Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Animal Welfare

Jody Feeling Better

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Yesterday was the day after Jody’s eyelid repair surgery. She spent most of the day sleeping off the anesthesia after making a giant nest. Yesterday she wasn’t so interested in food or drinks, but was taking sips of water.

I know that chimpanzees are known for their quick healing and tough spirits, but even I was surprised what a difference a night made for Jody. This morning, the swelling around her eye had gone down considerably, and she was alert, active, and hungry! She was especially happy to be offered some lychees that an old friend brought her and was eager to dig into some pineapple. She took a little smoothie too:

It was also clear that she was very interested in being back with the rest of the chimpanzees:

Dr. Erin Zamzow came to assess things and decided it would be best to give her another day of healing on her own without the drama and focused attention of the other chimps.

Jody decided maybe another day alone wasn’t so bad…

Her friends still got to visit her while she was in her private quarters. She and Foxie played a little game of tag:

and Burrito gave her a kiss:

We made sure that Jody had lots of food puzzles and other interesting things to do and that the other chimpanzees were able to go about their daily activities, like Missy running:

Jamie hanging out in the tunnel on the hill:

and Burrito allowing me to photograph his handsome self:

 

Summer’s exhale

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The lush green of summer has melted into a golden reverie. Days are still warm, but early mornings and nights are decidedly cool, sometimes even goosebump inducing. Blooms have turned to berries, seeds are scattering in the wind along with feathers from empty nest boxes, and the remaining wild families are growing, juveniles bouncing between parent and independence. Summer’s exhale.

The chimps spent a long time exploring on the hill this morning after breakfast. Longer than I’ve seen for awhile. Climbing old haunts and investigating nooks and crannies. Annie and Burrito traversed the shaky bridges and just spent time enjoying, well, their time.

Foxie and Strawberry Shortcake:

Jamie:

Jody returned from her wild foraging adventures and sat in the raceway to Young’s Hill with her wildflower treat:

Meanwhile, back in the chimp house, Foxie!

Taking a break from cleaning:

Happy Birthday Weekend, Arlene!

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The chimpanzees have the best friends! Michael has sponsored the entire weekend for the chimpanzees in celebration of his beloved wife, Arlene, for her birthday! He shared this beautifully touching message for her:

“To my best friend and my soul mate I love you dearly! Have a great birthday weekend! 

All my love forever, Michael.”

Michael and Arlene have wrapped their hearts around the chimpanzees and over the years have included them in their lives, celebrations and honoring of loved ones. We’re so grateful for all the love and compassion that surrounds these seven special beings and we’re thrilled to be part of a weekend of celebration of another special being.

Thank you so much, Michael, for including the chimpanzees in such a special time for your family and for the lasting difference you and Arlene make in their lives, expanding their lives and horizons more than they may ever have imagined.

And from our hearts to yours, happiest of birthdays yet to you, Arlene! All of us here are wishing you a weekend full of joy, beauty, and all that you most love. Exactly as you bring to the chimps’ lives.

Missy:

Negra:

Burrito:

Jamie:

Annie:

Foxie:

Jody:

Sparking an Idea

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There’s so much that happens at the sanctuary that we often have stories or tidbits we want to share on the blog that get “bumped” for something else noteworthy, heartwarming, or amazing (all of these adjectives describe yesterday’s post about Negra! My heart will remain full after that experience for a very long time to come).

Here’s one of those stories that got bumped for something else, but I still wanted to share it because I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

A couple of weeks ago, J.B. found a small wasp nest (sans wasps) and brought it into the office. I was working in the chimp house that day, and he suggested that I give it to one of the chimpanzees who likes to eat wasp larvae. The known connoisseurs of wasp larvae currently are Jamie, Missy, and Jody. Always eager to please the boss, I first offered it to Jamie. When I presented it to her and pointed out the holes that were filled in with grubs, I’m positive she recognized what it was, but, to my surprise, she did not gesture for me to give it to her. So I said, “Okay, Jamie, I’m going to give it to someone else.” She remained where she was and let me leave without a protest.

I found Jody lying in a pile of blankets in one of the front rooms. When I showed her the wasp nest, she leapt out of bed and put her lips up to the caging so I could give it to her. She was extremely happy with this unexpected gift and took it back to her nest with a contented low moan. Jody was probably grateful for this wasp-free (and therefore sting-free) nest, given her experience last month.

Several hours later, Jamie indicated that she wanted to go on a walk. As per the routine, I donned some boots and headed out to join her on the opposite side of the fence. She did not continue along the perimeter path, however. Instead, she made a beeline for the structure we call Negra’s cabin.

I watched her with curiosity as she climbed to the top and then sort of swung into the cabin, reaching with her right hand. I had no idea what she was doing until she slithered down the cabin support log and I saw her pick up something from the ground. That’s when I figured out that she had removed a wasp nest and was collecting the spoils.

Rather than resuming the walk, she headed back to the greenhouse. When I caught up with her, I found Jamie enjoying her treasure and Missy sitting next to her, ready for anything Jamie might drop or discard.

The wasp nest that Jamie had captured was at least three times the size of the one that I had offered her earlier. She meticulously broke it apart piece by piece with her lips, eating the larvae one by one.

There are three things that I love about this incident and the way Jamie works:

Number One: She rejected the free larvae offered earlier and instead worked to obtain larvae on her own. This is somewhat typical of Jamie – she likes puzzles and will chose to work to get food instead of having it handed to her, though I’ve never seen her reject an unexpected gift of food.

Number Two: This is a bit speculative, but I believe that showing Jamie the nest earlier in the day sparked the idea of her hunting for a nest of her own – maybe in that moment she thought about where she could get a better specimen than the puny thing I was offering. She didn’t run out to find a nest right away, though, she waited until the evening hours when nothing else was going on and she was looking for a bit of adventure.

Number Three: I’m always thrilled when the chimpanzees do something that they figured out on their own and show off their chimpanzee foraging skills. As we’ve written before, we humans didn’t recognize wasp nests as having potential food, particularly for this group of chimpanzees that grew up far away from their natural habitat and had never shown an interest in eating anything in the insect realm.

It’s a reminder that they are intelligent wild beings who inherited a particular skill set that allowed their species to survive in a variety of environments across equatorial Africa.

Jamie may like boots and blankets, but she also likes wasp larvae. And she’s perfectly capable of finding it on her own, thank you very much.

Thank you, Amy!

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Amy Moore is sponsoring today in honor of the Pearl Jam “Home Shows” in Seattle today and Friday and wanted to include the chimpanzees in her celebration! Pearl Jam’s time in Seattle will be about even more than their much anticipated shows. They are known for taking a stand and lending their voices to increase awareness and support social justice projects and non-profit organizations all over the world and their time back home comes with the goal of banding together in a community wide effort to fight Seattle’s homelessness crisis. Pearl Jam and other community members are matching donations for the Home Fund up to $960,000. Over $11.5 million has already been raised which will be distributed to a variety of organizations working to help people move into stable housing and prevent homeless in the Seattle area.

Amy, thank you so much for sponsoring this special day of sanctuary! And afterall, who knows what the gifts of Hope, Love, Home and Sanctuary make possible for every individual better than the chimpanzees? Just as all living beings should be able to experience.

While many humans are migrating to the westside of the state for the shows, we’re here at the sanctuary celebrating Foxie as she turns 42 years young today! She spent the morning hanging upside down, laughing, playing chase with her doll and her caregivers, and slurping up her breakfast smoothie, the first of many today as Foxie LOVES smoothies! Friends of Foxie have also ensured that there are so many new dolls who will be in attendance at her party today so be sure to check back later for the festivities!