Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Animal Welfare

HOOT! is tonight!

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Here we are, skipping another in-person event due to the pandemic. In-person events are a lot of work, but there’s an unmistakable energy that happens when you get a group of people together in one space with a common mission and a drive to give.

The crucial funds raised are of course the main focus, but that sense of a shared purpose–the hope and the love–is what is the most encouraging aspect of an event.

The sanctuary is incredibly fortunate to have you, supporters and champions of the chimpanzees. With this blog, we are exposed to that energy, albeit in an online context, every day.

Preparing for tonight’s second virtual HOOT! gala has been filled with moments of nostalgia. Some of the people who you will see and hear from tonight during the event are from the early days of the sanctuary. Even some of the auction items have been unearthed from years ago (like the Troll Mania book created for our 2011 event).

The staff went way back to our childhoods for some of the auction items, with each of us choosing a favorite children’s book (see auction items #10-20).

The pandemic has often been described as a collective pause. Of course the sanctuary doesn’t have the option to pause, and the last year has been one of the busiest times in our history. There hasn’t been a lot of time to reflect.

Tonight, though, as we watch the virtual event in our respective homes, together in spirit, we have the chance to reflect on what we have accomplished as a group, each with our individualized efforts, to provide a home for chimpanzees who had no where else to go.

Humans failed these chimpanzees, but now our collective humanity has saved them. It’s a giving back that will always be incomplete, but that doesn’t make it any less worth the effort.

To all of the staff, board members, volunteers, donors, followers, and supporters, thank you for being here for them. Let’s celebrate together all that we’ve accomplished and the continued hope for the future.

Bid on auction items through Sunday on the auction site and watch the event on Facebook and YouTube live streaming starting at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. Eastern. We’ll be with you!

Twinkle, Twinkle (Lots of Stars)

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Although the sanctuary is located in a moderately-populated valley, the skies here are still dark enough for stargazing on moonless nights.

I get excited about this lack of light pollution because of my newest hobby: astrophotography. This genre of photography encompasses any imaging of objects and phenomena in space. Those celestial subjects can include the moon, the sun, the other planets, meteors, auroras, Imperial battle stations, neighboring galaxies and stars, and anything else that emits or reflects detectable electromagnetic waves.

Like many who dabble in this art form, I began by taking long exposures of the night sky with terrestrial landscapes in the foreground. It might sound expensive and difficult, but taking these wide shots only requires a hobby camera, a sturdy tripod, and relatively dark skies.

While the techniques do require some patience and persistence to master, you can learn the basics by watching tutorials on YouTube. The most tricky step in the process is tinkering with the camera’s exposure settings. Most importantly, the shutter needs to be open for the right duration to let the perfect amount of starlight reach the sensor. I typically leave the shutter open for 10-20 seconds. Then, I manually focus the lens on the stars (which is practically focusing “to infinity”), set a delayed shutter timer, and make sure the white balance is capturing the scene’s colors with the appropriate warmth or coolness. From there, photographers can create more artistic, difficult or unique shots (e.g., by blending multiple captures into composite images), but this certainly isn’t required.

For months, I’ve dreamed of photographing the chimpanzees’ home under the Milky Way, capturing their little world in the same frame as countless others. The proverbial stars aligned around Labor Day; I volunteered to watch the sanctuary at night in place of Diana and J.B. (who took a much-deserved weekend vacation) and was lucky enough to have a clear, moonless night during my tenure as the overnight watchman.

I set out just after sunset and admired the silhouettes of the forested hills against the rose-colored sky. Eventually, the scene darkened and rendered the Milky Way visible with the naked eye. I trekked around the perimeter of Young’s Hill, trying not to annoy the nearby cattle with my headlamp or step on any nocturnal critters that might be lurking in the prairie grass. Eventually, I picked a good location where the Ponderosa pines made a natural frame around my window into the cosmos.

I wondered if any of the chimps were still awake or if all sixteen were blissfully curled up on piles of fleece blankets in the heated playrooms. From what we’ve seen, they’re mostly heavy sleepers. (Burrito, for example, picks his sleeping spot right after dinner is served.) Still, it’s possible they occasionally venture out into the greenhouses long after the humans have left and watch the Milky Way turn overhead as the coyotes yip in the distance.

We humans know what the stars are but that doesn’t make them any less wonderful. I like to think the chimps are awestruck by them, too.

The following are my favorite images from my nocturnal hike around the sanctuary. I hope you all enjoy them!

