animal rescue

Moo Beginnings

March 7, 2022 by Anthony

As Katelyn noted yesterday, it’s already beginning to feel like spring. That means a lot around here, but I doubt anyone appreciates this transition more than the sanctuary’s bovines.

Every year, the small herd of four rescued Jersey cattle spend the winter in an enclosed paddock on the northern side of the property. This area contains their main barn (and a couple secondary shelters) where caregivers provision them with grass hay, alfalfa, water, minerals, and supplementary grain.

As the days get longer and warmer, the Moo Crew begin to spend more of their time roaming around the paddock and sunbathing. The muddy brown landscape slowly develops a tinge of lime green and the bovines venture into the creek to browse.

It won’t be until May that the pastures are mature enough to support these large herbivores. (There are several tests that we do to verify that the prairie grasses are ready.) At that time, the crew will pick a day for “The Running of the Cows“– the opening of the gateways to the larger grazing areas— and the bovines will be on their merry way to ruminant bliss.

With that being said, there is always a lot of work to be done before we can safely turn them out for the summer. First, the cattle need their annual visit from the hoof trimmer who makes sure their feet are ready for another year of strenuous trips around the hilly property. Dr. Erin also uses this as an opportunity to give them their annual vaccinations and quick physical exams.

Finally, the fencing itself usually needs a minor facelift. This task will be more difficult than ever this year due to the ongoing expansion of Young’s Hill and construction of The Bray, both of which will now occupy what was once cattle pasture. Instead, the bovines will most likely get access to the wooded farmland further up the slope which we will have to enclose with suitable electric fencing.

Last week, I took some photos of the cattle enjoying a couple fresh bales of hay in their winter paddock.

Honey:

Betsy and Honey:

Nutmeg:

Meredith:

While the bovines have been serenely waiting for pasture, the chimps seem particularly excited about the human activity around Young’s Hill. This afternoon, J.B. hosted some familiar faces who have volunteered to help furnish the new outdoor areas. As is tradition, the tour was mirrored by a few curious chimpanzees. (Unsurprisingly, one of them had to scout out everyone’s footwear.)

Volunteers Tom, Greg, Steve and Brian, with Jamie Chimpanzee & Co. in the background:

This spring will be busy and challenging, but it’s exciting to utilize more of the property and give the chimps and bovines some new experiences!

Here for the Show

February 26, 2022 by Diana

Burrito spends a lot of his time spying on the neighbors, especially when said neighbors are in the Chute, which is close to his playroom’s windows. But he can even get glimpses of other chimps when they are in Lupine playroom.

What was catching his attention this afternoon was a lot of displaying from both of the other groups.

You probably know Cy by now as more of the quiet bookish type, but he’s also a large male chimpanzee who is more than capable of putting on an impressive display:

It’s not clear if Burrito wishes he were in the mix or is merely entertained/enriched by focusing on the goings-on of the other groups.

He’s certainly not the only one.

Missy was also keeping a close eye on things this afternoon, bounding up and down as a greeting when she glimpsed Terry in the Chute.

While we won’t be doing any introductions with Burrito’s group in the near future, it’s clear just having neighbors has added a very enriching element to their lives.

Names of Sanctuary Spaces that Honor Donors

February 12, 2022 by Diana

When we started the Bring Them Home Campaign for Expansion, I was full of hope for a future that included helping more chimpanzees, but I really wasn’t sure how long it would take to raise the funds needed to expand.

We have been incredibly fortunate to have the support of many dedicated donors who are invested in providing all of the chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest with an enriching loving environment with a variety of things to do and places to explore. Thanks to all of you!

The ongoing campaign includes the opportunity to name specific parts of the expansion for certain significant donations, which was a bit of a new approach for us. We have had some wonderful donors take advantage of this opportunity, and we now have names for the two playrooms and greenhouses that were Phases 2 and 3 of the expansion.

Drum roll, please…

Playroom 2, which is on the east side of the building, closest to the Chute and Courtyard, and connected to the front rooms of the expansion, is named Lupine. The naming opportunity was given as part of a fundraising initiative that included a drawing with a chance to name the space. Longtime local-to-Cle Elum donor Patty Clark wanted to honor her mother, who was known as “the flower lady”, with the name, so together we chose the name of a beautiful native flower, with it’s purple spikes decorating the hillside of the sanctuary each summer.

