Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Grace

A Budding Friendship

by

We’ve said it many times, but it’s still just as true- watching the group of nine expand on and build new friendships since their integration in 2022 has been one of the most amazing things to witness. While they still have their tense moments, the little happy and peaceful moments we catch throughout the day between individuals who were originally in two separate groups are always exciting.

Last week I came in one morning and before breakfast was served I went over to say good morning to Cy’s side. I walked in and found Terry and Willy B grooming, quite intensely, in the front rooms. I went around to say hello and they were still grooming when I came back up, and they let me capture some of it on video. 🙂 Seeing these two big guys spend some quality time working on their relationship was a really nice way to start the day.

Front Room Shenanigans

by

A few weeks ago, Krissy posted a blog titled ‘Wrestle Mania!‘ about a morning here in the chimp house where we had three different pairs of chimps in Jamie’s group playing in three different front rooms. Today, I wanted to share some more footage with you from that fun morning- plus a few more clips I’ve snagged since then! Despite both groups of chimps having access to multiple enclosures, indoor / outdoor spaces, and their big outdoor spaces, there’s just something about the front rooms that they all seem to love. 🙂

Bonus Photo:

Rayne sitting in her tub (in the front rooms, naturally)

A Walk with Friends

by

Patrols around Young’s Hill with Jamie are pretty much a daily occurrence- even today, when the wind is winding, Jamie was off on a walk first thing this morning! She found me again later in the morning when I was rinsing some toys and gestured to a pair of boots that had been donated a few weeks ago that she loves. I gave her one, thinking that’s what she wanted, and when she took it out of the food chute I thought I had gotten it right on the first time. So, I was feeling pretty good about myself. 🙂 A few seconds later, though, I looked up to see Jamie squeezing the same boot out over the top of the playroom door before chucking it down at me. Feeling like I actually hadn’t gotten it right, I picked up the boot and put it on. Voila! Jamie took off and together we (and Missy!) went for a walk around Young’s Hill.

I recorded the whole walk to share with you today, because I find that I always feel re-centered after a walk with Jamie. Something about the calm pace she takes, the quiet, the view, and the moment that you’re sharing with her is grounding. I thought it might be for you, too, so please enjoy this ten-minute walk around Young’s Hill with Jamie (and Missy).

PNW Chimp Activities

by

No two days are quite the same here in the chimp house and that’s part of the fun! At first, my plan for the blog today was to give you the above video I was lucky enough to catch of Jamie and Missy in a quiet grooming session after breakfast from the other day. Kelsi and I were cleaning the playroom and when I looked over to the window, I was excited to see them spending quality time together!

And then today happened. Today has been a bit busier and the chimps are off doing their own thing. We decided to do forages for both groups today since it was cool, cloudy, and not too windy. A light sprinkle of rain came not too long after when us humans were off eating lunch, so when I went over to check on Cy’s side after lunch I was surprised to see Lucky, Terry, Cy, and Gordo all out on the very top of the Bray! Lucky and Gordo spent a lot of time exploring the new structure that was put in last weekend. It was amazing to see them so confident in themselves as they climbed to the top and walked across the firehose!

There must have been something about today, because then I looked over and saw Burrito and Foxie meandering around Young’s Hill. These PNW chimps didn’t let a bit of rain get in the way of their afternoon adventures! 🙂 So today’s blog has become a video of two friends grooming + photos from today, because I couldn’t choose just one!

Negra wrapped up in her blanket after foraging on Young’s Hill.

Negra foraging on Young’s Hill. 🙂

Jamie with some serious side-eye during today’s lunch forage.

Foxie went back out later in the afternoon and scored some sweet potatoes that had been missed earlier!

Annie taking a moment during the lunch forage to see what everyone else was up to.

This afternoon, Burrito decided to take an enrichment item (a stack-able cup) up to the top of a structure on Young’s Hill to enjoy!

I mean, does it get any better than this?

Terry during today’s lunch forage. Look at that beautiful green spring grass!

Sweet Lucky

Lucky and Gordo exploring the new structure on the Bray!

Go, Gordo, go!

