Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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A Classic Chimp House Caper

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It’s time to grab your bowler hat, trench coat, and magnifying glass- we have a chimp house caper to solve.

We here at CSNW are not immune to pulling the occasional prank on our coworkers. Hiding food is not uncommon, or leaving things in funny places for the next morning crew to find (like Kirk, our fun anatomically accurate skeleton). The thing that sets this caper apart is the fact that we have gone almost a month without identifying the perpetrator. We all have our suspicions and the discussion on who we think did it has found it’s way into our bi-weekly staff meetings, morning meetings, staff group chats… You get the picture. It’s slowly infiltrating every part of our day.

What is this caper you ask? Great question.

Let me set the scene.

About a month ago, it was a normal day in the chimp house. No one seems to know who was all here that day, but I think it was a Thursday. One moment, everything is fine. The next, someone (I think J.B. or Chad?) noticed a new item on the white board in the foyer. On an unassuming white piece of paper, in a new laminated sheet, was a Human Enrichment Calendar. We have chimp enrichment calendars, yes- two to be exact. But this was the first appearance of a Human Enrichment Calendar. Each day it listed a staff member with a task to do that was not, nor has ever been, on our daily task lists. From disinfecting every single enclosure in one day, to making a whole month’s worth of paper braids, to raking the driveway (it’s not a short driveway), every day was a new humbling activity. See for yourself:

Evidence Presented to the Court #1:

There’s one thing that stands out the most from this calendar. It’s that a certain staff member has a certain type of task each day that they’re listed that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.

Evidence Presented to the Court #2:

Now, it being a Thursday, no one was on their weekends. So either a staff member was in the chimp house or having office time, but there would also have likely been volunteers on site as well. We briefly discussed dusting for fingerprints, but the laminated sheet was clean. The perp knew what they were doing.

So far, all have claimed innocence. Jenna is adamant that she is being framed, Chad argues that just because he is the enrichment coordinator doesn’t mean he did it, I was in office time so my alibi is working from home (my dog, Pongo, can attest)- but everyone has a similar story. For a while, it was widely believed that Jenna did it (maybe with an accomplice?) then Chad was decided to be the perpetrator. He has since argued his innocence. I will keep my biases to myself, but I will say that a certain staff member (ahem, Jenna) has been very, very, very adamant that it’s not her. But whose to judge what behavior is suspicious?

So, I ask you- who do you think did it? We look forward to reading your suspicions, theories, and ideas- maybe it will help us in identifying the trouble maker. 🙂

Photos From the Day:

Chad caught Jamie on Young’s Hill this afternoon with her favorite book:

Rayne and Terry enjoying some time on The Bray this afternoon:

 

 

Happiness is Contagious

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When I was on my way to work this morning, I promised myself that I would do something different for the blog. The last few weeks I’ve posted videos of various chimps playing on my blog days, and I felt the need to branch out a bit… Of course, these plans came crashing down after just about an hour in the chimp house. 🙂

Lizz and I were cleaning the playroom on Jamie’s side this morning and, usually, when we’re done cleaning and start setting the room up for the chimps they come into the front rooms to watch. Something about Front Room One must lend itself to play, because most days we can find at least two chimps in there playing while we finish up. It’s actually one of my favorite things about cleaning on the original side of the building- there’s nothing better than hearing loud, happy, breathy pants while you’re putting out the forage, toys, and clean blankets. It reminds me of Front Room 7 on Cy’s side- one of the top hang outs for the individuals in that group. Front rooms, man- they’re just the best!

Today was no different, except the whole room was full of chimps. Burrito and Negra in one corner, Annie and Missy in the other, and Foxie bouncing back and forth. I got my phone out to record and, as it kept going, I knew it would be my blog for the day. But, can you blame me?! The moments we catch of the chimps playing or grooming together are precious. Whether it’s building new friendships or reaffirming relationships that they’ve had for years, seeing them happy is contagious.

Over the weekend I was thinking a lot about how many sweet moments of play and grooming we’ve seen lately and it hit me that it hasn’t been even three months since we lost our dear Jody. The time has gone fast, as it does with 15 chimps and 4 cows keeping you busy, but that grief is still very much a part of every day life. For both the humans and the chimps, it has been a time of challenging changes as we get used to a new normal. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me the moments of pure happiness between the chimps (or shared with a caregiver) during the day have helped me work through the heavy moments of grief.

Maybe that’s why these moments have caught my attention so much recently- because love is what gets us through. Or perhaps it’s just because they’re truly special and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to witness them and share them with you. Or, maybe, it’s all of the above.

Bonus Photos

Foxie:

  

Willy B:

Nutmeg and Friends:

All Day Shenanigans

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Today has been nothing short of goofy here in the chimp house.

This morning, after cleaning the playroom, we put out giant kongs for Burrito and his group. Giant kongs have always been a favorite of Burrito’s and it never gets old watching him drag them along, bounce or sit on them, or just be generally silly as he plays with them! Today was no exception and it made us all smile.

This afternoon, as we wrapped up lunch, Chad mentioned that Honey B and Dora were having a great play session in the front rooms. We could see them in the security footage and hear them breathy panting, so I snuck in to try and get footage! Honey B has a big, fierce personality and I think it’s safe to say that we are all super proud of her and the bonds she’s making in the bigger group. It was really sweet to watch her have so much fun with Dora and they played for a lot of the afternoon!

