Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

J.B.

Foraging

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Now that it’s cooled off a bit, the chimps in Negra’s group are spending a little more time on the hill. We started the day with a breakfast forage, which lured Negra out of her nest and into the great outdoors.

After spending a considerable amount of time foraging, she decided to take the remainder of her breakfast to go and made her way back to the comfort of her greenhouse nest.

Burrito and Jamie also stuffed their mouths with fruit, including apples from our very own orchard that Diana picked the other night.

This is a good example of why we don’t forage all of the chimps’ meals – there’s just no controlling how much each will get! There’s a good chance Jamie’s got some food in her feet as well. I guess it takes a lot of calories to fuel all those walks around the hill.

Missy, who will turn 46 on Monday, set out to demonstrate that age has no bearing one’s athletic abilities.

Jody agreed, adding that she had never been very athletic, even when she was younger.

Nevertheless, she eventually made it to the top of Negra’s cabin to search for more treats.

Annie sought a bird’s eye view of the action.

Later, Jamie, Burrito, Missy, and I went for a walk around the hill, stopping momentarily to reenact the scene from the original Charlie’s Angels poster.

For a short while, Burrito led the way. Nothing keeps this guy down for long.

Jody caught up to us at the top of the hill, but broke away soon after to snack on a few wild rose hips.

We have a quick favor to ask: The chimps are once again running low on blankets, so we’d love it if you would consider donating a few from our wish list. Annie would be most grateful…and so would we! (Edit 8/21: The blankets have all been purchased off of our wish list – thank you all!)

Ups and Downs

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We did a number of dyadic intros today – some great, some disappointing. Honey B and Terry did not hit it off despite Terry’s best efforts, so that relationship will take some time to develop. Neither was injured but Honey B did end up with a souvenir from their encounter – a mouthful of Terry’s hair. And much to our dismay, Willy B would not even give Dora the time of day! She was heartbroken. But there were some promising signs near the end of their meeting and they will certainly meet again, perhaps when Willy B is less distracted. Thankfully, Mave – as she always does! – put on a masterclass in chimp introductions when she met an anxious Dora and tailored her behavior perfectly so as to engage Dora without upsetting her.

But the greatest story of the day by far was when Honey B met Dora. These two had lived together in the past. As we saw with Terry, this doesn’t guarantee a happy reunion. This, however, was the happiest of reunions and it took us completely by surprise.

They met at the mesh and instantly started breathy panting and grooming. When the door opened, they hugged and then launched into a game of chase. We’ve never seen Dora smile so much! Honey B doesn’t know how to dial it back like Mave does and we were afraid that Honey B would overwhelm Dora with her rambunctiousness but Dora loved every minute of it. They wrestled, tickled, ran, and laughed, and then did it all again. Here you can see Honey B playfully dragging Dora across the floor by the feet.

And here’s a still from a short video I took. The look on Dora’s face says it all. There’s nothing like reuniting with an old friend.

Not Again

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Before I go into detail, please know that Burrito is doing great and is expected to make a full recovery.

Unfortunately, he was bitten by a rattlesnake again yesterday. I know, it’s hard to believe. It was only eleven months ago that he was bitten for the first time.

Shortly before 8am, I heard alarm calls coming from his group. When I arrived at the playroom, everything seemed fairly normal. Burrito and Foxie were grooming on the catwalk by the windows overlooking the valley. Annie was laying in a nest. Jamie was looking out the window, attempting to peek at her neighbors. But Jody and Negra both approached me with hair standing on end to ask for reassurance. And as I watched Missy peering into the trench drain, she emitted a quiet huu call, which, as Goodall and colleagues described, signifies “puzzlement, surprise, or slight anxiety…directed toward such things as small snakes, unknown creature rustlings, dead animals, and the like.” I ran the drain flush and waited. Within seconds, a dead rattlesnake washed into the catch basin.

Amazingly, everyone initially seemed to be OK. But when Burrito got up, I could see him dragging his butt across the floor instead of knuckle-walking while holding his arm awkwardly to his chest. He had been bitten on the hand and it was beginning to swell and become painful.

Just like last time, a few quick calls and texts sent our staff scrambling into action. And thanks to our incredible donors – especially our friend Monica – we had four vials of antivenin in a laboratory refrigerator at the ready here in our clinic.

