Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

J.B.

Wake up, Negra, it’s Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day!

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Negra simply wasn’t ready for this day to start. After a brief hello, she started drifting back to dreamland.

She tried her best to get out of bed, but it was just too comfortable.

What’s the point of getting up, anyway? It would be at least another ten minutes before breakfast would be ready.

Ten minutes is a lot of sleep.

Surely someone would let her know when it’s time to eat.

Negra may not have been able to muster up a lot of energy this morning, but we’re excited to wish everyone a Happy Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day! Anna told you the other day about all of our hardworking interns and volunteers; now it’s time to shine the spotlight on our hardworking staff.

Here’s Kelsi, who spends her weekends working as a Lead Caregiver at the sanctuary:

Anna, who coordinates the sanctuary’s educational events and chimpanzee enrichment program:

Elizabeth, who coordinates our internship and volunteer programs, and who has a preternatural talent for avoiding being photographed:

And Katelyn, who manages the office and keeps in touch with our hundreds of incredible donors and supporters:

As you can see, every staff member at CSNW works directly with the chimps in addition to their other duties – they clean, serve meals, give medications, train interns and volunteers, participate in positive reinforcement training with the chimps, and go on endless walks with Jamie. They get dirty, they stay late, and they put every bit of their hearts into their work.

Happy Animal Sanctuary Caregivers Day to the staff at CSNW and to our friends and colleagues at sanctuaries everywhere!

Still young at heart

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It’s easy to tell when Missy intends to engage her best friend Annie in a sudden game or wrestle & chase. It’s not quite a smile on her face. It’s more like, “hold my drink…”

This morning, she chased Annie up and down and all around the play structure.

They play-punched and play-kicked while they each swung by one arm.

At one point, Missy almost caught Annie’s toes – the ultimate objective of every chimp game.

But Annie and her toes escaped to play another day.

When she was finished, Missy performed one of her best-ever leaping uneven bar dismounts…

…and stuck the landing. Can you believe she’s 42 years old?

Keeping up with Jamie

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Join grad student interns Carly and Grace as they take a break from cleaning and preparing meals to walk and run around Young’s Hill with Jamie.

I was very excited to get to use our new gimbal (a fancy handle that steadies your videos – especially when running) that a wonderful supporter purchased from our Amazon wish list. We’re looking forward to using it to film some Facebook Live videos soon!

The Phoenix

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Diana and I recently had the pleasure of reading Phoenix Zones, a new book by a good friend of the sanctuary, Dr. Hope Ferdowsian. In it, Hope shares the lessons she’s learned about building strength and resilience throughout the course of her incredible career as a human rights physician and animal advocate. The book is filled with stories demonstrating how humans and other animals can recover from trauma and heal – a process known as the “Phoenix Effect” – if we attend to certain key principles such as love, dignity, justice, and respect for liberty. Phoenix Zones, by extension, are the places where these principles are put into practice, and where those suffering from trauma can rise from the proverbial ashes to find peace and hope.

One example of a Phoenix Zone that Hope discusses in her book is Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Her story focuses on Negra, who was stolen from her family and endured 35 years of unimaginable suffering but now exemplifies the power of Phoenix Zones promote healing and resilience in even the most traumatized individuals.

It’s easy to forget just how far Negra has come. This morning, we found her enjoying sweet spring grass near the top of the hill, a place that she had feared not so long ago.

A key message of the book is that physical and emotional recovery are only possible when we are free to make our own choices, when we are able to live with dignity, and, perhaps most importantly, when we have a sense of hope. Negra’s story should inspire hope in all of us.

Diana and I will be joining Hope for a discussion of her book at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle on April 30th. If you live nearby, we hope to see you there!

A playful way to start the day

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As I arrived this morning, I found Negra and Burrito grooming on a bench in one of the Front Rooms. This is a popular morning spot since it has a view of both the driveway and the kitchen.

Despite how this looks, Burrito is not in fact a vampire. He is actually more of a Tasmanian Devil. But at this point in the day he is still a very sleepy Tasmanian Devil.

As the other staff and volunteers arrive, Negra looks toward the kitchen and greets them with a soft grunt, and Burrito follows suit.

The arrival of the volunteers means the workday has begun, and that in turn means that breakfast will soon be ready. Breakfast always puts Negra in a good mood so she begins to play.

Negra has a rough style of play. The others tolerate it because of her status, and because they all know that it is a special occasion when Negra plays. Soon she is playfully but forcefully pushing Burrito’s head against the wall.

She thinks that is a lot of fun.

Burrito thinks a bit less of this game and he eventually slips away, so Negra settles for a patented Negra move – the head-butt to the belly. Let the day begin!

Morning on the Hill

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The volunteers set out a forage on the hill this morning.

After an initial course of smoothie, vitamins, and peanuts, the chimps went outside to search for pieces of orange, plum, grapefruit, and banana as well as some primate chow.

Jamie (below and at the top of the post):

Negra:

Burrito, confronting the dilemma faced by most male chimpanzees from time immemorial – do I feed myself and otherwise engage in the basic behaviors necessary to sustain life, or I do I follow that girl in estrus wherever she goes? For the most part, he chose the latter (poor Jody), but he did manage to grab a few scraps of food along the way.

Missy:

Annie, developing a nice wadge of primate chow:

Not to be outdone, Jody made a wadge of her own:

And finally, Foxie:

Though we didn’t fill the termite mound with food this morning, Foxie nevertheless checked its contents using a tool and technique never seen before in any wild population: Strawberry Shortcake dipping.