Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

a little bit about Fantastic Ms. Foxie

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It was recently brought to my attention that we haven’t had a lot of blog posts about Foxie lately. So, I wanted to let everyone know that Foxie is as fantastic as ever.

I did try to get some photos of her today, but I only got a couple of mediocre ones with my phone as Foxie anticipated and then ate the avocado that Sofía served at dinner:

There’s virtually no where you can go on Foxie’s side of the chimp house without seeing signs of her. Here’s a few photos of Foxie calling cards that I took tonight while spot-cleaning the loft:

I remember several years ago remarking on Foxie’s suddenly gray hair on her arms, which was an undeniable sign of her getting older.

Just last week, however, Foxie did a full flip from a standing position while playing with me. That old lady still has a lot of energy and is way more fit than I am!

Here’s a selection of Foxie photos from the past:

This photo of Foxie:

taken by Katelyn, was the inspiration for this year’s HOOT! graphic, created by loyal blog-reader, Foxie fan, and graphic designer, Kathleen Corby:

It’s true – we are planning an in-person HOOT! fundraising fête this year on September 16th. Stay tuned for more details.

Thank you to everyone who loves Foxie. She is one-of-a-kind and has a way of stealing our hearts every day.

Sunny Tuesday

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Sunny days are always great, specially after some days of non-stop rain. Today, the clouds scattered away and the rays of sunshine made an appearance. To say the least, everyone, including the caregivers were very happy to catch a break from the Pacific Northwest gloominess. If only there were away to turn OFF the wind!!! But regardless of the wind, the chimps in Jamie’s group went on countless walks around the hill and spent most of the day in their warm greenhouse. Cy and his friends also spent the day in their greenhouse and every so often you could walk by and someone would pop their heads off the edge of the platforms for a subtle “hello”. Willy B and his friends were very into the raisin boards they got for daytime enrichment, although it is very likely that Willy B got every single raisin.

Annie looking over at the neighbors before sprinting over to catch up with Jamie, who was going on a perimeter walk with caregiver Grace and her sweet new boots:

Honey B sitting on a wooden chair

A Cy close up

Dora was very interested in the mechanics of a phone camera

Jamie observing my every move while I squeegeed in the play room

A sequence of Foxie with a doll in her mouth making her way over to the greenhouse window to meet up with Jamie

Gordo in the platform of the greenhouse very much aware of the display Willy B had going on on the other greenhouse

Jody resting in the greenhouse

Willy B securing ALL the raisins in the raisin board enrichment that his group got today

Takin’ It Beezy

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Caregivers are racing around completing chores on this rainy Monday afternoon, so today’s blog post is absurdly simple.

In honor of National Napping Day, here’s a portrait of Honey B lounging on the heated floor in one of the indoor enclosures.

Chad explained yesterday that the chimps have no concept of “daylight savings,” but they definitely know how to spend a gloomy, damp day like this one.

Happy 32nd Birthday, Cy!

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It’s Cy’s 32nd birthday!

His group arrived less than a year ago, so it’s the first birthday that he has celebrated at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Birthday Fairy Paulette Wrisley helped to make Cy’s celebration even more special by sponsoring a day of sanctuary in his honor. Thank you for remembering so many birthdays, Paulette!

Cy had a fabulous birthday today that included a library theme. Big thanks to Carpenter Memorial Library in Cle Elum for not only donating magazines and books to add to the celebration, but also for giving Cy an honorary library card!

Katelyn coined the term “magazineworm” to describe Cy, and he was certainly happy to have his passion recognized on his birthday:

Enjoy these close-up photos of Cy that Kelsi took during some quiet time today:

No celebration at the sanctuary is complete without a feast. On the lunch menu today were cherry tomatoes and lettuce as a forage and corn (a Cy favorite!) plus giant spring onions and passion fruit.

Jamie was the only chimpanzee out of the sixteen who demonstrated a passion for the passion fruit right away.

All of the other chimpanzees seemed pretty skeptical of this new fruit, but we did see Rayne and Dora collecting the discarded ones later.

Speaking of Rayne and Dora, Rayne really took to this Farmer’s Market book:

And here are some bonus photos of Dora close up, with different color tones:

Moo Beginnings

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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!

 

Happy Birthday Willy B and All the March Birthdays

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What a day of celebration! It’s Mardi Gras, spring is literally on the horizon, there are parties to be had, vegan beignets to eat…

Firstly, it’s Willy B’s 32nd birthday! And it seems each of the chimpanzee’s or bovine’s birthdays wouldn’t quite be the same without their friend and self-appointed birthday fairy godmother extraordinaire, Paulette Wrisley, sponsoring a day of sanctuary in their honor! (Our second generous sponsorship of the day!).

Paulette, thank you so much for your incredible generosity and loving heart for all who call the sanctuary home. We truly appreciate you helping to make Willy B’s special day, extra so.

