J.B.

Chow wadge

December 27, 2013 by J.B.

In the wild, chimpanzees create a wadge when eating certain types of food. A wadge is simply a ball of food that is placed in the lower lip and sucked on. Wadging can be a way to extract juice and nutrients from foods that are too fibrous to swallow, or it can be a way to extract the flesh from fruits that have bitter or poisonous seeds. Chimps sometimes create a wadge when eating small bits of egg or meat by adding leaves and chewing everything together. Some think that this might just be a way to prolong the enjoyment of a scarce but highly valued food.

Whatever the ultimate reason may be, it’s clear that some foods are just meant to be wadged, and primate chow is high on that list. As Annie demonstrates here, you start but dumping the entire bag into your mouth and arranging them into your lower lip.

Then, add water.

Make sure you take out the wadge once and a while to check on its progress.

Then, sit back and enjoy!

Grooming Tools

December 20, 2013 by J.B.

Chimpanzees mainly groom themselves and one another directly with their hands and mouths, but a couple of the chimps at CSNW use tools for grooming. Missy likes to groom herself with a splinter of wood. Sometimes she just scratches herself, but other times she can be like a surgeon with her instrument as she picks at a bump or scab. In fact, volunteer Deb once saw Missy use a wood splinter to open up a small abscess that had gone unnoticed by the staff. As a former nurse, she said the process was not all that unlike how a doctor would perform what they call an I&D (incision and drainage – sorry to gross you out), though hopefully your doctor would use a sterile instrument and not a stick.

Jamie, on the other hand, uses tools to groom her caregivers. I think this is mainly because of what she wants to groom. As you may know, the caregivers at CSNW only present certain parts of their bodies to the chimps for contact (e.g., a bare elbow) and only in limited circumstances. This is because there is always the potential for a chimpanzee – even someone that we are good friends with – to grab us and injure us. So if Jamie wants to touch our fingers or the tops of our shoes, she has to use a tool. Jamie knows this and seems to enjoy grooming with a tool even more than using her fingers. Sometimes she even tries to reach into our pockets or lift up our shirts to see our bellies.

We often describe Jamie as “intense,” and if you look at her eyes while she is grooming or using a tool, you can see the focus and concentration that she has. You can also see her display sympathetic mouth movements as she grooms, which Diana described in the comments section on a previous blog post.

More fun in the sun

December 17, 2013 by J.B.

In general, chimpanzees tend to wear their emotions on their sleeves, but Missy just takes it to another level. Today, you could see the joy in her eyes as she scanned the hill, trying to decide which way she would run and what things she would climb and jump off of along the way.

After some deliberation, it seems she decided she would run every which way and jump off of everything.

From the looks of it, it was as fun as she thought it would be.

The other chimps weren’t quite as energetic, but they all seemed to enjoy this unusually beautiful December weather we are having now. Annie and Jody walked to the top of the hill together.

Burrito tried to tag along, but his bipedal walking (something he does when he ventures past his comfort zone on the hill) slowed him down.

Foxie followed close behind him, balancing a yellow-haired troll on her back.

And Jamie made her way around the perimeter of the hill as she always does, making a slight detour to cross the log bridge where she politely reminded the photographer that he should get moving because the walk was not over yet.

Negra enjoys the sun more than anyone, but she chose to soak in the rays from her comfortable nest on the heated playroom catwalk. And with everyone else out on the hill, she finally had some peace and quiet.

Veterinary Clinic Progress

December 13, 2013 by J.B.

I’m happy to say we have more progress to report on the veterinary clinic!

With the help of our supporters and some generous foundations and businesses, we’ve been able to check more items off of our wishlist. Patrick and Carrie Hardie facilitated the donation of a steam autoclave, an automated external defibrillator (AED), and many other supplies. And Project V.E.T.S. has come through for us again. First, they connected us with Willamette Equine Veterinary Services in Oregon, who donated an automatic x-ray processor. Then, they awarded us with a grant that allowed us to shop for new and reconditioned equipment at apexx Veterinary Equipment, and apexx generously donated the first 25% of the cost of every item. This allowed us to purchase a laryngoscope set and an IV fluid pump (pictured below).

We’ve also been busy at the sanctuary making a place for the clinic next to the chimp building. One reason for this is this is that we don’t want to have to travel too far with an anesthetized chimpanzee on a stretcher. But more importantly, it’s best for the clinic to be in a secure environment in the event that a chimpanzee comes out of anesthesia unexpectedly. We could either reinforce the trailer to make it chimp proof, or simply park it within the perimeter fence that already surrounds the building. We chose to do the latter, but that entailed extending the fence 10 feet to the west, relocating the entry gate, and adding 60 feet of gravel driveway. Thankfully, volunteer Mark spent some cold mornings with us setting posts and running wire.

With the fence modifications complete, we were also able to begin the installation of the wildfire sprinkler system, a project made possible by a grant from the ASPCA. A high-pressure pump will send water through PVC pipes around the base of the fence and up to sprinklers mounted on the tops of the fence posts. The pump will be powered by a generator and the sprinklers will soak the chimp house and surrounding area in the event of another wildfire.

It goes without saying that the health and safety of the chimps is our top priority, so we are incredibly grateful to all of our supporters that make improvements like these possible. Thank you!

Friendship

December 6, 2013 by J.B.

Missy and Annie may get all the attention, but there’s another friendship amongst the Cle Elum Seven that’s just as important.

As you may know, Burrito could use a little help navigating the politics of chimpanzee society. Consider his life before to coming to the sanctuary: He was born in a lab, raised as a pet, forced to perform in a circus, and then locked away for twenty years for use in hepatitis research. Can you imagine living the majority of your first 25 years on earth either alone or with a different species? Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to suddenly be thrust into a group of your own kind, only to realize that they are playing by a rule book that no one ever bothered to show you?

Thankfully, Burrito has found a good friend in Foxie. In quiet times, she’s a playful companion. When the going gets tough, she reassures him and plays peacemaker with the rest of the group. And when he is scared, she comforts him.

Burrito has all the instincts of a tough guy, but none of experience to back it up. Lucky for him he has a 97-pound girl and her troll dolls on his side.

Digging

November 1, 2013 by J.B.

Jamie loves to dig.

We sometimes find evidence that the chimps have been digging into the nests of ground squirrels on Young’s Hill. They seem to want to figure out where those squirrels disappear to when they dive into those little holes in the ground, but they never dig down far enough to find them.

Some of the chimps use tools to dig into the hard clay soil. A plastic shovel or trowel works best, but in a pinch, anything pointy will do. A tool also keeps a chimp’s hand away from the sharp teeth of an angry squirrel – the same reason why Jamie uses hardcover books or pasta spoons to chop at garter snakes instead of her bare hands. I would bet that, by now, Jamie knows that garter snakes are not going to hurt her, but she still seems to act as if they are dangerous, or at least “icky.” I’m sure a lot of humans can relate.

When Jamie is not going after squirrels, she likes to keep herself busy with projects. A few weeks ago, I found her digging in the entrance to Young’s Hill with a plastic trowel.

Young’s Hill Games

October 25, 2013 by J.B.

The chimps are most active on Young’s Hill right after breakfast. With a full night’s sleep and a belly full of food, they are often looking to burn off a little energy. This morning, there were plenty of balance beam exercises…

Foxie: