance.”

The best example of Burrito’s “dance” where he stands bipedally, clutching his thighs with his hands and moving from foot to foot is in the Emmy award winning video put together by KOMO 4 of the chimpanzees’ first moments on Young’s Hill. You can see the video here – Burrito’s dance is at 3:30.

And here are a few photos of Mr. B.

burrito b&w

web_Burrito_arms_crossed_platform_foxie_jody_annie_YH_jb_IMG_4618

web burrito pilo bipedal 2

Thank you, Lisa, for being such a good friend to the chimpanzees, for sharing this day with them, and for sharing your touching memories of your time with Linda during her illness.

Today is for mom Amy Simpson!

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Today is Julia Simpson’s birthday, and she chose to sponsor a day of sanctuary in honor of her mother because Julia is grateful to have Amy for a mom. How incredibly sweet is that?

Maybe this sweet?

Negra kissing Jamie’s brow

Negra kiss Jamie

 

Foxie kissing a troll doll

web Foxie kiss new troll doll enrichment outdoor area IMG_3409

Happy birthday, Julia! Thanks for all you do for the chimpanzees, and thanks to Amy for being such a great mom!

Foxie gazing at Dora

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One thing that has become clear to me during my years of working with chimpanzees: there is often no answer to “why” questions, such as “why is Foxie so enamored with troll and Dora the Explorer dolls?” Or, similarly, “why does Jamie want her caregivers to put on cowboy boots and “join” her on her walks around Young’s Hill?”.

Maybe rarely having access to answers for “why” questions makes the chimpanzees endlessly fascinating. And maybe it also allows us to concentrate on the “what” and the “how” questions, like, “what can we do to enrich Jamie’s life today?” or “how can we make sure that Foxie always has a choice of dolls?”

Today, this was the doll Foxie picked:

Foxie stroke dora

 

The bite test:

Foxei bit dora

 

The gaze test:

Foxie hold Dora

foxie gaze dora

Foxie hold dora

foxie holding dora

foxie looking deeply into dora's eyes

 

and this is Foxie looking at me holding Dora before the three of us started playing chase:

Foxie walking towards Dora

 

Why does Foxie like her caregivers to play chase while holding one of her dolls? I don’t know. But, as more time passes, the better I get at figuring out what makes her particularly giddy when we’re playing these games.