Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

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The Comfort & Joy of Sanctuary

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Here at CSNW, we are fully aware of the unique nature of our positions. We care for 16 extremely intelligent captive chimpanzees (and four lovely cattle, of course, but today we are focused on the chimps) that have spent their lives in captivity by no fault of their own. Although everyone’s individual background is a little bit different, all of our residents have spent a significant amount of time in biomedical research laboratories. We see the long-term effects of this unusual and unfortunate upbringing every day, and we work extra hard to provide stimulating enrichment items to bring them as much happiness and joy as we possibly can!

It is no easy task to find engaging items for 16 unique personalities and, naturally, everyone here has their own preferences. Gordo, for example, is known for his significant loathing of firehose knots. He finds zero joy in the un-knotting of the firehose, even with yummy nuts inside, and vastly prefers paper braids. Honey B and Negra are both known around these parts for their mattress-sized nests, and they both incorporate our large wolf blankets when they can. Jamie, of course, loves cowboy boots and magazines that feature Mummies (who doesn’t), while Foxie prefers troll dolls over everything. Burrito usually always has a wooden block or two and boy does he love when the days enrichment is Giant Kongs. It’s pretty normal to hear and / or see him dragging one around with him everywhere he goes and he gets quite a lot of joy out of bouncing on top of them (you read that right). Cy enjoys a good magazine (as long as it doesn’t include flannel, pink pigs, rhinos, or brightly colored furniture) and Willy B can often be found watching some show on a caregivers phone (propped up outside of the caging).

I’ve only listed out half of our residents preferences and already feel like I’m writing a book. So, you may be thinking, OK- cool! But… why? What does this have to do with me?

Fantastic question!!

We rely on you, our amazing supporters, to help us provide the level of care these individuals deserve- including providing the items that keep them mentally stimulated and that they adore! You can help us do exactly this by participating in our upcoming auction (thanks to our brilliant supporter, Monica Best). Our Comfort & Joy, the Quid Pro Throw online auction is two-fold, you will be able to bid on items for the chimps (i.e. giant kongs for Bubba!) and items for yourself! As the holiday season draws near, what better time to do some shopping for loved ones (or for yourself, no judgement) of unique items that also supports a non-profit?!

The auction will go live in just a few days- at 9:00am PT on November 15th and will close at 6:00pm PT on November 30th- but you can go ahead and register today! Check out more on the auction and what can be bid on here, and let us know in the comments if you have any questions.

In the meantime, here are some photos of little moments of comfort & joy in the chimp house today. 🙂

Lucky, wadge-ing some paper she found:

Honey B being a sneaky snake in the tall grass in the Oakwood Greenhouse:

Gordo letting his goofy flag fly while playing with Caregiver Jenna:

Foxie being a, well, nosy neighbor:

Cy basking in the sunshine in the Oakwood Greenhouse:

Burrito Squish-mallow that I just can’t get enough of:

Actual Burrito, not to be confused with the Burrito squish-mallow:

Another one of the handsome Burrito (peep those dirty toes from running on the hill):

Sweet Annie-bird enjoying a quiet moment in the warm front rooms:

A Lucky Day

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Winter may officially be at the sanctuary, but that doesn’t stop our celebration train from rollin’ through! Today we got to celebrate Lucky’s birthday. Lucky was born on November 6th, 1991 and is the youngest chimp here at CSNW.

Lucky was born at the the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) and is a full sibling to Cy and half sibling to Rayne and Honey B. Lucky came to CSNW with the Lucky Six in 2021 and is in the newly integrated group of nine.

Lucky might seem aloof to many of our blog readers, since she is often doing her own thing, but she has a goofy side to her as well. She really, really enjoys grooming the scabs off of her caregivers, will make bubbly-sounding raspberry noises with her mouth when she wants something, and is known to scoot across the floor while grasping blankets in front of her (see more here). She is a sweet, sweet lady and we are very lucky to celebrate her!

We also want to take a moment to say thank you to our amazing supporter Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring this day for Our Lucky Star. We couldn’t do the things we do without our amazing supporters and we are so grateful to you!

