Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

A Reading Break With Cy

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This morning was warm and muggy here in Cle Elum, WA. The forecast was calling for rain and the skies have finally opened up, just after Jamie and her pals got back from a walk around Young’s Hill.

With the rain coming down, it is the perfect day to sit on a porch, listen to the rain, enjoy a nice cup of tea (or coffee), and read a good book- which was the inspiration for today’s blog! It’s always nice to share a quiet moment with Cy as he looks over a new magazine or book, and I thought you might enjoy it too!

BONUS PHOTOS:

Cy, reading a new magazine today:

Annie, enjoying her morning walk on Young’s Hill:

Jamie, also enjoying a quiet morning on Young’s Hill today before breakfast:

 

 

Thoughts About The Past

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The residents here at the sanctuary came from unnatural backgrounds, we know this. Whether it be biomedical research, entertainment, or raised in their early years as a pet, their lives have been far from what they would have experienced in the wild. Though Negra and Annie, and possibly Jody, were born in the wild, they were taken from their home and families across the ocean by humans. Not a day goes by that we don’t think about this fact and I often find it impossible not to dwell on it.

Over the years, our staff have worked to piece together the life histories of our residents. While there is some that is still unknown to us, we have learned quite a bit. As one of the newest caregivers, I am still working to know all these histories. Sometimes, their names appear in stories, our hearts stop, and we know a little bit more about the chimps we have the honor to work with.

A few weeks ago, there was a book sitting on top of the table in the foyer of the chimp house. It was From Elephants to Mice: Animals who have touched my soul (2010) by Dr. James Mahoney. Dr. Mahoney is a complicated character, to say the least. He was a veterinarian and a research professor at the New York University School of Medicine, where he worked at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). He conducted invasive biomedical research, but later in life became vocal about the conflicting emotions he had about this research. He published a few books over his lifetime and while I have not read Saving Molly: A Research Veterinarian’s Choices (1998), I wanted to read his second novel because, as we know, all of the newly integrated group of 9 were born at LEMSIP.

I am not here to pass judgement on Dr. Mahoney, or to stir any pot, but merely to share parts of the story that I found heavy on my heart after finishing his book. I believe knowledge is power and with more knowledge we can better understand and serve the chimps that call CSNW home.

In 1995, LEMSIP closed and was taken over by the Coulston Foundation of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Dr. Mahoney was made acting director during this time and the deal made between the two organizations included the transfer of 100 chimps from LEMSIP to the Coulston Foundation. When Dr. Mahoney and his colleagues received instructions to arrange transport for the babies from New York to New Mexico, Dr. Mahoney called the founder and director of Wildlife Waystation in California to ask if they could take the babies- in less than a week. The plan is laid out in the book, but the summation is that (under the cover of night) two trucks would arrive at LEMSIP. Maintenance crews and technicians would work together to ensure the safety of the cages during transport and load up the 32 juveniles from the nursery to the transport trucks for their cross-country road trip. He discussed the heartache for the laboratory technicians loading up the chimps, and writes:

“For Cynthia, the heartbreak of separation would be felt most strongly for Cy, her namesake, and Terry, the philosopher of the group, both 6 1/2 years old.” (pg. 209)

After a few set backs, the convoy of juvenile chimpanzees made it safely from New York to Wildlife Waystation- all without the knowledge of the Coulston Foundation and in less than a week since they began planning the move. Terry, Cy, and the other juveniles lived at Wildlife Waystation until it closed down. Willy B, Honey B, and Mave came to us in August of 2019. Cy, Terry, Gordo, Rayne, Dora, and Lucky followed and arrived in June of 2021.

The Coulston Foundation is well known for their infamous animal welfare violations, and I could write a novel about how I feel knowing that so many chimps ended up there. In 2006, though, the Coulston Foundation went bankrupt and the chimpanzees that remained were transferred to Save the Chimps, a sanctuary in Florida, over time. The last group was transferred to sanctuary in 2011.

I find myself grateful to know this part of the lives of everyone in Cy’s group, it feels like I have learned something important about some good friends. I find myself grateful that Dr. Mahoney risked it to save the juveniles and that they are able to live the sanctuary life. I find myself angry that they were there to begin with, that they never had the opportunity to live life the way they were meant to in Africa, and enraged that so many of their family members and peers went on to Coulston- but relieved to know that some have found sanctuary at Save the Chimps. It is overwhelming.

Nine of those juveniles that rode across the United States now call CSNW home. They have indoor/outdoor access, enrichment, yummy meals, veterinary care, and so much more. We can never repay them fully, but we can try.

The 16 chimps we care for are so much more than their pasts, but we have to understand what they’ve been through to better be there for them now.

Terry, now:

Cy, now:

BONUS PHOTO: Annie and Negra, enjoying the cool and rainy morning in their Greenhouse.

 

 

 

Nuance

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This post was going to be about Rayne and Honey B and what a fantastic duo they are. When they are doing their mall walking in the morning, I can hardly tell them apart. Rayne seeks out the more aloof Honey B for interactions all the time, and has even been joining her and Willy B in the front rooms at night as they bed down.

I captured a few photos of Rayne grooming Honey B today in the sunny front rooms and then converted them to black and white.

These photos are of a touching moment between two half-sisters who were recently united at the sanctuary. When I was watching them interact and taking these photos with the thought of being able to share this moment, my heart was bursting with joy. I’m so glad Honey B has Rayne now, and I’m so glad Rayne has Honey B. It wasn’t easy to get to this moment, but this is what sanctuary is all about.

Then I looked at the photos again. I asked myself how they would be perceived by people who don’t know this touching backstory or maybe don’t know anything at all about Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. What would they see?

We all jump to opinions, myself very much included in that “we”. This tendency often serves us well because we can make incredibly quick judgements that help us avoid harm and allow us to make sense of the world. This ability to quickly assess our surroundings and form judgements, despite its advantages, may just be at the root of all of our societal problems. And there’s no clearer window into that than on social media. We can see a single image and jump to so many conclusions in an instant, even if we have practically no knowledge or real understanding of what we are looking at or what the overall context is.

This has been on my mind for a long time. I know that sanctuaries, us included, censor and filter the images and information that we share about the places where we work. For one, we don’t always trust that “the general public” will take the extra time to gain more information or to consider that they don’t know as much as they think they do about the realities of life in a sanctuary.

For the vast majority of you who are reading this, you get it more than the average person. You’re curious, and maybe you’ve been reading this blog for a bit so you have the broader context. The feelings that arise when you look at images of the chimps comes from that knowledge. But when we post something on social media, it can go out to a bunch of people that don’t have that same knowledge.

Here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we made the decision to try not to filter too much. We show all of the spaces of the sanctuary, knowing that when we share a video of the chimps in the front rooms people will say, “that is not a sanctuary because the chimps are in cages.” It’s not the first time I’ve written about this. See here and here.

We value transparency and truth, and we try to sprinkle in the tough stuff in between all the fun and polish. But I think we still fall short. We want to make sure our “brand” is positive and uplifting and shows the stark contrast between “before” and “now.” We have learned through comments what fulfills people’s expectations about sanctuaries, what they respond positively to, and what raises concerns or confusion; this learning process inevitably influences what we share.

It worries me.

I know that other sanctuaries avoid certain subjects altogether, or never allow public photos of certain parts of their facilities. I absolutely understand this. No one wants to spend their evening, after posting a beautiful photo, answering questions that come from ignorance, like “why are you torturing that poor creature. She should be free.” No one wants the place they love and are proud of to suddenly be the target of a social media mob. There are people out there who have zero qualms about fabricating or deeply twisting things, and some of them are able to convince others of their stories.

