Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Ellen Brady-McGaughey

Meal Service

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Every day, the chimpanzees are served 3 meals. Their diet largely consists of fresh fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and browse (more fibrous plant material such as grape vines or cattails), but we still supplement their diet with a very small amount of commercially prepared primate chow.

In this photo, Negra holds pieces of primate chow in both hands.

Breakfast may be the most exciting meal of the day, because it includes not only fresh fruit, but also freshly made fruit smoothies! Their daily smoothie includes a variety of fruit (almost always bananas, usually combined with an assortment of fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) and supplements to support their health (for example, an omega fatty acids oil blend).

In this photo, Jamie polishes off her smoothie, making sure she gets every last drop!

The chimps are also served one type of vegetable, several peanuts, and primate chow at breakfast, in addition to their smoothies and fruit. For lunch, the chimpanzees are served another fruit, two different vegetables, and primate chow. For their final meal of the day, the chimps are served 3 different types of vegetables and a “night bag,” which includes a mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins, other dried fruit, and popcorn. The night bag is the most exciting item at dinner time!

In this photo series, Dora enjoys a favorite vegetable – corn!

There are some items that are almost universally loved by the chimps. These include almost all fruits, and select vegetables like corn, avocado, and tomatoes (technically a fruit, but we count them as a vegetable for meals), to name a few. There are some exceptions – George, despite our best efforts to change his mind, is not interested in trying an avocado whereas Foxie loves them most! Missy is our well-known tomato connoisseur, and Cy loves corn so much that he does occasionally steal it from others (I think it is a fair tax as the alpha, he has a lot of work to do!). We are able to provide a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for the chimps, which vary by season, so some items are particularly exciting because they are only available seasonally (pomegranate is a great example!). For special occasions such as birthdays, arrival anniversaries, and holidays, we often prepare more novel foods to celebrate! Long-time volunteer caregiver Patti recently celebrated her birthday, and made chimp-approved carrot walnut waffles to celebrate with the chimps. Rayne, who has very high standards when it comes to food, absolutely loved the waffles!

If you’d like to support the chimps by purchasing some of their daily supplements, you can do so through our wish lists here. You can also become a Produce Patron, and help us keep the fridges stocked with a variety of fruits and vegetables!

Cow-uality Time

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Today’s blog post is all about the cows! Cow-uality (quality) time…get it?!

The sanctuary is home to our own small herd of cattle: Betsy, Meredith, and Honey. These ladies help to fire-wise the property by “mowing” the grass in their multiple pastures which they move around to throughout the year. Right now, they are in the upper pasture, which is my favorite of their pastures. The views are lovely both in the pasture itself, and on the way there and back from the Chimp House.

The view coming back to the Chimp House from the upper pasture.

Another (informal) sanctuary resident, one of many deer, who I saw on my way to care for the cattle.

Summer time with the cows, for me, means both quality time with the cows and some quiet time outside. It can be a nice break when things are more chaotic in the Chimp House to go spend time petting Betsy (the most people-oriented of the cows) while everyone eats their grain, then brushing them (which also serves as a way to apply fly spray), before returning to the Chimp House.

Betsy

Honey

Honey

Betsy

Betsy

Betsy

Meredith (L) and Honey (R)

Meredith

Meredith

 

Busy Day Photo Round Up!

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Today was a busy day at the sanctuary with several staff meetings, but we had time to snap a few photos for you all! Enjoy!

We will be celebrating our favorite mother-of-all-dolls, Foxie, this coming Friday for her 49th birthday! Katelyn has a lovely party planned that, of course, includes many, many new dolls!

Terry decided to enjoy his lunch outside, with a view.

Gorgeous Annie relaxing in the Greenhouse. The chimps have been taking full advantage of the mild weather today. We had some sudden cloud cover just as we were preparing to close off the outdoor habitats for the evening, and everyone went out to enjoy it! Now everyone is having dinner, and settling in for the evening.

 

The Social Life of George

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As J.B. announced in his blog earlier this week, we have begun the process of introducing George to other chimpanzees at the sanctuary! This process is both very exciting, and a little nerve-wracking, as we all want the best for both George and his hopeful new friends. With this said, here are some great reminders to keep in mind about introductions with chimpanzees that J.B. shared earlier this week, which can help in understanding today’s video:

  • It can be difficult to integrate chimpanzees social groups because they are naturally hostile or fearful toward strangers and have the capacity for intense aggression
  • That said, sanctuaries and zoos do regularly integrate chimpanzees into groups, though not without challenges
  • We will be following a slow, methodical approach in which George repeatedly meets all of his potential group mates one-on-one over the course of months
  • These initial introductions take place in the smaller Front Rooms so that we can more easily separate them should they get into a serious fight (some fighting is to be expected)
  • Conducting them in the Front Rooms, with thick plastic sheets over the windows, also reduces the influence of the other chimps during these initial meetings
  • Dominance displays are common during introductions, as each chimpanzee tries to demonstrate their strength and agility. These displays actually help chimpanzees avoid fighting by exchanging information about the likely outcome of a physical altercation.
  • Intense play and grooming are also common as chimpanzee get to know each other.
  • We chose to begin with Cy because he has shown himself to be a gentle and caring leader who seeks to protect the underdogs in his group. Terry and Rayne were chosen as next partners due to their personalities and social skills, as we want to give George as many positive experiences meeting others before he faces potentially more difficult introductions.
  • Meeting other chimpanzees one-on-one is one thing; being fully integrated into an already established group is another. George will be vulnerable, so establishing good relationships with the others, and especially with Cy, will be critical.

