Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Elizabeth

Annie Evolving

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Annie was not brimming with confidence when she arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. (This is an understatement.) She had a couple of things working against her: her position at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, and decades of history in research labs during which she lived in fear and frequent pain. She had every reason to believe that the world was not kind.

During her early days at the sanctuary, Annie had regular anxiety attacks. If she felt threatened by another chimpanzee, or sometimes for no discernible reason at all, she would throw herself on the ground while screaming and flailing. She was glued to her best friend Missy’s side, and would become noticeably agitated if they were separated. At the sanctuary she was given space to roam, other chimps to play with, nourishing food, and caregivers who adore her. But she was not at ease.

Fast forward almost seven years, and Annie is a different person.

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She has shed her old demons and has been hard at work building a whole new Annie. This new Annie is filled with peace and joy and wonder. She plays with friends and stands up for herself during family disagreements and claps her feet and makes bird noises and is not afraid of solitude.

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This new Annie greets the world with a glint in her eye.

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Good Clean Fun

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Today after cleaning the playroom, we put a small drop of non-toxic dish soap in the pool and filled it up with water. The chimpanzees all enjoy soapy water. Jamie sometimes uses it to scrub the floor, while others like to take big mouthfuls of it. They seem to like the sensation of the foamy bubbles in their mouths. There’s no denying it – bubbles are just fun.

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Annie:

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Foxie:

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Jody:

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Awkward Moments

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Although Burrito isn’t the leader of the group here, the other chimps do offer him lots of submissive greetings – it’s probably their way of trying to keep him calm since he can be a bit of a Tasmanian devil. But Burrito’s social awkwardness leads him to respond to these greetings in an unusual way. When another chimp approaches him to offer a greeting, Burrito usually turns away and squeezes his eyes shut, as if to say, “I don’t see you. This isn’t happening.” It seems that Burrito’s strategy for handling an awkward social situation is to avoid, avoid, avoid.

The other day I was taking some photos of Burrito when Negra (right) entered the room and offered Burrito a kiss greeting. As soon as Negra approached, Burrito looked the other way and closed his eyes.

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When he thinks the greeting is over, he’ll often pop an eye open to check if the other chimp is still there.

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The other chimps take Burrito’s odd behavior in stride, and luckily for Burrito, these greetings don’t last long. Once the uncomfortable moment has passed, he’s back to his playful self.

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The Misfit

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If Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest were a high school, Burrito would be the guy wearing the wrong clothes and saying the wrong things.

Chimpanzee groups operate under a strict set of social rules. Wild chimpanzees learn these rules as children by watching the older members of their group. Most of the chimps at the sanctuary, despite having grown up in entirely unnatural circumstances with limited exposure to other chimps, seem to have some understanding of these rules. But Burrito hasn’t read the rulebook. He doesn’t even know where to find a copy.

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Burrito’s hormones and millions of years of evolutionary pressure are giving him bad advice. As a male chimpanzee, he is instinctually driven to show everyone he’s in charge. He does this multiple times each day through intimidating dominance displays. Wild male chimps have these same instincts, but their instincts are tempered by social learning. A free-living male chimp might get the following message from his brain: “It’s time for a display, but the alpha’s over there, so steer clear of him, and be sure to keep it short and to the point.” The message Burrito receives seems to be less nuanced: “GO!!!”

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None of this is Burrito’s fault, of course. He was born in a laboratory and lived most of his life alone. He never had peers to learn from. Consequently, he has all of the instinct and none of the experience. This has gotten him in some trouble with the other chimps at the sanctuary, and he often seems out of his element. But he has come a long way. At the age of 32, surrounded by a stable group of chimpanzee friends, he is learning the skills and lessons he should have learned as a kid. He is fitting in more and more everyday. Burrito is finally growing up.

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The Hermit

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Negra is the grandma of the Cle Elum Seven.

She is not the kind of grandma who bakes you cookies, but the kind who tells you to get your life together and grumbles about those kids on her lawn. Negra knows exactly who she is and what she likes. She is stuck in her ways. She appreciates comfort and routine and predictability (and peanuts and lettuce). She is highly suspicious of change. She will not tolerate your shenanigans.

Negra chooses to spend about 80% of her time in a big, soft nest in the same spot on the playroom catwalk, in front of a window that looks out over the valley. The playroom is warm and dry and safe, and Negra sees little reason to leave it.

But for a few short months out of the year, the conditions in the greenhouse are so perfect that even Negra can’t resist. She ventures out early in the morning to enjoy the warm sun and gentle breezes, and that’s usually where we find her when we arrive at the sanctuary to start the day. Soon enough the weather will change again and Negra will be back in her nest inside, buried under piles of blankets. But while it lasts, we’re thrilled to see Negra get out and see what the world has to offer.

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