Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

caregivers

The Humans Aren’t Alright

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(Note: Before reading on, just know, the humans are indeed okay! It’s just a play off of yesterday’s blog title: The Chimps Aren’t Alright)

Before we get into the blog, let’s play a game! Can you guess who was hoarding PVC Tubes from the night before in their nest? The answer will be at the end of the blog!

Today is World Mental Health Day! World Mental Health Day was first celebrated in 1992 as a way to raise awareness, education, and to try to help break the stigma which surrounds mental health. With it being today, I thought I would talk about something that is gaining more traction in the world of chimpanzee caregiving: Compassion Fatigue.

Compassion fatigue affects those who work in a occupation relating to caregiving; i.e. doctors, nurses, EMT, psychologists, physical therapists, veterinarians, and yes, caregivers of both human and non-human animals. In 2010, Dr. Patricia Potter described compassion fatigue as the “traumatization of helpers through their efforts at helping others” in her study of compassion fatigue in oncology nurses. Compassion fatigue consists of two things: burn out and secondary traumatic stress. Caregivers who are burnt out may experience unhappiness, disconnectedness, insensitivity to their work environment, exhaustion, and feelings of being overwhelmed, bogged down, and being out of touch of who they want to be. Secondary traumatic stress is when caregivers simply cannot get those whom they help out of their thoughts. It can cause sleeplessness, forgetfulness, and the inability to separate private and professional life.

Dr. Potter’s study was then replicated by Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold of the Fauna Foundation and Central Washington University to specifically look at compassion fatigue in chimpanzee caregivers. To the surprise of almost no one, chimpanzee caregivers experience compassion fatigue. I will plead the 5th on saying if any of my fellow caregivers here (both staff and volunteers) have or have not experienced compassion fatigue at any point, but I will talk about my own experiences with it in an attempt to try to break the stigma around openly talking about mental health.

I have showcased some of the symptoms of compassion fatigue. For me, it’s very hard to separate my personal life from my caregiving one. The chimpanzees are always on my mind, even on my weekends, holidays, and vacation. I sometimes stay awake at night, particularly if the chimpanzees have been worked up and there’s a lot of fights or other emergencies. I also have this constant, nagging feeling what I am doing is not good enough for them. Not to say what I do is terrible, just that feeling like it’s not enough for them. Even just trying to hang out with the chimpanzees can take its toll when you have not just one or two trying to vie for your attention, but several. It’s just one of those moments when you wish you could clone yourself several times over, but can’t, so you’re going to leave somebody disappointed. A terrible feeling for a caregiver.

Though I know I personally will not be able to address every single one of these things that contribute to my own fatigue, I can address most of them.

Recent articles detailing compassion fatigue do have many tips in trying to combat it. This next part is mostly for other caregivers around the world, but for all the well wishers still reading, maybe you can use it as well. My first humble suggestion is to read more about compassion fatigue, what it is and what are the symptoms of it. The two articles linked in this posting are great starts. Second suggestion is to look after yourself. It is 100% okay to take those days off you’ve been wanting to take. Go see family and friends. Go for a hike. Go travel to places you have never been to but always wanted to go. Do whatever it is that makes you happy and brings peace into your life. Don’t think about work. Your time off is just that: YOUR time off. It’s incredibly difficult to not think about work when you aren’t there, I know. But you have to in order to continue on in this field. Turn off you work notifications. Hide anything that is work related in your home. And most of all, trust your fellow caregivers. They are well trained, know their job, are just as capable as you, and can handle anything while you’re away. (I don’t mean to imply I don’t trust the other caregivers here. I do 100%. But I know that is a feeling associated with compassion fatigue.)

This job is a truly unique life experience. It is not a mundane, putting checks in boxes type of career. You constantly have to be on your toes, think outside the box, and be prepared for things you probably haven’t thought of. This job requires a lot of stamina, passion, and hard work and decision making. In order to do that, you have to take care of yourself and recharge. I once asked an activist I know how she is able to continue to carry so much passion for what she believes in and continue to fight for it. She told me, “you cannot pour from an empty cup. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself mentally and physically so that cup can always have something to pour.” So those are the words I will leave you with.

Now onto another plugin. Jamieween is quickly approaching. Be sure to continue to check out our Amazon Wish List for items for one of the biggest celebrations we celebrate! In fact, today and tomorrow is Amazon Prime Day! So some things may be at a reduced cost!

And it wouldn’t be a blog without some photos, right!?

Negra fishing peanut butter out from between Frisbees

Honey B perusing through some magazines while eating her lunchtime chow biscuits

Burrito and his stick collection he amassed from the expanded Young’s Hill laid out for him by caregivers

And the nicest guy around: Teeny Tiny Terry!

And the answer to who was hoarding the PVC tubes in their nest….

It was Negra!!!

The Greeting Committee

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At the sanctuary, a way to know spring has officially ended and summer has kicked off is the Greenhouse panels coming down. The Greenhouse panels keep the Greenhouse secure in the winter months from snow and rain. It also maintains temperature quite a bit, which while helpful in the fall/winter, it would be quite brutal if we did not remove them in the summer. Once Washington gets warm enough, which is usually late May or early June, the Greenhouse panels come down and the chimps get to take in the fresh air and breezes, apart from being in their outdoor habitats and chute space. The Greenhouses are a popular hangout spot year-round, but the chimps definitely get excited for the panels coming off. Specifically this year with the panels coming off of Greenhouse 1, there was much excitement because it allowed Jamie’s group to watch Cy’s group more closely on The Bray and in their chute.

One of my personal favorite things about my job is the greeting committee every morning. Is it considered a committee if it is just one person? Either way, one of my most favorite things is driving up the driveway on my way into work and seeing Cy waiting to greet me in the Riverview Greenhouse. Some days, he sits there quietly and stares. Some days, he bipedal swaggers with excitement. I decided to record Cy’s morning greetings randomly so I could make a blog video about it. Apologies in advance for having to listen to my high-pitched, excited voice greeting Cy back!

 

 

Contact with the Chimps

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Every time I meet a new person and explain my job to them, it is inevitable that they ask about how much contact I have with the chimps. Lots of questions come up, such as, “Do you hug them?”, “Do you hold them?”, or “So you just sit and hang out with them?”. If you are new to our blog and our sanctuary’s mission, the quick answer to all previous questions are NO. At all times, caging separates the chimps and the humans (unless they are under anesthesia). This is for everyone’s protection. Chimpanzees, on average, are 3-8x stronger than humans. Unintentionally (or intentionally), a chimpanzee could easily hurt us.

Any physical contact we have with the chimps is done in a safe manner based on strict protocols.

One example, is grooming. We often let the chimps groom us as it is a natural behavior for them to strengthen relationships and remove debris or parasites from one another. To groom with them safely, we will allow them to groom the back of our closed hand, with the chimp’s fingers fully extended, or use a tool from a safe distance.

Grace and Rayne demonstrating this perfectly:

Jamie grooming Grace with a tool:

We often also let the chimps groom our shoes. We have a few chimps (like Terry, Jamie, and Lucky) who absolutely love footwear. To let them groom our shoes safely, we will present our shoes to them from a safe distance (where they can only touch, not grab or pin). We do not put our feet up against the caging, but only close enough where they can touch the boots with their fingers extended.

Terry grooming boots:

Another way we may physically interact with the chimps is through play.

Burrito’s favorite game is to poke the back of our hands, as fast as he can. I’m sure you have seen many videos of this over the years. Again, to do this in a safe way, we ensure our fingers are tucked and Burrito’s finger is fully extended. We also make sure to not push our hand against the caging but only where he can reach us from a safe distance.

J.B. and Burrito:

Chad and Burrito:

Playing tug of war allows us to hold onto the end of a blanket or scarf from a safe distance, while still being fully engaged with a play session with a chimp. We make sure to not wrap the material around us in any way, to avoid unexpectedly being pulled close to the caging. We also ensure we are fully balanced on our feet before beginning to play. If the chimp pulls hard on the blanket to win the game of tug of war, we immediately let go so we don’t get too close to the caging.

Dr. Erin and Burrito playing tug of war

Food

We hand-serve all of the meals to the chimps. This is the best way to ensure each chimp is getting their own food portions. To serve the food in a safe way, we use two fingers to grab the item at the furthest point, and then push through the caging where the chimp’s hand awaits. That is quite hard to explain. Here are some pictures that show this process!

Grace serving Cy:

Anthony serving Foxie a smoothie (with his hand at the bottom of cup only):

Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT)

Positive reinforcement training is a wonderful tool to allow the chimps to participate in their own medical care. While doing PRT, we can do everything at a safe distance and we never put our fingers inside the caging.

Chad taking Mave’s temperature:

J.B. asking for Burrito’s foot during PRT:

So while we limit our direct physical contact with the chimps, it is for both parties safety, to respect their space, and to let them be chimps! If you do see content online or in-person where the humans are directly next to a chimpanzee without caging, you should be questioning the type of facility the chimp is in. It is not an accredited zoo or sanctuary if you are seeing this type of content.

A gentle reminder, primates are not pets.

Stay Awhile

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Stay awhile! If you do, you might experience some beautiful, sweet, and/or relaxing moments.

I have noticed that the best moments of my day are when I spend time with the chimps and not rush to move on to my next responsibility. You may be thinking that I am stating the obvious, but our chimp house is BUSY and there is always a to-do list item waiting to be checked off. Sitting down and taking in your surroundings with Negra (like in the video) does not happen nearly as much as it should. Whether it be gazing into their eyes (like you will see with Cy in the video above), quietly watching them eat, witnessing an amazing play session, grooming together, or just spending time together separately, taking the time to be intentional with the chimps is so important. When I have stuck around, it almost always leaves me in a better mindset than I was going in. I’ll never regret those moments either. Enjoy today’s video of when I “stuck around”…

Photos from The Bray today!

Cy:

Lucky:

Gordo and Rayne – A Series:

BONUS! Yesterday, many trees got planted on The Bray. Keep in eye out for them in future pictures! Shout out to all the staff who aren’t pictured that put in work (cough Chad cough Grace)!

Bonding with our Newest Caregiver

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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 🙂