Cy, enjoying his mango:

A close-up of Dora:

Lucky before her birthday lunch (and Gordo cheesin’ in the background):

Rayne with a mouth full of mango:

Willy B looking very handsome during lunch:

 

Rainy Day Adventures

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It’s a rainy, cool day here in Cle Elum today. Driving into work this morning through the mist I thought that the chimps would maybe be pretty relaxed and be content to spend the day in comfy nests listening to the rain.

I was wrong. 🙂

When I went to say good morning to Cy’s group, everyone was rearin’ to play chase, groom, or just stare at me for long periods of time without blinking (hi, Honey B). On the other side of the chimp house, everyone was off on their adventures as soon as I gave them access to Young’s Hill! I’m pretty sure Missy spent the whole morning after breakfast out under the trees and everyone else came and went as they pleased. I was cleaning Playroom 1 with one of our awesome volunteers, Patti, when Jamie decided it was time to go for a patrol around the hill. She had me wear one of her new favorite boots and when we made it to the top of the hill, she stopped and hung out for a while. It was a pretty exciting walk- be sure to check out today’s video to see why! 🙂 I might have cried a little bit, but that’s just me.

This afternoon, though, has been quiet as everyone nests in warm, fresh, cozy blankets. All in all, it’s been a pretty darn good rainy day.

Cy:

Gordo, holding his feet, because why not?

Sweet Lucky:

Terry, mid-chew:

Honey B, gazing into my soul… pretty sure she knows my social security number, what I got on my SAT’s in high school, and every other little secret about me:

 

Language of Sanctuary

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Sanctuaries are unique places, built out of the necessity to provide nonhuman primates that have endured years in biomedical research a satisfactory place to retire & live out their life with as much autonomy as possible. While this grounds us in everything we do & every decision we make, it also lends to a unique work place and culture. One of the factors of this unique workplace is the language that gets used!

We’ve talked before on the blog about specific phrases that get used often, i.e. “The chimps are off the hill”, but there are also specific ways we talk about the chimps throughout our day. This is one of the most interesting aspects of sanctuary culture, at least to me, and although we’ve likely covered it in a blog before- I thought it was time to bring it back. 🙂

One of the phrases that is used, maybe most often, is that we are serving the chimps a meal. While a lot of us come to the sanctuary using the phrase “feed the chimps”, serving is a more inclusive term that encourages thinking about the chimps as equals. Just as we go to a restaurant and get served our meal, the chimps also choose to come to a meal to get served items from the menu!

Another commonplace term used around here is referring to the chimps as people! Chimps are not human, of course, but they are people with unique personalities. So, you will often hear caregivers say things like “there are a few people being really playful in playroom one!”.

When shifting the chimps or when we are about to serve them a meal, we use the term “inviting” when referring to a certain space. So, if I was about to give Jamie’s group access to the greenhouse and try to close the front rooms off for cleaning, I would say “I am going to invite Jamie’s group into the greenhouse and try to close off the front rooms”. The term invite is appropriate here, because we are giving them the choice- if they choose to leave the front rooms I would close them for cleaning. If not, and someone (likely Jody) has decided that I should not get the front rooms that day, then so be it! We will clean them tomorrow. 🙂

Along with these specific phrases, there are the little ones used so commonly throughout the day that they’re not coming to mind. Foxie or another chimp asking for someone or something, for example.

These terms and phrases may take a while to roll of the tongue, but once they do you realize how natural it is- and then you discover that you have a hard time explaining why they’re used! At the end of the day, our priority is giving our residents (ooh, there’s another one) as much autonomy and choice as possible. This includes giving them the respect they deserve, which lends itself to the language that we use. The language of sanctuary is truly special and it helps put everything into perspective when we think about how we are guests in their home, and should act accordingly.

Here’s some photos of some awesome people in their home! 🙂

Jamie, this morning with her DIY Bolo-Tie in the greenhouse:

Cy, resting his head in his hand:

Foxie, enjoying the morning in the greenhouse:

Gordo, during a lunch forage:

Jamie, resting with her favorite bonobo book:

Missy, trying to talk me into snagging her some tomatoes from the garden:

Lucky, being her sweet-self:

Nesting Shenanigans

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When people ask us what our job involves here in the chimp house, of course we talk about the relationships we have with the chimps, cleaning, and meal / enrichment prep. What often doesn’t make the list, or at least not my list, is laundry. Our laundry machines are full time employees here at CSNW, working about 8 hours every day. You might ask- why do you have so much laundry? Good question. The answer, short and sweet, is blankets.

We provide both groups of chimps with enough for everyone to have at least ten blankets. Some people use these blankets for play (ahem, Burrito), but most often they are used for nesting. Chimpanzees, both in captivity and the wild, build nests for sleeping. In wild populations, chimpanzees will build nests from branches (sometimes from more than one tree) by weaving them together. They will also use leaves in their nests. Captive chimpanzees are provided blankets to support this species typical behavior and everyone has their own unique preferences!

While some individuals don’t spend a lot of time nesting, they are given the choice to do what they want and some choose to sleep in extravagant nests (Negra), on top of a few simple blankets (Burrito), or without blankets around at all (Foxie). Some also include other items in their nests, which always makes it interesting for caregivers the next day during cleaning! 🙂

Check out today’s video for more!

In other news, tomorrow is a big day- it’s Giving Day for Apes! If you receive our e-newsletter, then you already saw Diana’s email about it (if you’re not subscribed and you would like to be, click here). Diana said it best-

“Tomorrow is Giving Day for Apes, a big day for sanctuaries and rescue centers across the world caring for apes. We are already behind in this competition, and we could use your help!

Make a donation now AND during the 3-4pm PT / 6-7pm ET Power Hour tomorrow.

During that hour, thanks to a generous and loyal donor, all donations up to $15,000 will be matched, plus you’ll put us in the running for additional prizes given to the organization with the most unique donations during that hour (your donation will count as unique even if you gave previously).”

Big things have been happening here at CSNW over the last few years, and it’s all thanks to our generous donors and supporters. Now we’re asking you to help us give both groups of chimps new outdoor areas- which is particularly special, as this will be the first time the Lucky Six (who arrived last year from Wildlife Waystation) will be outside in an open-air enclosure. Thank you in advance for your support!

Annie: in a greenhouse nest that used to be Negra’s, then was Burrito’s at breakfast, and now it is hers!

Burrito:

Dora:

Honey B:

Lucky:

Terry:

Lunchtime With the Cle Elum Seven

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Meals are always an exciting time of the day around here! The chimps get fresh fruits and vegetables for all three meals of the day, along with forages and food puzzles throughout the day and evening. Everyone has their favorites, of course, and today Caregiver Katelyn prepared tomatoes, mini sweet peppers, and avocados for lunch!

Join us for lunchtime with the Cle Elum Seven on this beautiful October day. 🙂

Terry, inspecting his own hand:

Terry, noticing me taking photos:

Negra during a meal last week:

Missy, watching Foxie play with Caregiver Katelyn:

Lucky hanging out with me earlier this morning:

A thread of Burrito photos, because he’s handsome and I couldn’t pick just one:

Morning Play, Coffee Required

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It’s almost always a guarantee that when you are the first person into the chimp house in the morning and you look through the kitchen doors to Front Room 4, you will see Burrito sitting there. He usually has a block in his mouth or a blanket in his hands. A few head nods and breathy pants later, you’re off on a morning game of chase.

There are many reasons I drink one too many cups of coffee in the morning and this is one of them. Once you initiate a game of play with Burrito, there is no time to stop for fuel. There is no time to stop to chat. There is no morning to-do list. There is only play.

This morning was one of these mornings- I got into the chimp house and as soon as I opened the kitchen door, Burrito was ready. He took off to the greenhouse and it was on! He was also throwing out his Burrito-Spin-Move-Classic, which always brings a smile to your face- no matter how early it is.

Check out the video to come along on a morning play session with Bubba!

Burrito, on the move:

Foxie with her bebe:

Jamie keeping an eye on me:

Jamie with her favorite Lucy Bonobo Book:

Lucky with the right idea- a late morning nap!

Missy trying to convince me to sneak her some tomatoes from the garden:

Negra resting in the greenhouse, in the morning sunlight:

Terry, snoozin, uninterested: