Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

J.B.

What’s Happening

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I know we’ve been uncharacteristically quiet when it comes to the integration of the two Waystation groups. Superstitious or not, none of us want to jinx it! But now that we’ve made it through the first three weeks, I thought I’d take this opportunity to fill you in on just a few of the things that have been happening with this new group.

Who’s the Boss?

One of the biggest questions we all had prior to integrating the two groups was who would maintain the alpha role. Willy B and Cy are both large, powerful males who held comfortable positions as alphas in their previous groups. Their initial one-on-one introductions had us all holding our breath due to the obvious potential for aggression, but they generally got along quite well and the relationship was promising. Once the entire group was together, however, the dynamics became a lot more complicated and neither showed any signs of submitting to the other. Willy B would engage in his characteristically lengthy displays that are seemingly designed to drive everyone crazy – he would find a metal panel or cage door that rattled and he shake it incessantly until everyone else started displaying. While chimpanzee dominance behavior is often viewed through the lens of Machiavellian strategy, Willy B seemed more like someone just bursting with nervous energy and nowhere to direct it. Cy would respond by crashing into the room, bashing on the walls and windows, and stomping his feet on the floor. Throughout the day and all through the evening, they would trade thunderous displays in the playrooms and front rooms, leaving the other boys displaying in their wake and the girls running and screaming. None of us were getting any sleep. Each episode felt like it could be the match that would ignite a larger fire, and though the two would regularly interact in friendlier ways, neither would confront the other directly during times of tension. Until last Sunday.

On Sunday afternoon, Willy B was engaged in one of his protracted displays and the tension was building within the group. Eventually, some smaller conflicts erupted and Cy decided that he’d had enough. He faced off with Willy B in one of the front rooms. Cy was on a bench below Willy B in Front Room 5, and after gradually building up a display he leapt directly at Willy B. Grace and Katelyn were just feet away, garden hose in hand, anxiously hoping that everyone would come away unscathed. As Cy came flying toward the upper bench, Willy B revealed a huge fear grimace and swung around, presenting his back side to Cy. Cy landed on the bench and embraced Willy with both arms. After two weeks of negotiation, Cy had put his foot down and Willy had submitted.

Since then things have seemed a little more orderly within the group. Cy is a patient leader and he doesn’t intervene unless he feels it’s necessary, but if he thinks Willy B is stirring the pot a bit too much, or if Gordo is pushing his luck with Willy B, he has no problem stepping in and quieting everyone down. For his part, Willy B seems a bit relieved to have someone else in charge. Now he can focus all that energy on playing with his new pal, Rayne. And Cy seems relieved to get back to his magazines. We often liken him to a father that tells the kids to play outside so he can read the sports section in peace.

Bosom Buddies

We always knew that Mave would do great in a larger group but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well Willy B and Honey B are getting along with their new family. Willy B adores Rayne – I’ve never seen him as expressive as when he is playing with his new pal. And while Honey B tends to be more of a loner in general, she is part of a new clique that Diana has dubbed “the mall walkers”. Each playroom has a second floor catwalk that extends around all four sides of the room and overlooks the main floor below, similar to those fancy indoor malls where people of a certain age do their speed-walking. Each morning, beginning around 7am, Honey B, Dora, and Rayne walk laps around the second floor of each playroom together, often playing but otherwise just getting their steps in.

Eight is Enough

Each morning we serve breakfast in one or more of the greenhouses and playrooms and attempt to close off an area for cleaning. Eight of the chimps happily cooperate. Honey B does not. This isn’t any different than when she lived in her group of three, but early in the introduction process there was a concern that we’d have to reintroduce her each morning if she was separated during cleaning due to her reluctance to shift. Despite the fact that she would have been living happily with the group just hours prior, these reintroductions had the potential to cause tension and hinder the integration process. Thankfully, she has been able to come and go as she pleases without issue, and a couple hours of alone time seems to give her a great deal of comfort.

