Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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The Pregame

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We all know that Missy is an accomplished athlete.

She tirelessly outruns the fastest Gators, deftly balances on the thinnest tightropes, and snatches the juiciest tomatoes from her opponents with ease. Her cunning and skill have been lighting up the blog for years. This stocky, springy chimpanzee truly know no bounds.

All of her feats are even more impressive when you take her age into account. We will be celebrating Missy’s 47th birthday at this time tomorrow!

How does one stay so energetic and spry into their late 40s? Missy’s keys to success seem to be regular practice and excellent nutrition. Athletes have to “limber up” before strenuous physical activity so that they’re ready to perform when the stakes are highest, and Missy never forgoes an opportunity to sharpen her skills. The tomatoes she acquires along the way are just extra motivation to keep moving.

Today, we scattered an exciting “pregame” lunch of fresh veggies for the chimpanzees to forage in their grassy outdoor enclosure. This afternoon’s spread wasn’t nearly as exciting as tomorrow’s party forage will be, but Missy and company spent a good amount of time searching for produce in the tall grass. Afterwards, they returned to the Greenhouse to engage in another of Missy’s favorite activities: social grooming.

Jody:

 

Jamie:

Missy:

Jamie:

Negra:

Missy grooming Jamie:

Jamie being groomed:

Burrito:

Be sure to check in with us tomorrow to wish Missy and her companions a happy, tomato-filled 47th birthday!

(In case you want to review the record books, here are links to Missy’s most recent birthday celebrations: 44th, 45th, and 46th.)

 

P.S. Here are some bonus images from this morning: Cy and Gordo hanging out in the shady Oakwood Greenhouse!

Gordo:

Cy:

Simply Unbothered

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The Cle Elum Seven formed by Negra, Jamie, Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Annie and Missy have been neighbors to the newly formed group of nine chimpanzees for almost four months now. We have received questions about whether they react or not to the other group. The short answer is yes, the long answer is that it depends. I have been working as a caregiver at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest for about 15 months now and during this time I’ve noticed that some of the chimpanzees under our care react more than others when it comes to ruckus on the opposite group. Some members of the Cle Elum Seven get very invested when they hear something going on, while others continue their day like if it were business as usual.

A great example of this is what happened today at lunch time. We set up a forage in Young’s Hill for the seven that included corn, mini peppers, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, and chow. With the idea of grabbing stills of them foraging for their favorite items, I brought the camera with me. Every single one of them was super excited to get out there, with Negra leading the way. About 3 minutes into the forage, the nine had a disagreement and the screaming on that side commenced. Jamie, Foxie, Annie, and Burrito dropped what they were doing to investigate. They went to the corner of the hill with the best view of the greenhouses and stood bipedally trying to figure out what was happening. As the screaming on the other side of the sanctuary continued, they eventually went inside to the greenhouse and playroom to peek from the windows and display at the other group. I realized that six of the seven chimps were inside and ignoring their meal. So where was Negra?

I walked outside and found her. Alone. On top of a platform, enjoying an ear of corn. She seemed completely unfazed by what she could hear happening in the distance. Cases like this make me wonder whether she thinks her group mates are fit enough to handle the issue without needing her assistance, or whether she simply put food first and decided to let the situation unfold. Whatever it was, she looked peaceful, at ease with her corn and chow, simply unbothered.

 

 

A Little Negra for Your Day

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Today has been a blur of a day. We humans were very busy cleaning and doing other tasks around the Chimp House. Today really flew by. Luckily enough, Negra is my saving star for today’s blog!

This morning, when her group was given access to Young’s Hill, I was taken aback when I saw her out there so early in the morning.

There didn’t seem to be a motive to go out other than to just go out. As you know, when Negra does go out first thing in the morning, there’s usually a purpose (i.e. foraging for prickly lettuce). But every once in a while, we are gifted with seeing her just enjoying the outside.

As the the rest of her group went on their morning patrol, Negra stayed put. As they returned, she greeted everyone as they returned.

Negra seemed to be in such a great mood today. At lunch, she was offering kisses and wouldn’t allow me to leave her as caregiver Grace served her. Every time I got up, she would put her lips through the caging to offer a kiss, knowing I would stay.

As we speak, Negra is doing her tour of the Frisbee Puzzles that are hanging up in her playroom.

In fact, right now Negra is telling us that dinner time is rapidly approaching. She let’s us know by finding the best position that looks into the kitchen, bangs on the caging, and claps her hands, which is my cue to hurry things along.

Always for you, Negra!

Here are some bonus photos I was also able to get today.

Rayne in the Riverview Greenhouse:

Honey B plotting her next mischievous move:

Mave hanging out in the Riverview Greenhouse:

Burrito watching me through a mirror:

Official Party Business

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Today, we have three blog “topics” to cover, all related to upcoming celebrations. (I’ve dotted the blog with recent photos as well.)

Foxie sitting in the front rooms

First and foremost, this day of sanctuary was generously sponsored by our friend Laura Bradshaw to honor the birthday of her son, Ben.

To accompany her gift, Laura wrote:

I’d like to celebrate my son, Ben’s birthday. He is an avid animal lover and counts the CSNW critters among his very favorites (including barn cat and office cat and dog). Thanks to your wonderful blogs, he counts chimps and cattle among his dear friends. Thank you for all you do.