Cy opted to bring his reading material out with him. 🙂

Good Morning!

by

Mornings in the chimp house are busy- there’s breakfast to make, smoothies to blend, lists to check, and chimps to greet. Some days, there’s only time to give the chimps a quick hello while you do other tasks (like safety checks to give them access to the outdoor enclosures). Other days, things take on a slower pace and you find yourself spending quality time with the chimps before breakfast. Today was one of those mornings.

As I was opening up both sides of the chimp house today, I noticed something- Jamie’s side, with Burrito immediately getting me into a game of chase and tug-of-war, felt like greeting a morning person with all the energy to do all the things right away! Cy’s side was like greeting people who need more quiet time in the morning- with lots of grooming and watching of the humans getting their tasks done. It’s not always this way- sometimes Burrito is off doing his own thing and sometimes Cy immediately snags you to play a game of chase, but this morning I felt two very different morning-vibes from each group of chimps. Personally, I categorize myself as a 10am to 2pm kind of person. This morning, though, it was really nice to spend time with morning-chimps and also some not-so-morning chimps. 🙂

P.S: There’s only one more day left of Early Giving for GiveBIG!! The event culminates in a 48-hour giving period on May 7th and May 8th, but you can help us get closer to our fundraising goal by donating early. Help us make BIG things happen here at CSNW! Click here to support us today.

Bonus Photos

Handsome Cy resting this afternoon

Sweet Gordo enjoying his groups’ lunch forage in the Greenhouse today

Boss lady Jamie, enjoying a lilac this morning

On the Daily

by

Happy May, everyone! It truly feels like spring is here in Cle Elum, as the (arguably) gale force winds that arrive every spring are here with gusto today.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, which is an important topic. We are pretty candid on this blog and have written about compassion fatigue and burnout, which are frequent experiences for those in care fields. We’ve also written about compassion satisfaction, a counterweight to fatigue and burnout. Like Kelsi wrote in her blog on compassion satisfaction, it’s all about finding moments that remind us of our why- why we’re here doing what we do, despite the tough moments. The last year has been hard on all of us, with the grief of Jody and Nutmeg’s passing omnipresent, and it’s been important for me to remember that joy and sadness are not mutually exclusive. That they can coexist in the same moments.

To honor National Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought I would share a list of things that bring me joy and compassion satisfaction here that happen almost every day. It’s a list I started keeping in my phone to look at when I feel overwhelmed. It’s not the big stuff, it’s the little moments- the ones that happen almost daily.

(Disclaimer: This list is not entirely comprehensive and all chimp-human contact is protected. Click here for more details.)

  • Going in to say hi to the chimps in the morning and being immediately greeted with excited breathy pants
  • Foxie asking me to babysit her baby dolls while she takes some time for herself
  • Terry kisses (especially when he sticks his tongue out and just kind of licks the back of my hand)
  • Watching the chimps enjoy the sunshine
  • Serving a meal item that the chimps find super exciting (corn, baked sweet potatoes, apples…) and hearing Mave and Burrito’s high-pitched excited food squeaks. All food grunts are joy-inducing sounds, but those two jump the octave and really just make you grin
  • Annie’s bird noises
  • Cy with his magazines
  • Walks around Young’s Hill with Jamie
  • Games of chase with Burrito
  • Grooming with Lucky
  • The way Gordo gently sets down his smoothie cup instead of tossing it to the floor
  • The way Gordo will find even the smallest piece of paper to sit on in the greenhouses for breakfast, instead of sitting directly on the cool ground
  • How the group of 9 will watch us prep meds in the morning from the front rooms with the clinic door open… It’s just nice.
  • How Jamie, Foxie, Burrito, Gordo, Cy, Dora, and Honey B hold their smoothie cups during breakfast
  • Terry’s incessant raspberry sounds
  • Looking up to the corner of the playroom to see Negra cozy in a nest that looks like it’s as thick as four mattresses.
  • When the chimps decide they do or don’t want something (i.e. if Foxie decides not to give us the greenhouse for cleaning- we’ll get it the next day, but I love the moments where the chimps choose how the day goes)
  • How Jamie will save her chow and put it in a cup to let it soak in water before she eats it.
  • The noises Willy B makes when he wants us to set up our phones for him to watch YouTube while we clean.
  • How Missy will tight-rope walk across the firehose in the playroom at dinner to grab her food
  • When the chimps take food with their feet. 🙂
  • The little happy toe rubs that the chimps do during meals
  • Rayne sitting in boxes, all day, every day, no matter the size of said box

Some photos of these moments:

Foxie enjoying a walk on Young’s Hill after giving me her baby to watch.