Family Ties

It can takes months, even years, for two groups to become fully integrated, meaning that they no longer fall back on old, familiar patterns of association. Right now we are seeing two distinct patterns. During the day, the chimps act as though they have always been one big group. Willy B is often at the center of early morning grooming parties on the greenhouse tree structures, Honey B plays and walks laps with Rayne and Dora, and Mave is everywhere at all times doing everything with everyone. But at night, it’s back to three and six. Mave, Honey B, and Willy B make their nests in the front rooms – specifically Front Room 6 – while the others sleep on the catwalks and nesting platforms in the two playrooms. They are all free to sleep where they choose, but for now it seems there’s comfort in sticking with the old gang when it’s time to let your guard down and catch some sleep.

One Day at a Time

When it comes to group formation, there is no point at which we will pat ourselves on the back and declare victory. But whatever happens, I think we can celebrate the introduction process and these first three weeks that they have lived as a full group. Honestly, there have been many days over the last few weeks when the Cle Elum Seven bickered more than the nine. And they’ve lived together for 16 years! Still, chimps will be chimps, and there will be plenty of fights ahead. More importantly, however, there will also be plenty of playing, grooming, reassuring, even mall-walking – all the things we’d dreamed about when we first met Honey B, Willy B, and Mave and imagined them in larger family.

 

Volunteers Needed!

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Update: Our first volunteer work parties will take place Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19 starting at 10am. If you’d like to join us, please fill out the form in the link below or contact J.B. at [email protected]. Thanks!

It’s been about 11 years since a group of hard-working and dedicated volunteers helped us build Young’s Hill, the 2-acre habitat that gave the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees their first opportunity to truly step outdoors. Now it’s time to give our group of nine chimpanzees their own dedicated habitat – named The Bray in loving memory of James Douglas – and we need your help!

This spring and summer, we’ll be installing fencing and building climbing structures. If you live nearby and would like to help, fill out this form to join our construction volunteer list. More details on volunteer work parties are included on the form.

And if you aren’t able to volunteer, please consider donating so that we can keep this project moving forward and nine chimpanzees can get the chance to run, climb, and swing through their own open-air habitat.

Thank you!!

Enjoy it while you can

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This past winter was long and arduous.

Annie, during yesterday’s lunch forage:

But it’s behind us now.

Jody:

From now on, it’s all green grass and sunshine,

Missy:

and dining al fresco.

Negra:

Afternoons will be spent taking lazy walks around the hill.

Burrito:

The air will be filled with the songs of birds and the whispering of leaves as we gaze across the verdant valley below.

Jamie:

We can all relax now and enjoy this time.

Foxie:

Because the one thing we know for certain is that winter is over.

This morning:

Oh well, at least it won’t be long…

…until spring returns.

 

Grooming

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It’s impossible to overstate how important grooming is for chimpanzees.

Last Friday we did a reintroduction with Cy, Lucky, Willy B, and Mave. When we begin an intro, we bring the two groups together at the mesh, meaning they are allowed into adjacent rooms separated by a single wall of steel caging. This initial meeting, or “howdy,” allows everyone involved, both chimps and humans, a chance to assess the situation before progressing further. But being separated by mesh also allows the chimps – the males in particular –  an opportunity to show each other what they are made of with little direct consequence. They usually announce their presence by pant hooting, banging the caging, throwing objects, and charging around the room. Their displays are so intense and so powerful that you find yourself saying a little prayer each time that the steel, bullet-proof glass, and concrete will withstand their abuse. As a caregiver you are trying to watch closely and make note of all of their behavior but the sheer volume of their banging and pounding scrambles your brain. These displays, sometimes punctuated by direct physical conflicts at the mesh, can go on for quite a while. Cy and Willy B’s displays took a full thirty minutes to subside.

