Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimp sanctuary

Into the Thick of It

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We cannot contain our excitement! Days like today are the highlight of my job and why we do what we do. Honey B, Willy B, and Mave received access to Green House 2 and 3 today! As I write, Mave is nesting in Green House 3. I mean what could be better than that! It was amazing to watch each chimp warm up to the two new areas. Obviously, not every chimp walks into a new space with confidence; you have to test some stuff out. As you will see in the video everyone takes the plunge in different ways. Honey B takes the leap of faith into Green House 3, avoiding the grass. Mave takes her time looking around at her surroundings finding the best route to explore. And Willy B leaned into the new enclosure by stepping on the grass! I am so inspired by their bravery; for some chimps this could take hours to days to work up the courage to just get through the door. However, I think the anticipation was killing them! With no surprise Ms. Honey B was very busy testing and exploring. Honey B even started playing chase on the grass just an hour after being in their new enclosure. Mave too was going up and down and trying out each platform. I think she has a few good prospects for sunning and grooming. Willy B put on a good display for the ladies watching on Young’s Hill and later as things calmed down I found him and Mave trying out a potential new grooming spot. It’s a peaceful riverside view.

The new Greenhouse enclosures are truly spectacular. Not only is there so much vertical space, but the new structures in the enclosure are so cool. I can already envision groups of chimps having grooming parties up there or baking in the warm sun. It has the most beautiful views and the best vantage point to spy on all the neighbors. Not to mention… did you all notice the grass!! Well, so did Honey B… Luckily she seems to have left it alone for now. As a disclaimer, we knew the bamboo wouldn’t make it and that there was a potential that the chimps would pull up the grass. But, it doesn’t hurt to try, right? We have faith Honey B will leave the grass alone, but the bamboo? Only time will tell. For the moment, let us all take in the beautiful green grass!

Mave.

Honey B.

Willy B.

A Royal Brunch

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In addition to today’s video, I am going to share the following message from CSNW Co-Director Diana (with a few current photos sprinkled in):
Wow!!! The Queen’s Brunch brought out so many generous people – thank you all so much!
Negra and her friends are definitely feeling the love right now.
Negra
The bidding is going on through tomorrow night at 8:00pm PT, so there’s still time to secure those things you can’t live without! We set the donation goal for sponsoring the journey of the Lucky Six at $110,000 – that’s $100 for each mile of their journey. And guess what?! We are less than $10,000 shy of that very ambitious goal.
Maybe we’ll reach it by tomorrow night when the auction closes?
Thank you for this incredibly warm welcome for the new six chimpanzees. 
Missy
We owe a big “thank you” to Cory, Brad, Kayla, and everyone at Auction Frogs for once again hosting the virtual event. Cory did an outstanding job as host-at-a-distance (with the help of Honey B and Negra, of course).
Annie
We just want to clear up some important information about the Lucky Six. They were born at a biomedical research facility. For the last 25+ years, however, they have been cared for at the Wildlife Waystation (WWS).
WWS rescued them from life as biomedical research subjects and was a pioneer in that respect. It closed in 2019 with 42 chimpanzees and hundreds of other animals needing to be re-homed. That’s when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife stepped in to manage the daily operations, still keeping on the caregivers who have been with the chimpanzees for decades.
The Chimpanzees in Need campaign then arose and is working to re-home the remaining chimpanzees, including the Lucky Six.
We are beyond thrilled to have been in a position to help the chimpanzees at Wildlife Waystation, including Honey B, Mave, and Willy B, and soon the Lucky Six. We look forward to continuing to help the campaign and see other groups of chimpanzees find their way to more accredited sanctuaries.
The new greenhouse enclosures!

The Penny Arcade

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It was a nice enough day that the chimpanzees were able to enjoy a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. It wasn’t too hot, too cold, and there was a bit of an overcast.

On today’s menu was avocados, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and tomatoes. As we were watching them foraging on the hill and taking photos for the blog, I had one instant the reminded me of a mutoscopes of the late 1890s/early 1900s (the only reason I know what they are is because a local theme park where I grew up had a penny arcade that still had them). A mutoscope was a machine that housed a reel of cards and was operated by a hand crank that flipped the photos to create a moving picture. Sort of like a machine operated flip book.

While the chimpanzees were on Young’s Hill, I saw Missy on the top of Negra’s Cabin with a stash of tomatoes.

As she finished the last slice she had, she made her way to the firehose that leads to another platform on the hill. This is usually one of the most common places where she tightropes across. I prepared myself to get some photos, and away she went.

Here are some other photos from today:

Burrito during the forage.

Negra heading back inside after scoring a couple of avocado pieces.

Honey B and Mave grooming on the top platform of the tree in one of the new playrooms.

As staff are working very hard in preparing for the Lucky Six‘s arrival, we are very excited to see the possibilities they take when they are provided new opportunities here. You can help their arrival by sponsoring their journey to Washington during the Queen’s Brunch auction! Be sure to check out the different tiers of sponsorship that are available.

Last minute bonus photo of Jody eating her potatoes at dinner:

Burrito in a Tub

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The other day I was questioning J.B. as to whether he thought we deserved to have playful Burrito in our lives, and his reply was, “I don’t even think the world deserves Burrito.”

Deserving or not, here he is to spread joy to all of us, doing whatever it is he was doing or trying to do with an empty tub and a big tub full of water.

Speaking of spreading joy, have you registered for The Queen’s Brunch yet?

The virtual event is on June 13th, just eight days away!

I was going to share that there were some Burrito pillow cases available to buy now that had been carefully stashed away from past events, but the two we had were snatched up already!

There are, however, still a few pillow cases featuring Negra, Foxie, and Willy B on the online auction site. You might need to act fast to get one!

 

Sights, Sounds, and Sensation of Summer

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As Katelyn mentioned yesterday, Summer is making a quick visit the next couple of days. With 90ºF temperatures today, the chimpanzees have remained relatively low key. Each in a spot in the indoor enclosures in the shadiest of spots, or in front of the fans to escape the heat. We did offer them some icy treats throughout the day since it seemed like today called for it. Some of these spots are very tricky to get photos of, and the only photo I was able to get of any of them was of Negra climbing down from the platform in the Greenhouse to head indoors.

The cattle have been spending most of their day lounging around in the shade at the top of the pasture, just like the chimpanzees. However, it’s far easier to take photos of them on days like today. They did spend an hour or two grazing in the mid-day sun.

Can you spot all four in this photo!?

And taking turns licking the mineral block.

And don’t worry, Meredith was there, just waaaay in the back.

With summer creeping up on us, the sights, sounds, and smells of summer are starting to come in. Here are some of those things found around the sanctuary.

The strawberry plants are starting to fruit.

The grape vines are starting to bunch.

Squirrel moms are calling for their kits.

Racer snakes are seeking shelter in the raspberry bushes.

Barn swallows are beginning to nest.

And white-crowned sparrows are collecting food for their babies.

Though the temperatures are foretasted to go down by the end of the week, these sensations of summer (minus the heat) are sure to stay until it’s official arrival.

Small Moments

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Throughout the day I catch small moments of the chimps interacting with each other, with humans, or just by themselves that just make me smile. Sometimes the moments are just a split second, but they always make my heart burst with joy. I thought I would share a few from yesterday and today.

This morning as we cleaned the front rooms, Foxie tossed her strawberry shortcake doll to me by the Playroom. We played chase from front room 1 to the playroom. When Foxie was running she was doing a bunny hop with her back feet. That one always gets me :).

Yesterday, I found Willy B laying on a big comfy blanket. I sat down and we scrolled through some photos on my phone.

Jamie this afternoon was being groomed by Missy and Jody. Because Jamie seeks out humans so often I love seeing her with chimp friends.

Yesterday, Missy came down from the loft in the playroom and began gesturing to something. I looked over and all I saw were some magazines. I offered one to her not thinking she really wanted it, but to my surprise she took the magazine and gestured for the one next to it. Once she had both magazines she climbed back up to the loft to make a nest.


We put out a pre-lunch lettuce forage on Young’s Hill today. I found Negra and Burrito playing right before I let the chimps back on the Hill. They even had a stuffed animal in their mouth playing tug-a-war.



While I was doing a chimp count for some checks ealier. I found Jamie in a nest fast asleep.

While Jamie napped in the loft, I also spotted Jody grooming a very sleepy Negra.

Burrito is often found on this barrel playing by himself, spying on the neighbors, or occasionally getting someone to play with him. This morning he started off playing by himself, but Foxie joined him a little later. Foxie would knock on the barrel while Burrito spun around on top. They were grabbing each others toes and laughing.

I hope you enjoyed these small moments. Please enjoy some bonus photos!

Jody collecting foliage this morning.

Annie walking in the tall green grass.

Negra enjoying some lettuce.

Jamie with handfuls of lettuce.

Foxie

 

 

 

The Search for a Phantom

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As I opened up the door that leads to Young’s Hill this morning, Burrito bolted out and we went for our morning jog.

As we were headed toward the final stretch around the hill, he turned back around and began running up the other way for Lap 2.

As we were heading back up the hill, we heard Annie screaming. My initial thought was she saw a snake. As any nearby chimpanzee converged on Annie’s location, my heart raced. We have begun trying to recall the chimpanzees off the hill after a snake sighting to ensure a venomous snake didn’t somehow make it’s way through the fence. As Missy, Jamie, Foxie, and Burrito met with Annie, her screaming and calls stopped and she began foraging for some of the prickly lettuce. What did she see? I still don’t have a clue, and none of the others seemed to know why she was creating a fuss either as they shot her looks of confusion as well.

Nonetheless, that didn’t stop the others in searching for a phantom menace.

Foxie and Jamie check on Annie to see if she is okay.
Burrito arrives.
Jamie meets with Burrito on his arrival.
Jamie leaves no stone, or log, unturned while Annie looks on.

Foxie watches with a somewhat confused look on her face as Annie forages for prickly lettuce.
Burrito also began foraging for prickly lettuce.
While everyone else began to forage, Jamie stood watch.

Soon after, they heard the food grunts of staff to let them know breakfast was ready and about to be served.

While the chimpanzees and cattle call this plot of land their home, so do a great deal of other amazing creatures. So let’s meet some of them! (Note: I use a couple of apps on my phone to help identify them, they aren’t 100% accurate, but usually lead me to the right direction. So If I misidentify someone here, please let me know!)

White-tail Deer

Deer can be found grazing most of the year right outside our gate. Every year, its always the sight to see when there is a mom and her fawns.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Marmots are found mostly during the spring, summer and fall, and retreat to their dens for the duration of winter. This particular individual caught me laying on the ground, catching my breath last summer after going around Young’s Hill with Burrito three times in a row.

***Warning: The next set includes insects, amphibians, and reptiles. If you don’t like those these types of creatures, you can probably skip the rest***

Virginian Tiger Moth

I found this moth right outside the Greenhouse one day after cleaning. It was very beautiful and I could not resist taking a photo of it. Before the chimpanzees regained access to the Greenhouse, I relocated them to someplace a little safer.

Sphinx Moth

I had trouble confirming the species of this sphinx moth. It does seem that it is leaning toward a Wild Cherry Sphinx Moth. It was huge and very beautiful! I found it right outside the construction area (you can spot Honey B in the back watching me take photos of them). Though sphinx moths are extremely beautiful when their wings are open, this one was resting and I didn’t want to bother it. Still beautiful though, if you ask me!

Praying Mantis

I’ve never really come across a praying mantis that was willing to pose as long as this one. This one was found right outside the door one day.

Dragonfly

I couldn’t find the identification for this one, though it may be a lance-tipped darner… maybe? I was cleaning the Seven’s Playroom one day and this fella took me by surprise as I walked passed a window and it flew out. I was able to catch it (with the aid of a few pieces of paper) and released it outside.

Long-toed Salamander

Long-toed salamanders are one of the most common creatures we find in the Chimp House, particularly the drains. This guy was found in such place and was released near one of the ponds on the property.

Northern Pacific Tree Frog

This is THE most common creature found in the Chimp House in the spring and summer if you ask me. And they are found…

every….

where!

One thing that always fascinates my the range of color they come in. From a dull brown to a vibrant green, they are pretty regardless. And their evening songs sooth the soul. When we catch them, they are usually released near one of the ponds.

Garter Snake

This is one of the most featured snakes in videos of past, like here, here, here, or here (and please keep in mind these videos have been taken over the course of several years). They are usually found near the grape vines. The are non-venomous and pretty docile. They try to hide from anything they see as a threat (human or chimpanzee), and will generally hide from it. Though they are great hiders, Annie is a great seeker and usually spots them even if they are on the other side of the fence.

Northern Rubber Boa

The northern rubber boa is a constrictor that is the most northern of all constrictors. I didn’t realize it at the time how they can be somewhat elusive and hard to find. This guy came to us in the Chimp House one day, and I didn’t realize how lucky I was one bestowed us with its presence. And don’t worry, they are non-venomous, rather small, and extremely docile! I have never seen a snake this docile!

Western Racer Snake

This snake is also a non-venomous snake that is seen a good chuck of times on the sanctuary’s grounds. They are very quick and adults are usually a grey color with a tint of green. The baby racers are slightly different.

Their pattern resembles that of another, more dangerous, snake. This is an adaptation feature they gained to try to ward off any potential predators. This little guy found it’s way along the fence trying to get to the other side, so I happily obliged him. Happy for him, and happy for the chimpanzees. It was a win-win situation.

Pacific Gopher Snake

Gopher snakes have been seen on the property, though they don’t really come near the Chimp House like the others. As you can see, they have very distinctive markings again, similar to another, more dangerous snake. However, gopher snakes take is a step further. If they feel threatened, they will coil up, flatten their head, and if near dead leaves or dry brush, will shake their tail. These guys go through great lengths to be left alone from would be predators. I found this guy on the driveway near the street as I was leaving work one day. I was scared I almost hit him. But he was okay and made myself seem as nonthreatening as I could. He later uncoiled and slithered his way in to some brush in the adjacent property.

You may be wondering, if both racers and gopher snakes adapted these traits to look so much like their more dangerous cousin, how to we know how to tell them apart? We as staff have been trying to hone in on our identification skills to be able to identify a snake as quickly as we possibly can. One way to tell is the tail. We have trying to pay close attention to spot that (along with other key traits). For instance, in the case of this gopher snake, through his clever disguise, I saw right through his bluff. My key was his tail.

They are long, slender, and to a point. Their cousin’s tails have a rattle on them, which make noise, and never come to a point like this. Even as a juvenile or when shedding, their tails are bulbous.

There more amazing creatures who live around the sanctuary property that I either didn’t have a good photo of, or have been featured in other blogs, such as bobcats, coyotes, elk during their migration, and hundreds of birds! Though we care for ten chimpanzees (soon 16!) and four bovine, we like to think this piece of property in central Washington is a sanctuary for these creatures from being harassed or killed for living their life as well. We have a catch and release protocol for any that find their way onto the wrong side of the fence. Though we keep them out of the chimpanzee side of the fence, most of the rest of the property is theirs to explore. And for those not new to the blog who may be wondering, we have been hard at work fortifying our fences and security measures so events such as last year are mitigated more so, though that was a first in the (going on) 13 years.

Have a great day, everybody!