Before long, Burrito was anesthetized and brought into the clinic for the infusion. He remained stable throughout the procedure. It was clear that he either received less envenomation this time or had developed some very mild immunity from the last bite. But many of the same worrying signs were present, including a neurotoxic reaction known as myokymia, which is characterized by small muscle fasciculations and can look like worms crawling under the skin. It was terrifying to watch the first time, and only slightly less so the second time around.

Sofia, Dr. Erin, and Anthony attend to Burrito
Burrito’s heart rate, blood pressure, SPO2, respiratory rate, temperature, and heart rhythm are monitored throughout the procedure.

While the infusion took place, Dr. Erin led the team through a general exam and Burrito was given everything from blood draws and x-rays to a manicures and moisturizers.

Repeat x-rays are performed on the chest, abdomen, and joints known or suspected to be arthritic
Fingernails and toenails are trimmed and dry skin is coated with moisturizer

When the drip was complete, he was returned to the medical recovery room to rest.

Piles of blankets and stuffed animals make for a nice nest to recover in but also cushion falls when chimps are still unsteady on their feet after anesthesia

We checked on him throughout the evening and by morning he was up and enjoying some attention from his family through the mesh. Like last time, he’ll be kept in isolation or on quiet play dates until the potential for complications subsides.

Both Foxie and Jody made sure Burrito was feeling loved this morning

Luckily he has a lot of human friends looking in on him, too.

Caregiver Kelsi greets Burrito with a knuckle rub on the head

I don’t know if there are simply more rattlesnakes than ever before or if our dumb luck just ran out. Our 1/4-mile-long rattlesnake exclusion fence was never impenetrable, as the numerous doors, gates, and utility line penetrations proved difficult to block off completely, but for the first ten years we didn’t have a single rattlesnake within the fence. Now, with bites two years in a row, we are going to have to find ways to more effectively seal those areas. It would be nice to think that Burrito has learned a lesson from his encounters, but Burrito has never been much for learning lessons.

As I write this post, he is finishing dinner after his first full day of recovery and starting to bed down for the night. He’s already got his appetite back so we are optimistic that he’ll be good to go in no time.

One small consolation for being isolated after treatment is getting to eat a meal all by yourself
OK, not entirely by yourself. Negra’s dinner is waiting for her in the greenhouse but she can’t take her eyes off of Burrito’s night bag

This is not the kind of thing our veterinary team wants to get good at through real-world practice, but we certainly felt better prepared for this incident and it is in large part due to the generosity and love you all showed Burrito and the vet team in the aftermath of his last bite. So we attribute his rapid recovery not only to our amazing staff and Burrito’s own indomitable spirit, but also to your support. Thank you.

We’re going to do all we can to keep those rattlesnakes out. And Burrito, please just let them be!

It’s Only Natural

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Things have changed at CSNW.

Many, if not most, male former laboratory chimps are what people in the zoo world refer to as behavioral non-breeders. In short, they were raised in such unnatural ways (e.g., in human homes or in nursery peer groups) that they never learned “normal” sexual behavior. This isn’t to say that they don’t express any sexual behavior at all. Willy B, for example, loves to watch videos of female chimps on our phones – especially Jamie – which puts us in a somewhat uncomfortable position at times. And Diana and I worked with a chimpanzee that was notorious for getting women to bend down towards him so he could look down their shirts. But a large number of them don’t copulate. In fact, none of the groups that I’ve cared for long-term over the past 20+ years has included a male that does.

Until now.

Hi, I’m Terry.

For whatever reason, this wondrous ball of fluff named Terry defied the odds and loves to express his natural behavior on a regular basis with Dora. Which is great. But because sanctuaries don’t allow breeding, it raises the stakes of our contraception program. Terry was vasectomized, but that may need to be checked down the road as they do sometimes fail. Or the females in his group could be put on oral contraceptives as we have done with other groups during intros or for ongoing medical reasons. Stopping in for the chimps’ birth control always delights the folks at the local pharmacy.

Wondrous Ball of Fluff

Diana’s been on a kick lately trying to add to the genealogical data we already have for chimps in sanctuaries. So many of the chimps we’ve cared for in other sanctuaries are closely related to the chimps we care for now. And often the resemblances are uncanny. This is in part due to the fact that it’s a relatively small population, but it’s also because of how few of the chimps in labs exhibited breeding behavior. Terry, for his part, was born towards the end of large-scale breeding in labs and was released from the lab at a young age so he was never used to produce more chimpanzees for research.