But eventually something changes. At some point, the males have said everything they had to say, and the desire for companionship overcomes any lingering fear or insecurity. When their raucous displays were through, Willy B approached the mesh and extended an invitation to Cy – a soft breathy-pant and an almost imperceptible head bob. Cy refused to acknowledge Willy B’s gesture at first and continued thumping the back of his hand against the food chute. But Willy B persisted and over the next few minutes Cy’s displays grew quieter. At last, Cy came to the mesh where Willy B was seated and offered Willy B his fingers to be groomed.

Let me just state here that if I were designing chimpanzees from scratch, I would add another behavior or two in between We shall fight to the death! and Let’s place our fingers in each other’s mouths as a sign of trust. But here we are.

It’s at this point in the introduction when you finally allow yourself a brief moment to exhale. And it’s not just a relief for the humans watching from the outside. The other chimps involved, who have been staying out of the way lest they find themselves unwittingly caught up in the mayhem, quickly come to the mesh to meet with their partners. This is our chance! We generally allow the chimps to continue grooming or playing at the mesh until they separate on their own so that we’re sure they’ve had enough time to establish a modicum of trust. Often times they will begin pulling on the door to let the humans know they are ready to be together.

Once we open the door, though, the tension spikes again. It’s one thing to groom at the mesh – sure, no one wants to be bitten on the finger but when you are actually together in the same room the stakes are infinitely higher. Once together, Willy B approached Cy again, this time exaggerating his friendly requests for the sake of clarity. It’s OK, friend, let’s keep grooming! But Cy was anxious. Perhaps it was the fact that Mave was accompanying Willy B this time. After all, beneath all that fluff lies a pretty tough chimp. Cy resisted Willy B’s attempts to groom and anxiously dragged a cardboard box across the floor. Willy B and Mave were both patient and persistent, giving Cy the space he needed while offering him signs of reassurance. Finally, Willy B and Cy found themselves face to face, hair standing on end from both the excitement and terror of the encounter. Cy extended his arm to Willy B and they came together in a full embrace.

When chimps groom in a situation like this, the grooming itself is intense. The sound of the two males panting fills the room. Their teeth clack and their lips smack together. At one point Cy became overly excited and started to scream. As he screamed he gave Willy B an open mouth kiss on the neck – a gesture that is akin to biting but with gentle pressure. My heart stopped. Willy B turned around and Cy embraced him from behind, planting another open mouth kiss on his back. Despite Cy’s excitement, they maintained their embrace, and their trust.

As chimps continue to groom in situations like this you can feel the tension melt away. Their bodies release endorphins and oxytocin. Heart rates drop and muscles begin to relax. It’s OK. We’re OK.

At this point the other chimps in the groom begin grooming or playing if they haven’t already. Lucky tends to hang back and let others come to her. Mave was happy to oblige and the two climbed up on the bench to groom each other’s hands. After twenty minutes of grooming, the boys finally parted from one another and began grooming with the girls.

Eventually, the intro had to come to an end so that the process could eventually continue with other groupings and arrangements. Willy B and Cy had to be bribed with grapes to leave each other’s side.

*****

This morning there was a lot of drama within the group of six. Someone was upset with Terry, and though he probably started it, by the time we could see what was going on he had already entered his How could they do this to me? phase, which involves a lot – a lot! – of screaming. He’s a bit insecure for such a big guy. One unfortunate thing about screamers like Terry is that they unwittingly keep stirring the pot – if he could just calm down and compose himself, the scuffle would be over in no time. But his screaming elicits more fighting, which in turn elicits more screaming, and on and on we go. After about twenty minutes, the group had finally settled their differences  – amazingly, without anyone suffering as much as a scratch.

Not long after the conflict, I glanced at the security monitor and saw Cy and Willy B grooming across the double mesh separating their greenhouse enclosures. It’s a open question at this point how the chimps will relate to one another if and when they reach the point of being fully integrated. Every grouping of chimps results in different dynamics that aren’t always predictive of how the group will be as a whole. And Cy and Willy B are two alpha males that will have to work hard to come to some sort of arrangement and understanding. But as long as they are grooming, there is hope.

 

*Photos above are scenes from an earlier introduction, in case they look familiar!