Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

J.B.

Sneaky Guy

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Take it from Gordo: If you can’t be high-ranking, be clever.

Don’t mind me…I’m just up here to enjoy the view. Clearly, you guys got all the fruit, which you obviously deserve, what with being so high-ranking and all. And even if there were fruit up here, which there’s obviously not, I certainly didn’t watch the volunteers put it up there on the roof.

Researchers have argued for decades over whether chimpanzees possess a theory of mind—in other words, do chimpanzees have the ability to know what other chimpanzees know or believe? Like most appraisals of nonhuman intelligence, theory of mind studies have relied heavily on contrived and unnatural experiments carried out in behavioral laboratories and other captive settings. As is so often the case, we force other animals to play on our terms and then dismiss them as unintelligent when they fail to meet our standards. But even in these conditions, with the deck stacked against them, chimpanzees have passed nearly every challenge thrown their way. They regularly demonstrate the ability to understand both the goals and intentions of others (a sticking point is the issue of whether chimpanzees know when another chimpanzee possesses a false belief, as opposed to plain old ignorance).

Of course, not all complex social behavior requires a full-fledged theory of mind, but as members of a social and highly competitive species, chimpanzees clearly benefit from being able to imagine other chimpanzees’ perspectives and adjust their behavior accordingly, especially when they lack the might to impose their will on others. I remember learning in school about “sneaky guy” mating techniques, in which the lower-ranking males invite females for a secret tryst without catching the attention of the dominant males who, if they were to witness the attempt, would likely punish a subordinate for such behavior. How do they do this? It depends on the community, but in some areas, the males simply tear up a leaf in a particular way while making love eyes at the object of their affection.

Gordo is a classic sneaky guy (though his romantic overtures are a bit more explicit!). Always on the lookout for the dominant chimps, he knows what he’s allowed to do in their presence—and what he can get away with when no one is looking.

What Lies Beneath (A Visit From the Dentist)

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On Sunday morning, Terry was anesthetized and brought into our veterinary clinic for a planned dental check-up and physical exam. Here’s more from Dr. Erin:

Terry managed to sustain injuries to not just one but both of his lower canine teeth in the last three years. The right one was attended to immediately and a follow up exam showed healing and no infection. The missing left lower canine was observed some months later. While things can look okay from the surface and even on follow up x-rays after a tooth is injured, months later, problems can develop. Terry has been on the docket for an exam but knowing that extraction of one or both of the teeth on follow up was a possibility, we jumped at the chance to have a visit from the Dental Coalition for Conservation so Terry could get the expert treatment he deserves. The x-rays did indeed show that it was in Terry’s best interest to have both of these canine teeth extracted. 

Terry did well throughout the procedure and was back in recovery later that morning. The effects of the anesthesia and pain meds kept him lying low for the remainder of the day but by the following morning he was eating and blowing his iconic raspberries again. Yesterday afternoon, he felt good enough to rejoin his group.

The team prepares Terry for intubation and IV catheters:

Dentists from the Dental Coalition for Conservation take x-rays:

Terry receives an updated echocardiogram while the dental work is being performed:

With the dental work complete, he receives an abdominal ultrasound:

Back in recovery, the team monitors Terry until he begins to emerge safely from his anesthesia:

The chimps are fortunate to have such skilled and caring professionals volunteering to care for them. We are grateful to the Dental Coalition for Conservation, including Charles Dyer, DDS, MS, Lacy Dyer, Founder and Managing Director, and Kerry Robson, DDS; the vet tech team, including Jen Garcia, Jamie Kenfield, and MacKenzie Kantwill; soon-to-be-graduating WSU veterinary student Larrea Cottingham; echocardiogram technicians Jamie Sheehan and Amy Owens; and sonographer Korie Krause.