The problem is, by not sharing more, we sanctuaries are perpetuating the ignorance and the overly idyllic view of what a sanctuary “should” be. I fear that this cycle is getting worse. I don’t know exactly what the answer is. The truth is that it can be difficult to discern a good sanctuary from a terrible facility. A good sanctuary will make  occasional mistakes (it turns out sanctuaries are run by humans, and humans are fallible). Plus, standards change over time (thank goodness).

There’s a whole heck of a lot of nuance when making judgements about a sanctuary or any facility caring for others, and people these days don’t seem to be very good at nuance. We don’t want to hear about grey areas. We want to form an opinion.

If one is truly attempting to ascertain the relative “goodness” of a sanctuary, one place to start is looking for oversight. For example, we voluntarily have a USDA license and are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. This is a start, but there are always going to be issues with the standards used to evaluate facilities, the subjective judgements of the humans doing the evaluating, and the decision whether to seek accreditation or not.

I will be sharing the updated interview I did with Jen Feuerstein about the group integration process, and we get into some of the realities of the challenges of caring for chimpanzees in captivity and the incredibly difficult choices that are made in the hopes that their lives can be improved. I promise we’ll share more on other difficult subjects in the future.

In the meantime, here are some more carefully-curated photos of Rayne and Honey B today 😉

A Good Day: Friendships and Skeletons

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Yesterday, Kelsi wrote about all the emotions that accompany the introduction process. She talked about how proud we are of the 9 chimps that are working so hard to make their new group work and how rewarding it is to see new friendships form. It’s hard to believe that when I first started a few months ago, there was a group of 3 and a group of 6. Back then, we talked a lot about how the goal was to integrate them into one larger social group, which would provide each chimp more social partners- which is hugely important and beneficial for chimpanzees in many ways. As I went through training, I watched the caregivers work on smaller intro’s every day to provide the chimps the opportunity to build a strong foundation that they could then build off on in the months to come. Then, we watched as the final door was opened and for the first time there was a group of 9. While this is a blog continuation emphasizing how proud we are of the chimps and an acknowledgement on how hard they have worked, I want to take a moment and say how proud I am of this group of humans that I get to call coworkers. Words could never do the staff and volunteers here justice.

It has officially been over two months (!!) since that day and, although we are still a little ‘stitous, it is really exciting to watch new group dynamics form. Honey B is making friends, the guys are figuring things out, Dora is everyone’s new best friend… every day there is something exciting!

On top of all that, exciting things are happening on the other side of the chimp house too. Burrito has been healing really well since his dental procedure last week! Today he was reunited with his group of 6 ladies and I believe he is currently enjoying the beautiful day out in the greenhouse. Plus, we received a kind donation from a local chiropractor that made Jamie’s day. Check out the video to see what it could be! 🙂

Also, a BIG thanks to everyone who has donated so far to our June matching campaign from Jennifer Douglas that Kelsi mentioned in her blog post yesterday. When I started to write this post, Diana just shared that we are only a few hundred dollars away from reaching the full $50,000 match because of all of your generosity!

Burrito earlier today, before being reunited with his group:

Jamie and Burrito grooming in the Greenhouse this afternoon.

Willy B checking his teeth out in selfie mode:

Cy chillin’ in the Oakwood Greenhouse this afternoon.

 

Staring Contest

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Honey B’s spicy personality includes extra spoonfuls of inquisitiveness and vigilance: two traits that are often expressed through an intense, unblinking stare.

Even when she’s presumed to be resting, we typically encounter her alert and wide-eyed, ready to pop out of her nest at a moment’s notice.

Her resolute gaze is both a beloved quality and a source of comic relief among our on-site personnel and blog readers. One conversation that comes to mind occurred in the comment section under March 14th’s  “Takin’ It Beezy.”