To celebrate Willy B’s birthday and Fat Tuesday, Dr Erin baked some sugar-free vegan beignets with ground up dry coconut “powdered sugar.”

These were a hit!

It was very difficult to get photos of the birthday boy enjoying his with his powdered lips, but I was able to get one of Annie who also enjoyed the beignets!

Also on the menu for the birthday boy were mangoes.

Willy B also enjoyed one of his favorite food puzzles: Frisbee Puzzles.

And as Willy B’s party is winding down, we also want to wish Happy March Birthdays to all of you celebrating this month! Not only do you share your birthday season with big guy, Willy B, but also even bigger guy, Cy, who is turning 32 on March 12th.

As always, even when it sometimes feels most difficult, we get to be reminded there is also resilience and hope, beauty and imagination. (Note to selves: The chimpanzees are really good at showing us how this can look. And much to our grateful hearts, so are you).

Here are some additional photos from today!

Honey B enjoying her lunch.

Mango lips
Enjoying her chow and eggplant

Terry also enjoying his lunch.

The Secret Life of Barn Kitty

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In last Tuesday’s post (Twosday), Sofia mentioned that Barn Kitty has returned to the sanctuary.

For those of you who may not be aware, Barn Kitty (“B.K.”) is a free-ranging domestic cat that prowls the patchwork landscape surrounding the Chimp House. It’s believed he divides his time between the sanctuary property and the neighboring ranch, but we have no way of monitoring his whereabouts in real time. We don’t even know with certainty whether Barn Kitty is a true feral (born and raised apart from humans), a homeless stray, or just a particularly independent outdoor “barn cat” from next door. Sometimes, he disappears for months at a time before casually returning. He’s a mysterious lad.

I absolutely love living with cats (and can’t imagine the internet without them), but the existence of stray and feral cats is problematic for various reasons.

For one thing, the historical relationship between humans and house cats is mutually beneficial but not codependent. In many ways, this species was never fully domesticated and differs only slightly from its African wildcat ancestor. Importantly, cats all remain adept hunters and prolific breeders regardless of whether we supplement their diets or not. This self-reliance allows them to subsist indefinitely without much assistance from humans (besides the occasional voyage across an ocean or piggy-back ride across national borders).

The unfortunate loser in this transaction is biodiversity. Many native species, especially birds and small mammals, cannot reproduce fast enough to compensate for the addition of a new predator on the landscape. A 2013 study by Smithsonian researchers estimated that house cats kill billions of wild animals annually in the U.S. alone and individual cats have been observed to kill hundreds of birds and rodents in a single year. Their effect is especially devastating on islands where native species haven’t adapted defenses against land predators and there are no larger carnivores to keep the newcomers in check. This isn’t to say that domestic felines are objectively bad– ecosystems are constantly in flux and most species will do what they can to exploit available niches- but their spread has definitely had a substantial impact on fragile ecosystems during a massive extinction crisis.

A second problem with domestic cats living outdoors is that they’re susceptible to a plethora of factors that can negatively impact their own welfare. In places where native predators such as coyotes and cougars exist, house cats often become a widespread and easy meal. Free-ranging cats are also at risk of accidents such as vehicle collisions and rarely have access to veterinary care when sick or injured, shortening their average lifespan. Without routine vaccinations, feral cats are also largely responsible for the spread of infectious diseases such as FIV.

Of course, a counterargument can be made that feral cats are relieved from the constraints of living in a human home and don’t suffer from the complications of a captive lifestyle: boredom, artificial diets, separation anxiety, overfeeding, etc. While many stray cats can happily return to indoor living, ferals tend to remain fearful of humans for their entire lives.

In areas where free-ranging cats have grown to be particularly bothersome, veterinary professionals will often work with wildlife agencies to curb their impacts. The simplest method of control- culling them outright- is ecologically effective but understandably controversial. Fortunately, less drastic interventions (e.g. trap-neuter-release programs) can yield long-term results while remaining palatable to the general public. The cats can keep living outdoors and hunting, but they lose the ability to reproduce and eventually disappear from the landscape.

In B.K.’s case, we decided long ago that he is welcome here at the sanctuary with one stipulation: that he doesn’t sire any more tuxedo’ed killing machines. Last year, Dr. Erin and Sofia made this official by neutering him while tending to a concerning leg injury. B.K. made a full recovery and, despite being more wary of us, seems to spend just as much time hanging around our barn as he did before. It’s not uncommon to see him lounging on a sun-drenched patch of grass or stalking mice in the nearby thickets. With reliable access to shelter, cover, food, water, and health care, one could argue that Barn Kitty is better off than most free-ranging cats

Caring for animals requires a never-ending series of compromises; the most tenable policies and effective solutions are usually those that balance compassion and logic. I like to think that we’ve found something like that for the furry enigma that we call Barn Kitty.

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P.S. Yesterday, B.K. followed me back and forth around the hay barn as I did chores, so I risked my skin to take some closeups for you all to enjoy.