Playroom 3, on the west side of the building closest to the road and the river, and connected to the Mezzanine, was named Marmot Mountain by Monica Best. With her training in wildlife biology, Monica has a great fondness for all local fauna and chose to honor the small and delightful mammals that scurry all over the property in the spring in summer. You might notice a marmot silhouette painted on the wall of this playroom in photos shared on the blog. There’s a chimp-proof window that looks into Marmont Mountain from a human area that we boringly refer to as Mechanical Room 3. That window is a favorite spot for chimps to greet people, like Anna’s daughter Luna.

Greenhouse 2, with its 20-foot-high peak, artificial tree, real bamboo, and views of the hillside and open-top habitat (soon to be multiple habitats) to the east, has been named Oakwood in honor of Oliver Mazner by Karen Emmerman Mazner. Oliver thought about the place he feels the most loved, secure, and at ease—selecting his grandparents’ neighborhood in the Oakwood area of London— to reflect that the chimps are now in just such a place. A new overhead tunnel being built now will run outside of the building, providing another connection between Oakwood to Lupine and also branch (see what I did there) to the existing Chute, which will open onto the Bray, the new open-top expanse named in honor of James Douglas by his wife Jen.

Greenhouse 3 stands equally tall on the west side of the building. The chimpanzees from Wildlife Waystation love lounging on the high benches and the platform of the artificial tree, looking out towards the river and the railroad that runs beside it. Donors Vicky and David Fagerlee allowed the staff to choose a name for this indoor-outdoor space. They appreciated the creative puns often seen in blog titles by Chad and Anthony, but we opted to go for the more literal (but we think still poetic) name: Riverview.

Thank you again to every person who have made these spaces come to life and who will continue to contribute as we continue to add more exciting habitats!

Bananas for Kongs!

February 9, 2022 by Sofia Castro-Loza

Today all three groups got food puzzles as daytime enrichment. The puzzles were Kongs filled with oats and mashed bananas and they were a hit to say the least.

Annie

Rayne

Willy B

BONUS: Mave looking good and relaxed in the green house

Studio Logs

February 7, 2022 by Anthony

Taking portraits of chimpanzees isn’t easy, but knowing how they move around their home makes it a lot easier to catch them at the right moments.

In the past, we’ve described Front Room 4 as “The Portrait Studio.” This small indoor enclosure has three pneumatic doors that allow the chimps to move freely between their greenhouse, playroom, and other front rooms. The area is notably furnished with a couple of wall-mounted platforms, the lower of which provides the perfect bench for curious chimpanzees to look out the window or down the caregiver hallway. When a chimp is sitting in that precise location, the diffuse natural light from the window illuminates their face while softening the background with an effortless vignette. In short, the lighting is ideal for easy portraits.

If you want to see some content from the studio, I recommend checking out these posts featuring the chimps who reside in that wing of the Chimp House: Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra.

Last week, I encountered Jamie sitting serenely in the studio before breakfast. She was holding the crumpled remains of a hardcover book.

I saw Burrito sitting in the same spot later that morning. Instead of literature, however, Bubba was wielding a broken enrichment puzzle and showing it off like a trophy.

We caregivers have been searching for new ways to photograph and record video of the chimps in the new wing of the building, too. Although there isn’t an exact replica of the Front Room 4 studio on that side, we’ve discovered that the new greenhouse enclosures provide some unique perspectives. When an individual is perched on one of the closer logs, for example, they’re at the perfect height and distance for mid-range portraits. Gordo graciously modeled for the camera in this exact location yesterday afternoon.

We have Gary of Sage Mechanical to thank for these natural enrichment structures. The Sage crew ferried these heavy tree trunks all the way from Gary’s coastal property to the sanctuary with the new greenhouses in mind. They have asked us for pictures and video of the chimps utilizing the logs as bridges; I hope they’re proud to see that the logs are an integral part of our newest photo booth, too.

In case you missed them when they were originally posted, here are some other staff photos of the chimps sitting on the studio logs.