Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Animal Welfare

An Edible Landscape

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Yesterday, Diana and myself shoveled pathways onto Young’s Hill. It was still pretty cold outside, and we didn’t see any of the chimpanzees go out. After a day and some sun, the snow began to slightly melt. With some wider paths created with the melting snow, the chimpanzees decided to venture out today. Negra (of all people) was the one waiting by the door to Young’s Hill and was very eager to head out. After a few feet, she realized she was alone and reached out to Annie for some reassurance, which Annie obliged.

Once reassurance was given, Negra was okay.

Once Annie was out, she was immediately followed by Missy and Foxie.

For Negra, Foxie, and Missy, their first order of business was to sit in the sun on the platform and take in the snowy landscape.

Annie, on the other hand, went straight for Negra’s Cabin.

Annie seemed quite cozy there and stayed in Negra’s Cabin for some time. For the others though, there were was a bounty of edible landscape to be had. Foxie decided to take her bounty on the go.

And like the den mother she always is, Jody had to monitor those out on Young’s Hill to ensure they came back safe.

We just passed out their nighttime enrichment (Kongs) to wrap up today. Jamie grabbed her Kongs and bolted for Young’s Hill before I could close it.

She just returned and seems pleased with her last patrol of the day. The rest of the chimpanzees are already snug in their nests and I can see on our security monitors Jamie has started to grab some blankets of her own. Until next time, friends!

Eat, Play, Love

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Burrito is really such a snow fiend. His first order of business for us today was to give him his pre-breakfast snow. When he gained access to the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill, he seemed unsure if he wanted to venture outside to collect his own snow.

He then thought of the most perfect plan. He can sit in the Greenhouse, and just have his human caregivers deliver him his post-breakfast snow. That way he had access to the outdoors, but the pesky wind would be blocked by the winter paneling, and he could enjoy.

Really though! He really loves snow.

Jamie, being the Boss, also wanted to partake on the snow harvesting the humans were doing for Burrito.

As usual, Negra decided to stay inside, nice and warm, under a blanket in the Playroom.

On the other side of the Chimp House, Honey B and Mave have been in super silly moods lately. They engaged in an intense play session with tons of laughing.

Willy B was not a fan of all the noise they were causing as he was trying to take his pre-lunch nap.

Luckily for him, Honey B and Mave stopped playing and began grooming.

It’s days like today when all the chimpanzees are happy, that my day feels complete and I have a constant smile on my face.

Cuddle Puddles and Tricky Puzzles

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There was a lot of activity in the Chimp House on this busy Sunday, but this post just focuses on the happenings in the newer part of the sanctuary’s main building.

In that wing of enclosures, Honey B, Mave and Willy B have continued to settle in and seem to grow more comfortable with each passing day. Mave, of course, is an expert nest-builder and can make herself comfortable in any place, at any time, and with any partner. This was true on her road trip from California, it was true when we introduced her to a group of strangers, and it remains true each and every morning.

Willy B

During the late morning hours, Mave sprawled out on the heated floor in a beam of sunlight and lazily picked through the remnants of breakfast. She was soon joined by Honey and Willy in what became a massive raft of fuzz. Grooming is done for more than just hygiene and maintenance; it is the glue that bonds chimps together and also serves to alleviate stress. It certainly seemed to be doing all of the above as the three chimps took turns dozing off while gently picking through each other’s hair.

The Cuddle Puddle

Afterwards, though, the chimps began to act goofy and rambunctious. Lately, Willy B has been making raucous displays using a pink toy car that he can drag and push around the front rooms. Last week, he used this unusual object to make constant noise for the entire duration of our weekly staff meeting. Even with the doors between the chimp area and the foyer closed, we still had to shout just to hear each other. He continued to drag the little car around today, but he seemed to be in a good mood. He interspersed the loud drumming with quick play sessions. During these bouts of play, Willy waits for a caregiver to approach the caging and then skips away with his characteristic double stomp serving as a figurative exclamation mark. I tried to take photos of him and Honey B chasing us around the building, but both were fascinated by the camera and kept trying to groom and kiss the lens.

Honey B’s intense stare
Honey B’s nose hairs
Willy B’s pink lower lip
Willy B’s nose hairs and inquisitive gaze

The day ended with a challenging set of enrichment puzzles that today’s volunteer crew worked hard to stock with nuts, seeds and raisins. Chimps don’t seem to have the finely-tuned dexterity that most humans have, but they still tend to do quite well for themselves and can even learn how to use simple tools for grooming and foraging.The three new chimps were skilled with such tasks long before the even arrived at CSNW, but it’s still fascinating to watch them solve the puzzles in order to extract the valued snacks that are tactfully hidden inside. Today’s smörgåsbord of hanging puzzles included raisin boards, boomer balls, shake bottles, and drop-down puzzles; each type requires a different perspective and strategy, but the chimps are intelligent enough to figure most of them out eventually. The seven original residents are experts at these tasks and even last year’s arrivals are not far behind, so the pressure is on us caregivers to devise novel challenges that also meet our standards for safety and durability. Kelsi recently highlighted some enrichment activities on the blog, and we also curate a public enrichment database on our website.

Honey B teases peanuts out of a ball puzzle
Willy B shakes nuts and raisins out of a bottle puzzle
Willy B uses a plastic tool to drag the raisins into the enclosure for optimal snacking accessibility
Honey B uses a chopstick to work raisins out of the board puzzle
Honey B successfully punches a raisin out of the board

Provisioning the chimps with a steady stream of enrichment objects, foods and materials is a massive endeavor. For blog readers and Facebook followers, the best ways to ensure the chimpanzees have ample enrichment are to purchase items directly from our wish list or to become a Chimpanzee Pal. As Diana highlighted yesterday, an amazing supporter will be giving us bonus donations for every new Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy who signs up before the end of this month. Honey B, Mave and Willy B (the three chimps mentioned in this post) are all available to be sponsored. Of course, we appreciate all the generous people who have already made contributions to the sanctuary!

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P.S. I mentioned that Mave is an expert at maintaining a constant state of warm comfort. As I sit here putting the finishing touches on this blog post, I can see her silhouette on the security camera. Even with the limited night vision, her Ewok frame and hobbit feet are easy to distinguish. She’s snuggled up in a giant blanket nest on the heated floor of Front Room 7 and her right leg is propped straight up on the caging. She’s one of a kind.

P.S.S. Mave just lazily rolled over and I’m shutting down the Chimp House for the night. It’s easier to leave when you know that the chimps will be safe and warm in their nests until morning. I hope that you all do the same!

Something’s Different

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See if you can relate: you have a distinct feeling that something’s different, but you can’t quite put your finger on what it is. That’s how I felt this morning.

It wasn’t overly warm, but it felt nice outside. With the weather in mind, I tried to be quick with the morning routine so that all of the chimps could get outside – Jamie’s group on the hill and Willy B’s group into the chute.

When I let Jamie’s group onto the hill, all seven chimps flowed out.

The first order of business was trying to see who was in the chute:

Even Negra, who often chooses nesting over going onto the hill made a short foray, in all of her Negra glory (I like the bonus Missy action shot in the first photo):

Watching Negra go outside made me realize what was so different about the morning. No wind!

Having lived in Kittitas County for a total of fourteen years, you would think the lack of wind would be something I’d immediately notice. It’s not the windiest place in the world, but it’s the windiest place I’ve ever lived.

Historically, spring, which we are rapidly approaching, is the most gusty. But this morning was as still as… (insert something that’s really still).

I think the chimpanzees noticed too.

Missy and Annie started a game of chase:

Burrito waited for me to catch up to him for a walk (me on the outside of the fence, of course):

Then he spotted Foxie and Jamie on one of the structures:

so he decided to join them instead:

I got some photos of Willy B, Mave, and Honey B in the chute, but they didn’t pass my approval for posting on the blog. When Mave went back inside, I followed her around to take a few other photos.

Get ready to sigh with affection at Mave’s gorgeousness…

Here she is in the lower portion of their current indoor area:

And here’s a close-up of Mave grooming herself in the mezzanine. There are many, many things about Mave to love (as the video from yesterday illustrates), but I discovered something specific with the photo below. All of those wonderful wrinkles below her eyes when she’s scrunching up her nose! Big sigh. I’m smitten all over again.

I posted another sigh-worthy photo of Mave on our Instagram account – go look if you didn’t catch it earlier.

Of the three new chimpanzees, Mave has the most pals right now.

Surprisingly, of Jamie’s group, Burrito, Annie, and Missy are tied for the fewest pals. Maybe someone reading this will give Honey B, Willy B, Burrito, Annie, or Missy some love by becoming their Pal?!

Don’t forget that the sanctuary will receive a bonus $20 for every new pal that signs up in the month of February and $10 for every new Bovine Buddy thanks to a generous donor. Share the love!

Fall in Love with Willy B

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Happy Valentine’s Eve!

On Saturday, we shared the Fall in Love with Honey B video, so you’ve probably been anticipating this one!

For a little background in case you missed Saturday’s post: a few years ago we made ‘Fall in Love with” videos for all of the chimpanzees. Like right now, these videos were part of a February fundraiser highlighting the Chimpanzee Pal program. The videos are at the bottom of each of the chimpanzees‘ webpages.

I now present to you: Fall in Love with Willy B (see video above).

I anticipated a lot of slinky footage for Willy B’s video, and I knew I would enjoy putting it all together, but it was even more delightful a process than I had anticipated.

One thing you may have noticed from Willy B and Honey B’s videos is the lack of images and footage of them outside. That’s because they are still wary of the electric fence and are choosing not to go into their “courtyard” even when given the opportunity. This hopefully will change with time, and it makes our continued expansion even more important so that they can enjoy a large playroom and indoor-outdoor greenhouse space too!

Tomorrow is the first Valentine’s Day that Honey B, Willy B, and Mave will be celebrating at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Help us celebrate this special occasion by signing up to be a pal to one of the new three (Mave’s video is in the works) or to any of the chimpanzees at the sanctuary.