Every moment with the chimps is special, but seeing them engaged with something (or someone) that makes them so happy is the best feeling. And when these moments last all day, then it’s just a really darn good day. 🙂

Burrito had a mini photo shoot with one of the giant kongs this morning:

Cy looking as handsome as ever in the Riverview Greenhouse:

Foxie with her baby doll:

Terry watching something over my shoulder very intently, or just giving me a great portrait shot. Either way:

If You Give Burrito a Skateboard…

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We talk a lot on the blog about sweet and silly Burrito and all the antics he gets into! Whether it’s playing chase all day, taking us on runs around the hill, or running around with a slinky around his back foot- he often seems to have a bottomless reserve of energy.

Burrito on Negra’s Cabin during today’s lunch forage:

His silly personality and constant energy often makes me forget that he is technically considered geriatric. Burrito was born on January 6th, 1983 in a laboratory where he was used in hepatitis B vaccine research at just one year of age. He was then moved to the Buckshire Corporation where he was kept as a ‘house chimp’ before being leased out to an animal act. A year later, he returned to the laboratory.

His life has not been easy in any way, nor has it been the life he deserved to live in the wild with his family- yet we can rely on him to always make us smile. Even with something as small as a skateboard. Amazing, isn’t he?

Two quick reminders! We have been nominated for the 2023 Best In the PNW Contest. 🙂 Voting goes through the end of the month and you can vote once every day! Please take a moment and vote for us by clicking the link here, if you feel so inclined. CSNW is listed under Services -> Nonprofits.

We are also still working to reach our $30k fundraising goal for this month, as a generous donor pledged to match donations made in June up to $30k in honor of all the big June milestones! We are so close, but haven’t reached it yet- please consider making a donation today to help us reach this goal.

BONUS PHOTOS:

Gordo enjoying time on The Bray this morning:

Rayne also enjoying the morning sunshine on The Bray:

Jamie foraging for strawberries during today’s lunch forage:

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey!

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From all the primates here at CSNW, a big heartfelt thank you to Jeffrey Abramczyk for sponsoring this day of sanctuary!

“Today’s my birthday and what better way to celebrate it then sponsoring a day to celebrate with the CSNW residents!”

We totally agree, Jeffrey- thank you so much for sharing your celebration with us! We hope you have a wonderful day- cheers to you!

In honor of your celebration, here’s some photos of the chimps celebrating too!

Cy:

Honey B:

Sweet, sweet Jody:

Missy:

Negra:

Willy B:

 

 

The Boss and Her Rules

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Yesterday, Sabrina wrote about the walk she took with Rayne around the Bray. It’s so exciting to see Cy’s group explore their new habitat- if there’s anything we’ve learned from Jamie’s group and Young’s Hill, it’s that seeing them explore outside truly never gets old.

So, earlier today (and every day, really), when Jamie wanted to go for a walk, I was pumped! While I was trying to figure out what she needed for the walk, I realized I had my blog topic for the day. Jamie has rules when it comes to her walks, naturally, and we have to abide!

Today, we were cleaning the front rooms when Jamie popped up in the loft of the playroom. I was walking into the chimp area from the kitchen and she started pointing, so I stopped cleaning and tried to figure out what she wanted. First, I tried showing her a few different boots to see if one was what she wanted. She didn’t stop pointing (aggressively) so I knew I hadn’t gotten it right yet. Her short, black boot had been drying on the kitchen boot dryer so I snagged that and she nodded at me, but still pointed towards me. I was getting closer, but wasn’t quite there yet, so I put the boot on and grabbed her favorite bonobo books and she was gone! I met her outside the greenhouse and off we went. Almost everyone joined us today, but Negra opted to remain in the super comfy nest she had made in the greenhouse.

After walking with Jamie, she will usually want one or all of the items she asked you to bring around the hill. Since it’s chimp approved enrichment, we give it to her! Today she wanted her three bonobo books, but didn’t want her boot, so I put it aside to give to her before closing up the chimp house this evening.

After you have successfully navigated the pre-walk steps of figuring out what exactly you need to bring, done the actual walk itself, and given her the things from the walk she wanted- then she will often want to sit and groom for a bit. 🙂 These are all ways to build your relationship with her and, when the day can get so busy, they’re also nice quiet moments that we can spend with her.

We don’t always get it all right when we try and figure out what the chimps want, but it is one of the most important parts of our work here so we always try… Even if it means disappearing from cleaning for a little while (thanks, Lizz and Courtney!)

BONUS PHOTOS:

Jamie’s group wasn’t the only side to explore outside today! Rayne, Gordo, Cy, Willy B, and Lucky all enjoyed some time out on the Bray this afternoon.

Rayne and Gordo going all the way to the top:

Your eyes didn’t deceive you- Rayne was rockin’ some Sporty Spice fashion on the Bray today!

Willy B enjoying the sunshine:

Terry being his handsome self:

 

Foxie enjoying lunch:

 

Mornings In The Chimp House

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Mornings in the chimp house are often super busy! The to-do list is impressive and as soon as we arrive we get started on breakfast prep, enrichment, laundry, and other morning tasks. Then, after breakfast is served to both groups and we’ve finished shifting, we start cleaning the enclosures. Despite the long to-do list, there are often sweet moments to catch all morning. Whether it’s the precious greetings the chimps offer us when we first arrive or little goofy moments between friends as we scrub and squeegee, there’s always something to make you smile.

Today was no exception! As we cleaned, chimps in both groups enjoyed the beautiful summer day. Check out today’s video for more! 🙂

BONUS PHOTOS:

Cy, looking on as his family explores the Bray:

Gordo, getting more and more comfortable on the structures:

Honey B enjoying the sunshine:

Jamie, resting after lunch with one of her cowboy boots:

Rayne, exploring the Bray: