Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Burrito

Relationship Building

by

Building relationships as the newest caregiver at CSNW is one of the most rewarding aspects of coming to work at a new (to me) sanctuary. Today I will talk about just a couple of my relationships in progress.

Starting with Burrito!

I think all the sanctuaries I’ve worked or interned at had one individual who welcomes new people with glee and invitations to play endless games of chase. I this it’s safe to say that Burrito is that person here at CSNW, his playful personality, love for walks and good natured mischief is definitely one of the the first things that made me immediately feel welcomed at CSNW and like I had come to the right place. It has been endless walks on Young’s Hill, where his favorite game is that of Misdirection – making me believe we are going downhill only to turn around and sprint back up, and of course I have no choice but to follow… not that I would have it any other way. Watching him run up hill while laughing is the best reward I can think of.

Next up, who else could it be but Jamie:

 

Jamie is definitely one of the more complicated personalities to get to know, she can be very strict in how she wants things done, am I learning. Individuals like Jamie tend to be some of my favorites to build relationships with no matter how long it takes. Lately I’ve been setting aside time most afternoons to find Jamie and see if she would like to hang out for a bit. She usually takes me up on it, possibly to keep an eye on me and study me more closely to learn my habits. So we have developed somewhat of a routine where I show up in the afternoon and she grooms me with a provided tool or one she finds herself. She seems to really enjoy grooming some of my tattoos, especially the one of my Bushbaby, and then she likes to inspect each of my fingers. For today this is good progress- Jamie decides what tomorrow will bring.

 

Bonding with our Newest Caregiver

by

One of the most rewarding and fun aspects of being a caregiver is building the relationships with each of the chimpanzees. Our newest caregiver, Sabrina, has been working hard on creating bonds with the chimps. One of the best ways to form friendships with the chimps is participating in their favorite activities, such as grooming or playing chase. As you will see in today’s video, Sabrina is doing just that! Enjoy 🙂

 

New Spring

by

Spring is known as a time for new beginnings. Though there aren’t any new beginnings, per se, there are some new things that have been seen around the Chimp House. Be sure to watch the video!

Also, here are some photos from today!

Gordo in the Riverview Greenhouse

Missy during a forage on Young’s Hill

Jamie and Burrito on Young’s Hill

Annie eating her bounty from the forage (note the pin headband in her pelvic pocket)

Annie and Missy watching as a raven collects the scraps left on Young’s Hill

Popular

by

I captured two moments of popularity at the sanctuary today that you can check out below, but first we have a fun event coming up that I wanted to highlight! We have our next virtual visit scheduled for April 15th. This visit will be focused on the chimpanzees’ medical care at the sanctuary and will feature a Q & A session with our veterinary team coming to you live from the chimp house! Please click on this link for more details on how to sign up.

The first “popular” moment was when Jamie and I went for a walk on Young’s Hill. Burrito popped out of the raceway and shadowed Jamie closely for the majority of her patrol:

Jamie stayed out a little bit longer for a peaceful moment alone:

The second moment was this grooming circle where Honey B was the center of Terry and Rayne’s attention:

 

 

Curiosity and the Chimp

by

Chimpanzees are very curious by nature. They love to investigate and understand things, both in captivity and the wild. You can see that in action in Sunday’s blog where Honey B was able to figure out how to get the hose as well as yesterday’s blog of Cy’s group watching J.B. put together a new scale and Missy inspecting the tree roots. Curiosity is one of the many things I love about chimpanzees and my job because I get to see it in action. It is also one of the many reasons why chimpanzees (and all primates) should not be pets or used for entertainment. (I have been preparing a blog to tackle that subject, so more on that later.)

When I look into the eyes of someone like Jamie or Honey B, I always throw myself into the rabbit hole of trying to figure out what wheels are turning behind those eyes.

For instance, there was this from today.

What was going on through Jamie’s mind when she was trying to shove a plastic tube through the barrier that separates both groups? Was she trying to attack them with it? Was she trying to sneak them some contraband enrichment? Did she just want to groom them?

Or even the confidence level someone like Jamie has. To me, there is a lot of mental calculation to be had to just leave your breakfast on the windowsill to go find some more food someone left behind possibly, and be confident that nobody will try to steal it.

Or Burrito’s new favorite reality show, “The Neighbors” starring Cy and friends. Burrito spends a lot of time at the window trying to get a glimpse of his neighbors, even using a mirror to get a better angle on those hard to see areas of the chute.

He also will almost systematically go to the window at the same time in the afternoon everyday and nothing can pry him from his seat. This is usually around the time either Willy B or Gordo begin their afternoon displays and rouse things up in their group, which more often than not now will make it’s way into the chute.

The minds of chimpanzees are fascinating, which help make them such an fascinating species overall to me.

Just some random thoughts I had about today as I was doing some Chimp House chore and finding these hints of goings on they were getting themselves into earlier on in the day.

I will end it with Rayne laying on the firehose reaching for her breakfast being served.

Simple Moments

by

I couldn’t quite come up with the right written thread to connect all of today’s photos together. I simply present, a few moments from this *almost spring day.

Jody on Young’s Hill this afternoon. Notice it almost looks like there’s some green grass peeking out already!

Mave grooming her BFF Dora:

Rayne lounging in the Riverview Greenhouse:

I never quite imagined just how enriching having a neighboring group of chimps could be for Burrito in particular. He spends a great deal of his free time watching and listening to the goings on in Cy’s group.  It comes as no surprise to me that he is vigorously tuned in on all things dramatic. I myself am a reality TV buff and there’s something so enticing about enthusiastically watching a spectacle that you don’t have to be involved in.

Burrito is always sure to grab prime seating on a barrel so he can see his neighbors in the chute, all he needs is a bowl of popcorn and he’d be set:

A Man for All Seasons

by

I’ve gotten used to the fact that Burrito now goes on more walks (or runs, actually) than Jamie, but I still can’t get over how comfortable he’s become in inclement weather. Earlier this week we had snow off and on throughout the morning, and when Burrito told me to meet him outside for a run around the hill I was sure he would be disappointed when he got out there. But he was undeterred.

When you’re not moving fast enough, Burrito will stand bipedally and clap to goad you on.

Eventually we just sat near the top of the hill, watching the snow drift down across the valley as it slowly accumulated atop the hair on his head and shoulders.

We took several walks in the mist this morning, along with Missy and Jamie. But when the mist turned to a light, steady rain I was sure they would all want to curl up in a nest indoors. Not Burrito. We hiked back up the hill together in the rain, and every once and a while he would turn backward as though he was ready to head home, only turn turn again and race further up the hill.

He thought it was hilarious.