Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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bruce

PRT Breakthrough

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One of the of the trainings we’ve been working on frequently with the chimps is getting ECG (electrocardiogram) from the chimps while awake using the KardiaMobile. To accomplish this the chimps needs to put one fingers on each of the metal electrodes and their heart rhythm is recorded to your smartphone, you can read about it more in depth here.

Well, one resident had a breakthrough recently, in the beginning of this training Rayne would always try to use her toes rather than her fingers, and later progressed to one toe and one finger, as pictured below:

But Rayne just recently got her first ever ECG reading using two fingers!

Here are her results! This a great start to getting regular readings to help monitor Rayne’s heart health throughout her life:

In other sanctuary happenings, Bruce has become quite the social butterfly around here!

Bruce with caregiver Krissy:

With caregiver Sabrina

With caregiver Anna’s daughter, Luna

With caregiver Ellen

I Get by With a Little Help From my Friends

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The mood around the sanctuary has been more serious the past few weeks as we navigate Negra’s mobility challenges. Quality time with the chimpanzees is my antidote for the toughest of days, and I have been finding a lot of joy in the little moments with the chimps. In today’s blog video, come along for some of these moments of joy.

Bruce certainly helps, too!

Jenna pets Bruce.

Bruce takes a rest in Krissy’s lap.

 

Introducing Bruce

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Let’s start with some news. The owner of the West Coast Game Park Safari, where George lived before we provided a home for him last year, plead guilty to 47 criminal charges, 43 specifically for animal neglect. His sentencing is scheduled for July. You can read more about this development in several media stories, including this piece from OPB.

Now, let’s get to the charming subject of this blog post: Bruce!

Bruce is cat who has been frequenting the sanctuary grounds for several months. He seemed rather feral at first, but he’s been showing us his softer side the last couple of weeks.

Jenna took this photo of him snuggling up to Ellen the other day:

Yesterday, I sat down with him for the first time in his newly-friendly state.

We think he’s just waiting for the support building to be built so he can sit on our laps while we work.

If you’ve been an avid blog-follower, you might be wondering about Barn Kitty (B.K,), who has been an on-again, off-again sanctuary presence for more than a decade. We haven’t seen him in several months. Sometimes he’s away for a while and makes a return. Perhaps this time Bruce is filling his void on a more permanent basis.