“Speaking of napping….since Honey B is always photographed looking intensely wide awake, I can’t imagine her napping but she has perfected looking quite comfy no matter where she rests.” – Kathleen

“I challenge you all to see who can be the first to get a pic of Beezus actually sleeping!” – Linda C

“yes! I challenge you too! (because I have been wanting someone to stay late and get pictures of their nests and of them sleeping)” – Paulette

Well, Kathleen, Linda and Paulette…

…WE DID IT.

More specifically, I just took an opportunistic portrait of Honey B laying sound asleep in one of the front rooms, comfortably surrounded by old and new friends alike. It warms my heart to see her casually snoozing in proximity to them all. Also, please take note of her adorable freckled eyelids.

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P.S. If you like staring contests just as much as Honey B does, you might want to check out this hilarious YouTube gem from a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjY615PZD80

Burrito in Recovery

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Burrito spent much of his day just like this:

His friends did cause a ruckus midday that got him up and alert, and, later in the day, I saw him sitting on his “stoop” on the other side of the mesh while Negra groomed him and Foxie checked in on him. But that was enough activity for the day. He didn’t even want to move much to eat his dinner of mashed sweet potatoes.

Since we have had Burrito in recovery many times we know he’s usually out for a day after a procedure, so it was good he was even a little active and eating.

Since J.B.’s post yesterday about Burrito’s procedure, some people were asking how we knew that there was an issue with his tooth. It was an observation made by staff caregiver Kelsi who noticed that the left side of his face was swollen by his nose. Volunteer caregiver Krissy said she had also noticed that and newest staff caregiver Jenna shared a video that showed the swelling, but it was really only noticeable upon close inspection.

Per Dr. Erin, we first tried giving Burrito an antihistamine to see if the swelling went down, which would have indicated some sort of allergic reaction. When that did not result in a significant reduction in the swelling, there weren’t many other options for what it could be, and Dr. Erin started organizing the team in preparation of a tooth extraction. She surmised that it was likely his upper canine on that side.

Chimpanzees have some impressive canines. Willy B kindly allowed me to take this photo today while he was eating dinner in order to show you:

The part of the tooth that is visible doesn’t even begin to reveal the full tooth, though. Here is a photo of Burrito’s tooth that was removed yesterday, cleaned up by staff veterinary assistant Sofía:

You can imagine that it was quite a lot of work to get that tooth, with it’s long root, out of Burrito’s mouth. I’m happy to say that I was not personally in the room when that work was happening, but I could hear the drilling as we were cleaning.

No doubt Burrito will be a much happier man without that issue bothering him. And his smile will likely be even more charming.

Willy B’s missing front teeth, for example, is his signature look; one that he likes to check out whenever he gets the chance:

In fact, this is not Burrito’s first tooth removal at the sanctuary. Several years ago, he fractured his left lower canine and had an upper incisor pulled at the same time. That was when we had a much different set-up for procedures and the chimpanzee would have to be wheeled outside of the building to the back of an RV that J.B. had retrofitted into a medical clinic.

Though the “mobile clinic” worked fine, and was all we could manage given our resources at the time, I don’t think anyone misses those days. We are extremely happy to have a clinic within the building that is much better outfitted, and very grateful to donors who made this possible as part of Phase 1 of the building expansion.

The more procedures we do, the more we realize that there are certain things that would be helpful to have, so we will likely be looking to purchase some more medical equipment for the chimps in the future.

In the meantime, we are forever thankful to everyone who has contributed not just specifically to the expansion, onsite clinic, and equipment upgrades, but also so grateful to everyone who continuously supports the sanctuary, allowing us to continuously improve the care that we are able to provide all of the chimpanzees and the bovines.

Silent Communication

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Today, I spent some time with Honey B in silence.

When I’m one-on-one with a chimpanzee in a quiet moment, I find myself trying to communicate to them through my gaze or just my presence.

I want them to know that I’m so sorry for every bad thing that’s happened to them.

I’m sorry that humans took so much away from them.

I’m sorry that they will never know what it’s like to live free.

I want them to know that this place is all about giving them the best life we can.

And that I love them unconditionally for the unique person they are.