This afternoon, Terry had lunch with his family, who get to join him in his soft food diet for the next several days:

Morning with Negra and Afternoon on the Bray

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Due to her mobility issues, Negra has been camping out by herself overnight in the front rooms. Just as she would do in her favorite spot on the playroom catwalk, she’s been building comfortable nests with her fleece blankets and pulling one blanket over herself to block out the outside world. When we come to work in the morning, she’s…not quite ready for the day to begin. But that’s nothing a little amateur tap dancing can’t take care of.

Our deer herds have been gathering lately into a mega-herd of as many as 40 individuals. Lucky took an interest when some members of this herd strolled by the Bray this afternoon.

My day began with George and Dora tickling, wrestling, and laughing in the front rooms. Later in the afternoon, George was in demand again out on the Bray. Gordo is so happy to have a new buddy!

Mave Conquers the Bray

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I could tell that Mave was working up to something big. For months, she’d wait to catch my eye and then shuffle swiftly (this is Mave’s fastest speed) towards the Bray. And as soon as she’d exit the chute, she’d make a beeline straight up the hill. I would join her on the other side of the fence, but to be honest, I’d kind of given up on the idea that she’d make it to the top. She just couldn’t get past that one spot.

But never underestimate Mave, or any chimpanzee for that matter. Maybe now she’ll teach her friend, Dora, to appreciate all the Bray has to offer.

Jamie’s Morning in the Clinic

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Last fall, Jamie underwent an exam to follow up on concerns about her reduced activity levels and her growing belly. Both are more common with age, but we thought an exam was warranted to rule out other causes. And indeed, ultrasound examination did reveal a possible cause: the presence of uterine fibroids, which have the potential to cause significant pain and discomfort. After much research and consultation, Dr. Erin decided to take a twofold approach to managing Jamie’s condition: First, Jamie would receive a subcutaneous hormonal implant that would help shrink the fibroids. And second, those fibroids that could be removed would be extracted using a procedure (and specialized piece of equipment) known as MyoSure.

After receiving an anesthetic injection, Jamie is wheeled to the clinic.

Kate Uselman, CRNA, places an endotracheal tube while 4th-year vet student, Larrea Cottingham, observes—Dr. Erin is always happy to help train vet students who are interested in careers in sanctuary medicine! Dr. Dan prepares Jamie for gas anesthesia.

Dr. Chavez performs the MyoSure procedure while Huong Johnson assists with ultrasonography.

The MyoSure procedure utilizes a hysteroscope and a special cutting and extracting wand to visualize and remove the fibroids. The team watches the procedure on the monitor.

Jamie receives the hormonal implant. With chimps, implants are often placed between the shoulder blades so that they don’t try to remove them.

CSNW Vet Assistant, Krissy, monitors Jamie’s vitals as she recovers back in Front Room 1. We loosely ties scarves to the chimps’ wrists and ankles so that they can’t try to climb or walk away before they are coordinated enough to avoid injury. The scarves also help us safely manipulate their body positioning to maintain an open airway. Providing veterinary care to potentially dangerous animals requires creativity!

We’re so grateful to Dr. Dan Low, Kate Uselman, Dr. Chavez, Huong Johnston, Ashley Mellotte, and Larrea Cottingham for volunteering their time and services to help Jamie (and Dan and Kate for also braving a monster snow storm on the pass!). Thanks, as well, to the folks at Hologic for supplying some of the MyoSure equipment. And thanks—as always!—to our own Dr. Erin for all her research, networking, recruiting, and leadership.

Jamie’s care team (Ashley not pictured) poses for a photo while monitoring Jamie’s recovery.

Jamie takes advantage of a Squishmallow-filled nest while recovering—her scarves still tied to her wrists and ankles.

With those pesky scarves untied, it’s time for a drink.

Dr. Erin serves Jamie some baked sweet potato for dinner.

As long as that snow doesn’t hit us down here in the foothills, I’m sure Jamie will be back on her patrols tomorrow—and hopefully, feeling a whole lot better.