Gordo + pear + foot

Terry, giving one of his morning kisses

Cy enjoying a magazine (and a coconut)

Family Ties

by

Happy National Siblings Day, everyone! As the youngest sister to two older brothers, I confess that I didn’t know it was national siblings day until Chad told me today during our morning huddle. I feel like that tracks for my experience as the youngest sibling, though, and my brothers wouldn’t expect anything different. Now that I know, happy siblings day to my own brothers and to all who have siblings they wish to celebrate today!

One of my passions about sanctuary work is connecting the dots of the chimps’ family trees. While there’s information we don’t know, and details that we are learning as the years go by, what we do know is pretty special! We have quite a few siblings (both full and half) here at CSNW, so let’s take some time to celebrate them.

First up: Lucky and Cy are full siblings! They share the same parents (Herbie and Sally). They also look quite similar, especially when Lucky is worked up and her hair is pilo-erect (or standing on end). While Cy is more outgoing, when he’s not busy with his magazines, Lucky likes to hang back a bit. When I was in the interactions portion of my training, Cy immediately wanted to play chase while Lucky was more reserved and enjoyed hazing me a bit (her ability to jump on the caging in front of you when you don’t see her coming is uncanny). Over time we’ve built a special friendship with lots of grooming and some of the sweetest morning greetings. They both have a way of looking at you that makes you just stop and stare into their eyes for a while, while all your worries fall away.

Lucky (back) with full-brother, Cy (front)

While Lucky and Cy are full-siblings, they are also half-siblings to Rayne and Honey B since they share the same father, Herbie! What a group! Rayne is reliable and socially savvy, but with a spunky streak. Which makes sense, since she’s related to Honey B. As we creep up on the two-year anniversary of the integration of the six and the three, it’s really wonderful to see how Honey B’s relationships have grown- especially with Rayne!

Cy (left) with full sibling Lucky (middle) and half-sibling Rayne (right)

Honey B (Left) with half-sibling Rayne (right)

That’s not all! Gordo and Dora are also half-siblings, as they share the same father Les. Gordo can be aloof with the humans, but when he warms up to you he’ll engage you in a game of chase with his signature ‘bunny hop’! He also loves smoothies. Like, LOVES. Dora, while she can take or leave her breakfast smoothie, is known for her little head bobble. She has made a best friend in Mave, but her and Gordo enjoy fun games of chase.

Gordo (left) with half-sibling Dora (right)

Oh! And, speaking of learning family connections as we go, we can’t forget that we learned last year that Terry and Mave are also half siblings! They share a father, Conrad. We had wondered for a while, because they share a heightened level of floof and similar face speckling. I often think that they really do act like siblings- Mave will come up to Terry with one of her exaggerated, bouncing, loud greetings to which Terry often greets her quickly before turning away and moving on.

Mave (left) with half-sibling Terry (right)

While there aren’t any siblings in the Cle Elum 7, Burrito shares a father (Mack) with Clay, Jody‘s son, and with Noah, Negra‘s son. Both Clay and Noah live a life of sanctuary at Save the Chimps in Florida.

Handsome Burrito

Burrito arms crossed

And, of course, Missy is Honey B’s mom. Not a sibling-thing, but a family-thing.

Missy

Honey B

To add to the excitement, today has been a beautiful day and both groups got to enjoy a lunch forage in their outdoor habitats! Let’s start with photos of Cy’s group.

Who’s hand is that????

It’s MAVE!! While she’s been getting more comfortable on the Bray, today she participated in her first forage on the Bray. 🙂 Happy day!

She was anxious at first (she came out with a bit of a fear grimace and pilo-erect hair)…

But she got some reassurance from Lucky and began enjoying the forage.

Now, to Jamie’s group!

Sweet Annie-bird

Annie got a good stash of mini peppers…

But Jamie took the gold.