Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Burrito

Making Up

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Burrito depends on Foxie quite a bit. Despite the fact that Foxie’s about half his size, she’s his friend, his security blanket, and his most loyal protector. She’s always there when he needs a hug.

But everyone behaves a little unkindly to their friends from time to time. Yesterday, during a dominance display, Burrito thumped Foxie on the back as he charged past her. This isn’t unusual behavior for Burrito, or for any chimpanzee in the midst of a display. Still, it’s probably not fun to be the recipient of the thumping, especially when it comes from your good friend.

Luckily, chimps are experts at reconciliation. A little grooming is all it usually takes to make amends.

Morning greetings and breakfast forage

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One of the first things I do after arriving at the chimp house is to walk around the various enclosures to see where all of the chimpanzees are at and to greet them. Sometimes the chimps are still in their blanket nests that they made the previous night. Sometimes, they are wide awake; chasing one another along the upstairs catwalk or through the Front Rooms. At other times, they may be lined up along the caging to give morning kisses, head nods (a typical chimpanzee greeting) or to elicit games of chase with staff and volunteer caregivers.

This morning, Jamie was the first one I saw in the Playroom area of their home. I gave her a couple of quick head nods, which she reciprocated before gesturing to see my shoes. Burrito sat down next to her and slapped the floor a few times to elicit a quick game of chase. Foxie was busy getting drinks from the fountain, while holding onto her dora doll. Jody came up to where I was standing and extended her lips through the caging to offer me a kiss on the back of my hand. Annie and Missy were busy playing chase with one another. I looked into the pile of blankets on the catwalk where Negra typically makes her nightly nest, but it was empty. So, I went out to the Greenhouse portion of their home and found her on the top platform (another favorite spot of hers).

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I gave her a quick verbal “Good morning Neggie.” She turned around to look at me momentarily before going back to what she was doing.

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Oh, how I love this lady. I’ll take her quick glance toward me as a morning greeting and be forever thankful.

And, I just couldn’t resist sharing the following photos on today’s blog, as well. I think you’ll understand why when you see them. They were taken during this morning’s breakfast forage in the Greenhouse.

Annie
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Burrito
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Foxie
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Jody
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Bouncing Back

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Burrito’s been through a lot lately. In early June, he fractured a canine. The injury itself didn’t seem to phase him, but in order to prevent future pain and infection, we needed to extract the tooth. In late June, we performed an exam to do some blood work, check on his heart condition, and assess how he would do under prolonged anesthesia. And in late July, we performed the extraction.

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Before he came to the sanctuary from the research lab in 2008, Burrito was sedated for procedures pretty frequently. The routine nature of these “knockdowns” probably didn’t diminish the fear associated with them. Until Burrito’s tooth ordeal, we’ve been incredibly lucky that none of the chimps here have required medical intervention beyond a dose of antibiotics here or there.

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When you care for former lab chimpanzees, you hope that they know they’re safe now, and that they trust the difference between their current home and their former ones. We’ve spent the last seven years working to gain these chimps’ trust, and one nagging fear is that something will happen to lose you the trust you’ve earned.

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Regardless of the fact that Burrito was surrounded by friends who love him and who want the best for him, it’s likely that the two procedures he had to undergo recently brought back some scary memories from his past life. And regardless of the fact that we’ve seen firsthand how incredibly resilient and forgiving chimps can be, it’s still hard not to fear that you’re going to push things too far and damage the relationships you’ve built.

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But we shouldn’t have worried. Burrito has bounced back to his sweet, goofy, mischievous, happy self. His love for the simple things in life – a ripe avocado, a good grooming session, a long and loud bout of chase with a human friend – is as strong as ever. May we all strive to be as irrepressible as this guy.

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Foraging for food and a doll

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While setting up a lunch forage on Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees’ 2 acre outdoor enclosure, volunteer caregiver Patti spotted an “abandoned” French Dora doll. After some deliberation, we decided to leave the doll on the hill and see who would rescue her. Hint: the answer is in the video below.

Burrito had a hard time deciding between which to grab more of, small bell peppers or primate chow.
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Jamie and Annie shared time on the treat rock foraging for cherry tomatoes (straight out of the garden), eggplant pieces, peppers and primate chow.
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Negra spent time in her cabin on the hill before making her way back to the Greenhouse.
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Missy never misses a chance to climb the various structures in search of food.
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Don’t worry, Foxie (who has an obsession with dora and troll dolls) had her own stash of dora dolls from her birthday party yesterday!

Testing Testing…123

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Hello to all the CSNW blog readers! My name is Anna Wallace and I’m the newest staff caregiver to join the team. I’m really excited to be going through training here and getting to know more about the Cle Elum 7! Today, as you may already know, is my first blog post. Not only is it my first blog post, but it is also my first time taking photos of these very photogenic beings. I thought I would share with you my favorites from the series of pictures I took this afternoon under Elizabeth’s watchful guidance.

Negra and her droopy lip.
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Handsome Mr. Burrito, lounging in the portrait studio.
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I hope to share many more photos and a more detailed account of my training in the weeks to come!

Burrito’s recovery continues today

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Burrito continues to recover from a dental procedure he had this past Friday. He was reunited with the ladies yesterday and this morning he greeted caregivers and staff with foot stomps and head nods and initiated a few rounds of chase. He’s not quite at full speed yet, but as the hours tick away, he’s recovering more and more.

Love and attention from a good friend like Foxie sure seems to help the process. Foxie spent a good part of this morning grooming Burrito, while he sat relaxing on the deck in the Greenhouse. And all of that relaxation allowed for him to spend quite a bit of time foraging for lunch on Young’s Hill, longer than any of the other chimps in fact. Perhaps it was the roasted sweet potatoes and apples that kept him on the hill for so long.

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Today is in memory of Robert Ruggeri

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This day of sanctuary was sponsored by Rachel Ruggeri in memory of her father, Robert Ruggeri. Rachel shared this note about today: “My father, who passed away on 7/25/13, loved animals big and small. We miss him dearly.”

Rachel, thank you so much for including the chimpanzees in remembering your father, Robert, today. You have both made a difference in their lives. All of us here at CSNW are so sorry for your loss and we are touched to be able to play a small part in honoring his life. What a lovely thing that he and love of animals continues to live on through you. We are all holding you and your family in our thoughts today.

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