Heart Health Training

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A year ago today, we shared about KardiaMobile training with you all for the first time. I had been planning on sharing some exciting Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) progress today, and this gives me the perfect opportunity to share some of our wins from the past year. We have come so far!

As a refresher, the KardiaMobile is a small, wireless EKG device that records heart rhythm to a smartphone or other device. To record a complete reading, the chimpanzee must sit still for at least 30 seconds, with one finger from each hand resting on the pads of the KardiaMobile device. This sounds simple, but it is no small feat for a chimpanzee to stay completely still for 30 seconds. To make things trickier, readings are easily impacted by interference from other sources. For example, another chimpanzee pant-hooting, displaying, or even tapping on the caging to request a snack can impact a reading. Other devices such as fans, radios, and TVs can also cause interference which can muddle the EKG enough that it no longer provides diagnostic information. Watch the video before continuing on to avoid any spoilers!

Since our first update on this behavior, we have recorded multiple EKG readings with Willy B, Terry, Cy, and…George! Willy B is a quick learner and was the first to successfully record EKG readings. JB made some adjustments to the platform that holds the KardiaMobile device (and keeps it safe from being taken by the chimps), so that Terry’s adorably stubby fingers could reach the KardiaMobile, and he is now unstoppable. Cy needed more time to grasp the behavior, but in the past 2 weeks has recorded his first EKG reading, and several more since then! George impressed us all by learning the behavior in just one session!

Above is one of George’s first EKG readings recorded with the KardiaMobile device. You can see at the beginning where he moved his fingers slightly, and the reading is affected. He then settled in and recorded a very clear reading for Dr. Erin to be able to review.

PRT is one of my favorite parts of my job. Not only is it a fun way to build relationships and incredibly exciting when the chimpanzees make breakthroughs in behaviors, but most importantly it allows them to cooperate in their own care. Through KardiaMobile training, we are able to provide Dr. Erin with awake EKGs on the chimpanzees, which gives her a diagnostic tool to regularly assess their heart health. For more information about KardiaMobile training and other PRT behaviors, check out the blogs linked here, here, here and here!

Gordo Turns 37!

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Today is Gordo’s birthday! There is so much to love about Gordo Chimpanzee. He is quirky and fun, always keeping us on our toes (quite literally) with games of chase filled with bunny hops. He also loves to be tickled with a long-handled spoon, and will come to insist he be involved if you dare tickle someone else in his presence. He is a box enthusiast, and can often be found sitting inside even the smallest of boxes. He doesn’t like to get his feet dirty, and while he prefers to be served his meals in the greenhouses, he will almost always bring something with him to sit on so his feet aren’t on the ground (this could be rolling up a large ball to sit on, pulling up a box to sit in, or even perching on top of a single page from one of Cy’s magazines). He enjoys spending time out on The Bray, and in the quiet moments of the day can often be found grooming with his friend Terry. While he is not the first one you’d think of as a protector for his group (that would be Cy!), I still think of him as such, but perhaps in less obvious ways. He is there to destroy a magazine for Cy if one of the pictures is scaring him, and the first one to spit on caregivers in defense of his friends when we do anything he perceives as weird (such as laser therapy for wounds). We are so lucky to get to know and love Gordo! I’m linking a past blog video of one of my favorite Gordo memories here, in case you need more Gordo in your day.

Gordo’s birthday was filled with some of his favorite things…boxes, LOTS of smoothies, and mangoes. Many thanks to Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring Gordo’s birthday today! Enjoy the many faces of Gordo enjoying his birthday mangoes!

We went with a Christmas in July theme thanks to a recent donation of wrapping paper from one of our generous donors. We wrapped Gordo’s boxes with wrapping paper, and he (and his friends) enjoyed opening their gifts.

Terry with his present haul.

Rayne with her box.

Lucky watches Rayne open her box.

Jamie’s group enjoyed celebrating Gordo’s birthday as well with a lunch forage consisting of lots of tiny smoothies, pineapple, cherries, sugar snap peas, mini peppers, and grape tomatoes. Foxie was the first one out on Young’s Hill and snagged a smoothie for herself!

Foxie on the move with a doll in one hand, and a cherry stem in her mouth.

Burrito and Foxie on the Hill.

Burrito with a tiny smoothie.