For a smaller donation, you can even be a Bovine Buddy to one of the three rescued cows or steer Nutmeg at the sanctuary (video to come before the end of the month)!  Pal and Buddy sponsorships help pay for the care of these unique and charming non-humans.

Thanks to everyone who already contributes to the sanctuary in a myriad ways, including through the Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy programs. Your donations are very much needed and appreciated!

The Best Volunteers

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To say we lean on our volunteers (and interns) when times get tough is an understatement.

There is so much to do and the days feel so short right now. To appreciate how critical the volunteers are, it may help you to understand how our team operates.

Each day, one of our staff members has the role of Lead Caregiver and is primarily responsible for opening and closing the facility, operating and unlocking doors, responding to safety issues, and synchronizing all of the day’s personnel. Think of them, as Chad nicely puts it, as “air traffic control.” A second staff member is tasked with completing daily chores, preparing meals and enrichment, distributing medications, and approving all of the Lead’s door operations. In short, two caregivers manage the Chimp House as partners for the day. Their typical itinerary looks something like this:

Open, check, serve, shift, check, clean, check, shift, check, clean, check, shift, serve, organize, tidy, blog, check, shift, clean, serve, check, close. Somehow find time to answer emails. Repeat all of it the next day.

A third staff member may be asked to help them, but that still only leaves just enough time to complete the bare essentials, with no time left for administrative work, sanctuary upkeep, or other miscellaneous projects. It’s safe to say that we need extra help, and we’re fortunate enough to have a full corps of capable and eager volunteers who support our staff every day.

Volunteering is a big commitment. Just to even be on site, applicants must go through rigorous training. This process includes a preliminary application and a safety orientation followed by months of interactive learning. Even for volunteers and interns who come in weekly, it takes months of hard work to become proficient at basic tasks. While becoming familiar with all the essential duties, most volunteers also learn to distinguish the individual chimpanzees and conduct the necessary checks before unlocking enclosures for cleaning. This is not a task to be taken lightly. At the highest level of responsibility, some volunteers are even trained to have protected contact with the chimpanzees through the steel caging. With this specialized skill set comes the ability to directly serve meals to the chimps.

Because volunteers “lend a hand” with many time-consuming tasks, caregivers sometimes have the flexibility to work on other endeavors (such as writing long-winded blog posts with accompanying videos). The volunteers also advocate for chimps via outreach events, work to inspire donations, devise and build new enrichment items, and assist with monitoring chimpanzee health and behavior. They’re an integral part of our team.

Most importantly, the individuals who volunteer here are great people who love the chimpanzees. In addition to making the workplace more interesting for our staff, they certainly help the chimpanzees to have a good time. Volunteers will often be seen dutifully putting on cowboy boots for Jamie, running around the Hill with Missy, playing tug-of-war with Burrito, stomping around with Willy B, and pretending to be excited when Honey B gifts them random items through the caging (today’s most notable gift was an elastic headband). We appreciate the extra hands, but the chimps may appreciate them even more.

Of course, the volunteers get unique experiences and acquire new skills in exchange for their efforts. Some volunteers are enrolled in internships for academic credits through our partnership with Central Washington University, and dozens have utilized this pathway to earn graduate degrees or professional certificates and advance their careers. Many of the sanctuary’s alumni have progressed to serving at other reputable sanctuaries, working as zookeepers in accredited zoos, studying nonhuman primate behavior in academic contexts, advocating for animal welfare and conservation via science communications, and caring for nonhuman animals in veterinary settings. A few former volunteers have even found themselves employed at CSNW as caregivers (I wonder if you can guess who I am referring to). Still, other volunteers have unrelated professions but equally contribute to the chimps’ well-being in impactful ways.

It truly is a diverse, talented, and diligent group of people. I can’t say that any one of them is the best volunteer, but I like to brag that we really do have the best volunteers.

Also, I would like to specially thank the Sunday Squad for letting me awkwardly film them as they worked in the Chimp House. You’re all rock stars.

Fall in Love with Honey B

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A few years ago we made ‘Fall in Love with” videos for all of the chimpanzees. Like right now, these videos were part of a February fundraiser highlighting the Chimpanzee Pal program. The videos are at the bottom of each of the chimpanzees‘ webpages.

The new three needed their own videos too!

So, I present to you: Fall in Love with Honey B (see video above).

This will be first Valentine’s Day that Honey B, Willy B, and Mave will be celebrating at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. They have a few pals right now, but sure could use some more. Chimpanzee Pal (and Bovine Buddy) sponsorships help pay for the daily operation of the sanctuary and the care we provide.

Many people choose to break up their donation and give monthly, and that means we know that those funds will be reaching the sanctuary on a regular basis, helping ensure the monthly bills are paid. We have lots of plans for the future, but the day to day is just as important.

Every day of sanctuary is something new for curious Honey B, and we are so grateful to those who contribute to her care and the care of all ten of the chimpanzees and the four cattle. You make a difference!