We’re ecstatic that she thought of the sanctuary on this special occasion and hope Ben has an amazing birthday. Thank you so much for your kindness, Laura and Ben!

Terry relaxing in the Oakwood Greenhouse

Additionally, we have a big anniversary coming up this Thursday, August 18th: the third anniversary of Honey B, Mave, and Willy B’s arrival at CSNW.

It will be the first arrival anniversary celebrated as members of a larger social group, so the party will be bigger than ever. Be sure to check out the blog this week to see the festivities!

Mave lounging in the Marmot Mountain playroom

On top of all that, we’re also finalizing plans for Missy’s upcoming 47th birthday celebration which will take place on Tuesday, August 23rd. Enrichment Coordinator Chad has filled our Amazon Wish List with an eclectic assortment of items that will help us to give Missy and her friends a special party! You may even be able to guess the party’s theme if you’re particularly astute…

You can access the wish list directly via the following link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2L5WRNKBKB8B2?ref_=wl_share

Missy grooming her friend Jamie

Have a great week, everyone!

Be Right as Rayne

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There was some slight reprieve from the heat today. The sky is blanketed with clouds and rain has been on and off since morning. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this reprieve because though it is cooler, it’s still a “brisk” 97º out, making the day more humid. The chimpanzees didn’t seem to mind though.

During lunch, Rayne chose to perch herself on a pool of diluted Gatorade in the Riverview Greenhouse. She ate her entire lunch there, taking sips in-between bites. I was able to get some photos of here enjoying her chow biscuits. This series of photos is also a good depiction of how a wadge is made.

Some bonus photos from today:

Negra watching her group embark on their first patrol of the day.

Honey B watching me as I was taking photos of the Gatorade pool.

Jody taking it easy in her Greenhouse.

Burrito coming over to tell me to stop taking photos of Jody and to play chase.

Lucky patiently waiting for dinner service.

Foxie’s 46th

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I think that the title of this morning’s post (It’s Foxie’s birthdaaayyy!!) accurately reflected our staff’s enthusiasm for today’s big celebration.

It was a busy day for the humans, but the sanctuary’s chimpanzee residents seemed to enjoy every minute of it. First, this morning’s caregiving team prepared fruit-filled watermelon bowls and berry smoothies for both groups of chimps, sending them all into excited frenzies. While the chimpanzees were enjoying those in their groups’ respective greenhouse enclosures, Dr. Erin swung by with some fresh grapevine from a neighbor’s property which we passed out as forage and nesting material. On top of all that delicious food and browse, Foxie also received a unique gift from our supporters: a pile of new dolls from which to select her new favorites!

We hope you all enjoy the video showing some of the festivities. Thank you all for helping us to give Foxie and her friends another special birthday!

“Watermelon Bowls”
Missy, Negra, Burrito, Jamie, Jody and Foxie (L to R) foraging in Young’s Hill
Jamie snagging one of the last hidden bowls

Family Ties

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A few weeks ago, we asked you to submit your questions for us to answer. One question that was asked a few times by different people was if the siblings spend more time with each other than those not related to them.

In case there is anybody new, there are several siblings, full and half, in the group from the Wildlife Waystation. Cy and Lucky are full siblings. Rayne and Honey B are half siblings to each other as well as to Cy and Lucky. They all share the same father: Herbie.

Honey B:

Rayne:

Lucky:

Cy:

Dora and Gordo are also half siblings through their father: Les. Since Dora and Gordo were in the same group for several years and arrived here together, I assume the questions were based on the Herbie Clan. I will say that Dora and Gordo are great friends and spend a lot of time together.

Cy, Lucky, and Rayne arrived here last year with their group, while Honey B arrived here almost three years ago with Willy B and Mave. Though they are all related at least through their father, there is little to no indication they are aware of it. They all interact with each other at least once throughout the day in some way shape or form.

Lucky, for the most part, keeps to herself. Cy spends a lot of time keeping the group in order. Rayne is a social butterfly. Honey B interacts when and with whom she wants to interact at any given point.

Though Honey B shows the respect Cy deserves as the group’s alpha, they aren’t seen together that much. Honey B and Lucky do play with each other from time to time, but it’s not really a daily occurrence. Honey B and Rayne, on the other hand, do spend quite some time together almost every day with playing, grooming, or “mall walking.” I imagine they would be walking around their “mall” with coffees in hand if they had the chance.

Their is some physical resemblance between Honey B and Rayne, but it’s mostly if you catch them at certain angles. And if there is one thing all four of them have in common, they all can be very stubborn. (Examples: 1 & 2 ) It hasn’t been written about as much, but Rayne used to hold out when we tried to shift them out of an area early on when she first arrived. (Fingers crossed that was just a phase and I didn’t just jinx it!) Other than that, all four are very unique from one another. And ultimately, there is no difference between the time they spend with each other and the other unrelated chimpanzees.

If you still have some lingering questions, it’s never too late to submit them! You can still do so on the original post!

Rayne and Honey B:

Cy:

Lucky:

Some bonus photos of Burrito during today’s lunch forage: