I wonder what Negra is thinking about.
Probably night bags.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by Debbie
by Debbie
Enrichment comes in many forms—food enrichment, social enrichment, object enrichment, and structural enrichment—but sometimes the most enriching things are completely unintentional. Nearly two years ago, JB took out the extremely heavy drain covers we used to have and exchanged them for lightweight covers. They are much easier to handle for the humans, but also much more likely the chimps could get it. However, the covers are durable and pose no danger to the chimps, so the risk of them grabbing it versus practically breaking our backs every time we had to lift the heavy drain cover was worth it!
After JB put in the new covers, we took bets on when the chimps (particularly Jamie) would get it. I guessed about 20 minutes after they had access to the playroom. Diana guessed that night while the humans were away, and JB guessed within 48 hours. We were all wrong! Twenty-three months was the actual answer. We didn’t see how she got it, but when we came into the chimp area a few days ago, Jamie had removed the drain cover, finally.
After removing it, she proceeded to clean it with some scraps of paper. Annie was very interested in watching her—I’m sure they know it is something they aren’t really supposed to have. (Kind of like this time we played keep-away with a laundry basket).
You’ll notice in the video that there is quite a mess in the playroom—it was the day after the Lunar New Year party, so there was a lot to clean up. Once breakfast was brought out, Jamie dropped the drain cover and exited the playroom so we could enter to retrieve it and clean up the party. As far as I am aware she hasn’t bothered to get the drain cover since, but it certainly was enriching for her that morning.
by Debbie
Jamie likes projects. If you’ve been following us for awhile, you’ve probably heard us say something along the lines of “she’s always keeping busy.” It’s so true! Her mind is always working out some puzzle, I think even when she’s napping she’s still getting a plan together about what to do when she gets up!
The other day she and I were going through her boots and she pointed toward this high-heeled zippered boot. I took it to the chute where I could give it to her, but she didn’t move. I came back over to where she was and she gestured like she just wanted to groom it. I wore it for her while she picked at it, and then I took it off and let her hold it against the caging and groom at her leisure.
Very quickly she started to unzip it. At any time I could have tried to give it to her through the chute, but I think she preferred to work on it the hard way—through the caging.
by Debbie
Happy New Year’s Eve! We want to thank Jody Ubert for sponsoring today for the chimpanzees. Jody, you’ll be happy to know that we had a wonderful little New Year’s Eve party for the chimpanzees today, complete with party streamers and plastic champagne flutes with sparkling apple cider. The chimps loved them!
Today is also the last chance to donate before the end of the year. If you’re on our mailing list, you received this message in your inbox this morning, which includes a link to the Foxie Inspires Us video. Foxie and her friends are in a Holiday Pal competition, too, and I think it’d be really great to see all seven chimps with two full candy canes by the end of 2013. Check the progress here, and support your favorite pal before the ball drops at midnight tonight!
Here is Foxie enjoying some of the cider from today:
Thank you to everyone who has made the last five and half years of sanctuary so wonderful for the Cle Elum Seven. Cheers to you and yours, and have a Happy New Year!
by Debbie
You may have figured out by now that Jamie is a tough chimp to enrich. Her mind is so active and she requires a lot to keep engaged. Part of our job as caregivers is to come up with new ways to keep the chimpanzees enriched, and in particular, keeping Jamie busy.
Though raisin boards are already a puzzle in themselves (the chimps usually have to use tools to get the raisins out), it’s even more so when they are just out of reach. Jamie prefers the challenges. She will go right past the raisin boards that are hidden under a blanket and aim for the ones that are harder puzzles to solve.
Here you see she even learns from her own mistakes—the first board she dropped too quickly and it went too far for her to reach. At first she looks around for a tool to grab the raisin board but decides to work on the more accessible one and leave the other project for later (don’t worry—she got that one eventually, too).
After seeing this video (and likely even without watching you know already) I think you will agree that Jamie is amazing.
by Elizabeth
Negra:
Annie:
Jamie (with Foxie in the background):
Jody:
Burrito:
We have so much to be thankful for today: volunteers Patti, Denice, Sandra, and Joel, who spent their holiday caring for the chimpanzees; supporters like Robert Maurer who sponsored today for the chimps; and all of you out there who love the Cle Elum Seven as much as we do. Happy Thanksgiving!
by Katelyn
And our thankfulness continues! If you saw the blog yesterday, you’ll know that the chimpanzees received many wonderful new gifts from some of our amazing supporters! Well, today the chimpanzees also received new toys from Green Toys! In addition to the ongoing challenge we (and Enrichment Coordinator, Debbie) have of finding things that are new and interesting for the chimpanzees’ active minds (particularly Jamie’s!), as you can imagine, the life as an item of chimpanzee enrichment is not an easy one. So after receiving a variety of Green Toys from our amazing supporters via our Wishlist, we were pretty excited to learn that they are chimp-tested and caregiver-approved! Green Toys are not only environmentally friendly but can take a licking from the chimps and remain relatively unscathed.
Here is Jamie checking out a new dump truck:
Jamie giving the “bite test” to a submarine as Foxie (who is still loving her new French Dora doll from yesterday!) comes to check things out:
And Jamie checking out a new airplane (and I am pretty sure thinking she could fly one):
Missy enjoying some orange “tea” in the tea set:
Missy:
Foxie:
Thank you so much Green Toys for the chimpanzees’ gifts! And also for making great toys which just happen to be great chimpanzee enrichment!
PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
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509-699-0728
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