Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

Dora and The Multipurpose Box

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We all know that Gordo has an affinity for his boxes. He loves to sit in them, use them as a table, even last night as I served him dinner, I watched him carefully put every slice of food delicately into his box.

Yesterday, we put in a new type of box into Gordo’s group’s enclosures. It is a wider, flatter box, which we thought Gordo would love. Much to our surprised, we haven’t seen him utilize it and keep to his usual. Rayne and Terry have taken turns sitting or nesting in it.

Dora, however, has found this box to suite all her needs.

First, it was the perfect place to lounge around.

It also made a great area to eat dinner.

As well to enjoy her evening enrichment: ice eggs.

When I arrived this morning, she had converted her box into a fort with the simple addition of another box.

Update:

I just walked back there and Cy has decided this would make his perfect reading nook.

Studio Logs

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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.

Cy (by J.B.)
Rayne (by Sofia)
Gordo (by Sam)
Terry (by Chad)
Honey B (by Sofia)
Mave (by Chad)

Hoarfrost

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It’s been a snowy, cold, gloomy January. It’s hard to believe that we had clear weather and bare ground at this time last year (see: Winterspring).

While I love the unpredictable moodiness of Northwest winters, the sporadic windows of sunny weather are welcome reassurances that the valley will eventually see pleasant days again. Last Monday, the sanctuary was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the clear blue beyond for a few minutes, drenching the frozen tundra in warm sunshine.

At the time, the entire sanctuary had been coated with hoarfrost for several days. These feathery deposits of ice are created when fog freezes on cold surfaces, thereby giving them a “hairy” appearance. The phenomenon looks absolutely amazing when illuminated by sunlight and outlined by turquoise skies, and the property’s numerous Ponderosa pines are particularly stunning when adorned with the frosty spikes.

I don’t know if the chimps appreciated the hoarfrost as much as I did, but they definitely seemed to enjoy the sun’s rays. When I went to see what the chimps were up to that afternoon, I found most of them lounging on the elevated platforms in their respective greenhouse enclosures, grooming and snoozing the hours away. Only Dora was interested enough in my presence to shift her gaze, studying my camera and nodding approvingly before rolling back over for another nap.

More Love for Rayne

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Rayne has charmed many supporters since arriving at the sanctuary last June, including Monica Best, who is another person who is sponsoring today’s day of sanctuary in honor of Rayne’s birthday! Thank you, Monica!

There is no doubt that Rayne is someone to be admired. We knew that Rayne was a strong individual, considered the female leader of her group (with Cy being the male leader) by those who cared for her at Wildlife Waystation. When she first arrived, she was a little slow to show her silly side, but once she settled into her new home and decided she could trust us, Rayne really warmed up to all of her caregivers. She greets us with friendly breathy pants and will play great games of chase throughout the building. She likes boxes, scarves, slinkys and smoothies, all of which she is enjoying in abundance today.

Today is the first birthday Rayne is celebrating at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We think she makes 32 look pretty great.

Sounds of Sanctuary. LOUD Edition

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Just like humans, chimpanzees have a variety of decibels in which they vocalize, though when they are loud, they are LOUD.

The Perks of Be(friend)ing a Wallflower

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Not all of the chimps like to be in front of the camera lens equally. Lucky and Willy B, for example, will scooch right up to you and your electronic device with gusto. Others prefer to nonchalantly observe the photographer from an intermediate distance, and a few chimps will even try to sternly poke the camera lens when they’re not in the mood for a portrait session.

Then, there’s Gordo.

Lately, I’ve been making a conscious effort to get portraits of the individuals who spend less time in the spotlight, and Gordo has been the most challenging of that bunch.

Gordo is a wallflower. Despite getting along with chimpanzee companions and human caregivers alike, he exhibits some introverted tendencies. It seems like his ideal afternoon would probably be spent lounging quietly on a lofted platform with an enrichment puzzle in his hands, avoiding drama and staying out of the limelight. This makes him one of the more difficult chimpanzees to photograph.

A couple weeks ago, I saw Gordo laying among his group-mates in the indoor front rooms. Everyone was avidly grooming each other, as they tend to do in the downtime that follows breakfast. Gordo was serenely looking down the hallway, clasping his feet and soaking up the warmth from the heated floors, and we eventually made eye contact. I nodded reassuringly, and he kept staring back. I slowly reached for the camera hanging around my neck and raised it up to eye level as if to ask “can I take your picture?”

Gordo coolly remained where he was and allowed me to approach. I gently knelt in by the caging, brought the viewfinder up to my right eye, and turned the focus ring until Gordo’s auburn eyes and platinum goatee were visible in sharp detail. After I got a couple good shots, I put the camera down and simply sat in Gordo’s proximity for a little bit, enjoying the moment. It wasn’t the fervent grooming or exuberant play that we associate with the sanctuary’s more extroverted residents, but his acceptance made my day nonetheless.