“Blue hour” sunlight illuminated one of the sanctuary’s several ponds.
The sunset provided a fitting backdrop for the silhouettes of trees scorched by past wildfires.
This 15-second exposure shows one arm of the Milky Way galaxy over the new wing of the sanctuary’s Chimp House
You can see the fences of Young’s Hill, the chimps’ outdoor habitat, in the foreground of this 15-second exposure.
A Starlink satellite crossed the frame during this 20-second exposure taken behind Young’s Hill.
I tilted the lens upward for this 15-second exposure that shows three of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. There are currently ~1600 of them orbiting the Earth, with thousands more to be launched soon.
This 15-second exposure shows the light pollution from nearby Ellensburg, the largest city in our county. It also captured the star Enif (known as the “front hoof” in the Pegasus constellation) and the lights of a passenger plane leaving Seattle. (Note: the blinking red light on the plane’s left wing and white light on the tail tell you the plane was traveling from right to left when this image was taken.)
Bonus Photo: the smoke from the 100,000-acre Schneider Springs fire drifted towards our valley over Labor Day weekend, creating a gnarly afternoon sky.

 

 

 

Three Exciting Things!

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1) HOOT! online bidding opened today. More items will be added throughout the week before the event, which will stream live one week from today, Saturday, September 18th at 6:00pm PT on Facebook and YouTube. Learn more and see the current auction items available for bidding now on the HOOT! auction site.

2) The Lucky Six aired two nights ago on NBC7 San Diego’s Down to Earth with Dagmar, and you can watch it online now! It’s in four parts, so be sure to watch each of the four videos in sequence.

3) You saw the video celebration of Annie’s birthday yesterday, and now you can see these bonus photos of Annie and others in her group thoroughly enjoying the celebration. It was raining during the forage, but, as J.B. said yesterday, that did not slow them down a bit (well, maybe Negra, who decided to find food under the cover of the greenhouse).

Annie:

Missy, who enjoyed the kale as much as the coconuts:

Foxie:

Burrito, in sequence:

Negra on her throne:

Reminder: Chimps Don’t Belong in Captivity

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For today’s blog post, I thought it would be worthwhile and prudent to review some of our positions and policies for anyone who may be new to our content.

First, I hope that everyone takes the time to find out why we exist, how we do what we do, and why we do it that way. The quickest way to familiarize yourself is to visit the Mission, Vision and Goals page on our organization’s website.

You’ll quickly see that we’re extremely opposed to practice of keeping nonhuman primates in captivity. Unfortunately, many chimpanzees were taken from the forests of Africa years ago and have been bred and behaviorally conditioned for use in research and entertainment. The majority of these individuals were deprived of the irreplaceable maternal bonds and complex social networks that free-living chimpanzees depend on for survival, essentially rendering the entire captive population incapable of a reintroduction into the wild.

As a response to these past injustices, the sanctuary provides a permanent retirement home for these individuals where they are free from further exploitation and can have some degree of self-determination.

Mave looks out from one of the new indoor playrooms.
Cy watches the caregivers from behind the steel mesh caging.

This protection from harm does not, however, come with absolute freedom from captivity. Each group of chimps has regular access to several different enclosures, but they must stay within these areas for their own security (and for human safety). Chimpanzees are not a domesticated species and the individuals we care for are not tame, so it would be irresponsible and dangerous to let them out of their enclosures to interact with humans in any capacity. Likewise, we never enter an enclosure occupied by chimpanzees; Before staff can unlock a space for cleaning or repairs, multiple trained personnel must confirm that all the chimps are accounted for elsewhere and that all the barriers between the areas are secure.

Willy B watches a caregiver operate the hydraulic doors while safely outside the enclosure.
Caregiver Sofia interacts with Gordo across a chimp-proof window in the new indoor areas.

If a staff member or experienced volunteer wants to have a social interaction with a chimpanzee (e.g., playing, grooming, serving food), the human must follow our protected contact protocols which minimize the risk of physical injury. This policy also requires us to wear appropriate protective equipment, such as masks and gloves, in order to protect the chimps from any respiratory illnesses that we may be carrying.

When we share photographs or videos of humans and chimpanzees engaging in these activities, we add a disclaimer that provides key contextual details and reiterates our philosophy on captivity. Otherwise, we’d risk spreading the harmful myth that chimps can be safely handled.

Caregiver Kelsi allows Terry to “kiss” the back of her gloved hand.
Volunteer Lizz grooms Jamie with piece of browse.

Similarly, imagery of nonhuman primates situated in artificial environments (or provisioned with similarly anthropogenic objects) may cause people to wrongly believe that they are meant to be in proximity to humans. As advocates for these individuals and their species, this puts us in an awkward place. Are we better serving the chimpanzees if we portray them as they should be or as they currently are?

Dr. Erin plays “tug o’ war” with Burrito.

When sharing any content online, our team also has to consider the aesthetics of our facility and how it may be perceived. While we prioritize the design and regular enrichment of these enclosures in ways that maximize their suitability for the chimpanzees, they still have some unmistakable hallmarks of captivity: cement floors, industrial architecture, steel caging, and giant padlocks. For this reason, we often belabor the fact that the chimps have access to various indoor and outdoor areas throughout the day (except for the brief periods when we’re cleaning each of those spaces) but often choose to hang out inside regardless of the other options made available to them.

Rayne lounges on a bench in one of the indoor “front rooms.”
Honey B watches the other chimps from the comfort of an indoor playroom.

The facility’s largest (and most “natural”) enclosure is Young’s Hill, a two-acre meadow furnished with wooden climbing structures and surrounded by a perimeter of electrified fences. The chimps frequently explore and patrol this space and we look forward to having another outdoor area for additional group of chimps to use simultaneously. Even so, the chimpanzees who reside at the sanctuary choose to spend only a small fraction of their time out there (despite the unique opportunities that such a habitat gives them). Instead, the chimps generally prefer to socialize and lounge in the semi-enclosed “greenhouses” throughout the day and make their nests in the elevated portions of the climate-controlled “front rooms” and “playrooms” each night. Some even choose to sleep on the heated cement floors.

The truth is that these chimps have lived most of their lives in artificial spaces like these. Apparently, they feel more comfortable in them.

Who would we be if we forced them to do anything different?

Lucky watches the passing caregivers from an elevated platform in one of the new greenhouses.
Willy B sits outside but is partially obscured from the camera by the electrified wires.
Foxie (with one of her dolls) looks out from within the perimeter fence of the Young’s Hill enclosure.

Last year, Diana wrote some words that, in my opinion, say it best.

We’ll continue to blur the fencing out of some photos and put the cameras up to the caging for an unobstructed view, but it’s not because we want you to forget that it’s there; it’s so you can fully see the unique and wonderful chimpanzees who are choosing to do whatever they are doing in the moment when the camera shutter closes.

I compiled an assorted reading list for anyone who wishes to read more about these nuanced issues (and hopefully get some perspectives besides my own)!

From our website:

CSNW FAQs page

CSNW Blog: “Why are the Chimps in Cages?” (by Diana, 2015)

CSNW Blog: “The Tough Questions” (by Me, 2020)

CSNW Blog: “Caging is OK” (by Diana, 2020)

From other sources:

Study: Impact of Visual Context on Public Perceptions of Non-Human Primate Performers

IUCN’s Best Practice Guidelines for Responsible Images of Nonhuman Primates

North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance’s Position Statements

Thank you all for caring so much about chimpanzees!

Clack of the Titans

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As we continue to develop our plan to move forward with the introductions between Cy’s Group and Willy B’s Group with two-on-twos, we are continuing with the one-on-one introductions between group members in the meantime on a varied schedule. Today, both titans met for the second time today. When the doors opened between them, Cy tried to initiate a game of chase with Willy B, though he was a little hesitant at first. But once Willy B’s courage built up, they engaged in chase. Afterward, they had a very long grooming session with each other.

As you may hear in the video, both were breathy panting and teeth clacking. Teeth clacking is one of the noises chimpanzees produce when they are engaged in grooming. There are a few theories as to why chimpanzees make these noises when they groom. One of those theories is that it is a way for one chimpanzee to indicate to the other that their intention is to groom them. These noises become more prevalent when the chimpanzees find something particularly interesting to groom on their partner. Grooming also plays a big role in chimpanzee social life. Besides the hygienic aspect of removing any dead skin, scabs, or parasites, the act of grooming itself is a way to initiate, maintain, and enhance the social bond between individuals. There’s a certain level of trust that goes into letting somebody groom you, and in the case of chimpanzees, the area in which they groom.

These are all positive signs between the two big gentlemen.

Cy
Willy B

Other Bonus Photos From Today:

Jamie patrolling Young’s Hill this morning with Foxie and Missy behind her.
Lucky relaxing in the nice breeze rolling through her Greenhouse.
Mave doing the same in her Greenhouse.

Can’t Help Falling In Love (With Fall)

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For those of you who aren’t acquainted with this slang term, a “basic” person has uninteresting interests.

To be fair, being labeled as basic isn’t necessarily bad. Basic things are, by definition, quite popular.