Dora

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I can’t tell you how much I love Cy. He really is a sweet, gentle guy. Tonight we watched the first real conflict among his group since they got to CSNW. Gordo was terribly upset (we don’t know why) and he followed Cy around, screaming incessantly while trying to get others to join him in going after the big man. But Cy, who is a good 30 pounds larger, held back and allowed Gordo to get whatever it was off his chest without engaging further. And no one backed Gordo in his efforts. Eventually some of the others got in a scuffle due to the group’s arousal level but that ended quickly.

This is what so many primatologists try in vain to convey about alpha males – the best alphas don’t rule solely through aggression and intimidation. They settle disputes. They promote cohesion in the group. They are loved and respected. Now we haven’t even gotten to know this group well enough yet to confirm that Cy is in fact the undisputed leader, but he certainly has some of the makings.

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Honey B isn’t a big fan of change. She’s the nervous type, often retreating to a corner and clutching blankets when she feels the slightest bit stressed (something I remember vividly from our first encounter at her previous home). And with all of the new chimps, new facilities, and changes in enclosure access, I would expect her to have some anxiety. But all in all she has been doing quite well. The other day I played chase with her and she repeated ran across the grass in the greenhouse, which is a big step. And at this point she hasn’t been too much of a bully to her new (and old) friends across the hall. Though there’s still time.

Quiet Moments?

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Kelsi and I were just talking about how difficult it is to come up with a new blog title each day now that we have published over 5,600 of them. Often times we are left starting blankly at the screen long after the workday ends, with all but the title completed. Quiet Moments…hmmm, have I used that one before? Photos of the Day? Happenings? I don’t know, but it’s getting awfully dark outside…

Of course, some of our staff have been seduced into the dark world of pun titles. Anthony and Chad are too far gone now to be saved. Sadly, they are intent on bringing Sam down with them, though I still have hope for her.

In any event, here are some photos of quiet moments and happenings that I took today.

Missy:

Annie:

Burrito:

Jamie:

Light Reading

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Cy’s reaction to magazines still catches me off guard. Is someone food squeaking? Alarm barking? Oh, it’s just Cy looking at magazines again. We’re going to need a name for that vocalization.

Willy B continues to be the center of attention at the sanctuary. When he goes into the courtyard, the Seven hoot and holler, which causes the Lucky Six to respond, which in turn causes Willy B, Honey B, and Mave to call back. And around it goes. Eventually they all settle down. But it’s quite the soap opera.

Speaking of soap operas, that little Dora continues to look for Willy B wherever he goes.

Once and a while they meet across the hallway…

While I was on my perimeter check this morning I came across Meredith grooming her buddy Nutmeg.

Then Betsy came over to groom me.

Dora’s Got a Crush

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Willy B must be feeling pretty good about himself these days, as he seems to be setting some of the new girls’ hearts a flutter. The first time they laid eyes on him, Dora and Rayne pant-grunted towards him and then turned to each other and hugged. And now, each time Willy B goes outside, Dora rushes to the greenhouse bench overlooking the courtyard to watch him.

For now, we are trying to regulate any close interactions between the groups, even ones that are consistent with our quarantine protocols, so that none of the chimps are able to direct dominance displays at any other individuals in particular (which could complicate potential future introductions if allowed to go on too long). The windows directly between the two areas they are currently separated into have been semi-permanently covered with thick plastic sheets and we’ll do the same to the cage walls dividing the playrooms and the greenhouses before quarantine ends and the groups live side by side. But there’s one area where two windows sit across a small mechanical room from one another and in there we simply covered one over in paper, meaning we can easily give the groups a peek at one another. So today we tried that. It was surprisingly mellow!

Mave, Willy B, and Honey B all came down to Front Room 7, the medical enclosure, to see what was going on.

They were greeted at the opposite window by Rayne, Gordo, and Dora.

As soon as Willy B approached the window, Dora stood up, smiled, and swayed back and forth. She had never been so close to him before. Terry joined her as well.

Cy then strolled in carrying one of his magazines.

Now we see what he’s been so interested in.

Lucky somehow missed out on today’s excitement but she’ll get a chance to see them soon enough!