In a way, basic people are anti-hipsters. Rather than having eclectic or unique tastes, they enjoy activities that are universally-liked by everyone else. The cliché basic person is a 20-something educated female who listens to Taylor Swift, uses TikTok, watches The Office, and drinks pumpkin spice lattes in August. Oddly, a common stereotype is that these people all LOVE autumn and anything even loosely associated with the season. (Of course, fall is also the perfect time to show off a diverse collection of flannel shirts and take artsy photos of fallen leaves.)

While the term has only been applied to humans, I’d like to argue that even chimps can be basic.

For example, Negra’s hobbies include eating spring grass, eating peanuts and chow, watching the caregivers work, and napping peacefully on high platforms. None of these interests are avant-garde, and Negra seems totally fine with that. She doesn’t want to be surprised, shocked, or inconvenienced; she just wants to enjoy the simple, familiar pleasures. She’s basic to the core and seems to be proud of it.

Perhaps the world would be a better place if we were all, like Negra, comfortable with our own basicness.

I’m sure that if Negra had her own Instagram, she’d be posting selfies of herself enjoying the cool autumn breeze under a pile of fleece blankets today. Since she doesn’t have her own social media, I decided to post on her behalf today.

 

#PumpkinSpice #FallMeMaybe #FallmostHere #AutumnVibes #FleeceBlankets #Basic

On to the Next Challenge

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This post is both about the great staff at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and about the chimpanzees who they care for; the chimpanzees who lead the way towards embracing challenges and demonstrating resiliency.

I’ve been incredibly impressed with our staff during the last few of years of challenges and uncertainty. We’ve done some hard things and been faced with difficult decisions, and the staff have embraced it all and moved forward with hope.

The most recent challenge has been starting introductions between the two groups of chimpanzees from Wildlife Waystation.

There are risks involved in introducing chimps to one another, risks we have experienced firsthand. It would be easy to decide to just not try, to keep things as they are. But the staff realize that the benefits to the chimpanzees’ welfare far outweigh the risks.

The chimpanzees themselves have already given us glimpses of these benefits – male friends for WillyB! So many new grooming partners for Mave! Half-sisters to play with Honey B! Lucky, Cy, Terry, Gordo, Rayne, and Dora could also benefit from living in a larger group with more choices for social partners.

I’ve been incredibly impressed with how the chimpanzees have reacted to the initial one-on-one introductions. Each of them have been able to overcome any anxiety in meeting those in the other group. In fact, they have embraced the opportunity, sometimes making it difficult to get the pairs we want because there are chimps who stay in the room, attempting to be the one who is next in line for an introduction.

Chimpanzees are amazing that way.

While we humans live in our heads much of the time, worrying and wondering, chimpanzees most often assess the situation and pretty quickly dive in. It’s not that they can’t think ahead – they certainly can. And it’s not that they never experience worry – for sure they do. But when something goes awry or they encounter something unexpected, they are usually able to quickly reassess and adjust, or just turn to the next good thing they know is coming, like pears for dinner.

While it’s true that Burrito is a very special being in so many ways, his ability to bounce back is a trait he shares with many of his species. Chimpanzees are tough, both physically and mentally. Sadly, that is one reason they were used so readily in biomedical research.

I’ve been particularly impressed with Rayne’s group and how they have so quickly adjusted to their new home. They marched in and claimed their space, quickly finding favorite spots and embracing the sanctuary’s routine.

J.B. shared yesterday that the new group was given access to the Chute for the first time this week. And he let you in on a secret: many (perhaps even the majority of) chimpanzees LOVE cage tunnels, choosing to spend time in them over larger areas that humans might describe as more “natural” looking.

This might be a good time to remind everyone of this blog post which is subtitled Caging is OK.

It’s not up to us to decide for chimpanzees in captivity what areas are their favorites; it’s up to us to provide them with variety and give them the choice to decide for themselves. For now, Lucky’s group has clearly decided that the Chute is awesome, even when they have access to the new beautiful greenhouses with grass and bamboo.

Today when we were cleaning, I snapped a couple of photos of all six chimpanzees in the Chute. I couldn’t even tell where one chimpanzee began and another ended. Gordo was the only one not in the chimpanzee puddle at the top of the Chute, instead laying claim to the spot closest to the end.

At another point during the day, I found brother and sister Cy and Lucky lying next to each other, facing opposite directions at the top of the Chute:

While Dora was trying out a small perch for a bed:

Thank you to all of the wonderful chimpanzees at CSNW who embrace change, find their thing, and power through the challenges towards the good times that may be just out of sight, but are surely there. Thank you to the staff who do the same. And thank you to all of you for reminding us, with your comments and support, what a special mission we have.