Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimp sanctuary

All day forage

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The chimps have had an exciting day of forages! Breakfast in the sunlit greenhouse, lunch on the stunningly lush Young’s Hill, and dinner in the playroom.

In the wild chimpanzees spend the majority of their days traveling and looking for food. Here at CSNW we serve most of the chimps’ meals by hand to make sure that everyone gets their fair amount and it also gives us the opportunity to check out any wounds and see how everyone is doing. That said, we take every opportunity to present the chimps with choices and activities that encourage their natural behavior. Forages are a great way to get them active and engaged and I imagine they often appreciate the opportunity to do as they please and not wait around for the humans to serve them their portions.

A beautiful lunch forage with Foxie and Dora:

Missy in the treat rock:

Burrito in the hammock! (Annie to the right):

Annie standing, Burrito to the right:

Annie checking out the tire swing for sweet potatoes, Burrito foraging in the grass:

Sweet Annie:

Missy had to stop several times to keep putting food back in her mouth and picking up pieces she’d dropped. She was not going to leave one piece behind!

Whew! She made it back to the greenhouse with her corn stash!

Jamie:

Beautiful Jody:

After lunch Jamie asked me to put on her boots and sit with her near the open panels of the greenhouse that face Young’s Hill so she could groom the boots. She eventually made a nest and decided to lie down next to me and enjoy the cool breeze. So I decided I should also have a nest and got a blanket to lie on next to her, a safe distance from chimps and caging. Before I knew it Burrito came over and sprawled out in the corner next to us, and Annie and Foxie curled up on the top platform facing the hill and we all just enjoyed a few moments of rest together on a peaceful spring day. Some of us (chimps) got to rest longer than others (me), but it was lovely while it lasted. 🙂 Sanctuary for us all.

The Den Mother

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For as long as we’ve known Jody, she’s been incredibly confident and independent. Her happy place is lying alone in a big nest of soft blankets. But somewhere along the way, she has become very invested in taking care of her chimp family. She works hard to make sure the group stays together. This spring, as Negra has ventured farther out onto Young’s Hill than ever before, Jody has periodically gone to the top of the hill to “collect” Negra when she decides it’s time. If Negra isn’t ready to come inside yet, Jody nervously stays with her, hair standing on end. For a group of chimps who never got to know their mothers, they’re lucky to have a mom in Jody.

Today is for Carrie!

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We are starting off the day with double Sponsor a Day celebrations and lots of chimp love! Our first day of sanctuary was sponsored by Paul and Jenara Miller in honor of the chimps’ long-time friend, Carrie Miller! They send this note about their gift:

“For Carrie (and Burrito and pals) to celebrate 2017 and all the goodness it may bring! Love, Paul and Jenara”

Paul and Jenara, thank you so much for being part of all the good that comes to the chimps and for honoring Carrie in such a compassionate way.

Carrie, we so appreciate the continued support and love you and your loved ones have provided the chimps these past years and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate a special day in your honor. Visions of food are probably already dancing in your pal, Burrito’s head. Well okay, I suspect they are almost always dancing in Burrito’s head, but still…

Have a wonderful day, Carrie!

Keeping cool

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Today has been all about enjoying the brilliantly sunny day while doing our best to keep cool. We’ve reached that wonderful time of year when we begin to remove the panels on the greenhouse and the chimps enjoy breakfast in the open air with a view of the hill. Volunteer caregiver Lizz made an extremely popular smoothie this morning (pineapple, banana and lime) and served apples and watermelon so the chimps were beside themselves.

Annie emptying her cup and Jody on the left licking up a drop from the caging:

Everyone was so happy this morning that even Negra couldn’t contain herself and initiated a wrestling game with Missy in the middle of breakfast (you can see a glimpse of Missy’s big play face!):

Foxie and Jody anxious for Lizz to pass out watermelon:

Foxie rubbing her toes in happiness:

After breakfast the chimps all headed out onto the hill with almost everyone heading to the top. Annie chose to go on her own exploration, as she often does:

Annie is her own woman. She has so many endearing habits – walking bipedally around Young’s Hill more often than not, making her Annie-bird noises by whistling through her hands when she’s particularly content, and lying on her back and blowing water out of her mouth to wash her face. With the temperatures hovering around 90, she has taken to doing this as a way cool off as well:

The chimps have been enjoying lots of frozen and watery treats today to stay hydrated and we even broke out the snow cone machine.

My favorite mountain lupines are finally blooming around Young’s Hill and there is an entire field that reaches inside and outside the perimeter of the chimps’ outdoor habitat. Walking through that area is my favorite part of the walks with Jamie this time of year. Sometimes the amazing scent wafts through the greenhouse:

For the first time I noticed several Melissa Blues, a small violet-blue butterfly I have typically only seen at higher elevations around the mountain lakes and rivers. There were so many floating around the lupine today it looked as if the flowers were taking flight:

It’s such a beautiful time at the sanctuary. Be it butterflies, flowers, beautiful days, exciting fresh food, or big-hearted humans, I’m so grateful for all the beauty, in all it’s varied forms, that surrounds the chimps every day.

Happy Birthday, Erin!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Shelley and Tim Connelly in honor of their daughter, Erin Connelly! They shared this message about today:

“We would like to honor our daughter Erin on her birthday. She is a volunteer at the sanctuary and will be graduating in June with a M.S. in Primate Behavior from Central Washington University.”

Shelley and Tim, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees as you celebrate Erin and her accomplishments today! As one of our amazing chimp house volunteers, we’re so happy to be able to celebrate her special day with you!

Happy Birthday, Erin! We hope it’s the best one yet! Thank you so much for all your hard work for the chimps and your dedication to improving the lives and well being of primates living in captivity. Have an amazing day!

Beautiful Annie:

Stealing

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Served lunches at the sanctuary are generally quiet affairs, with each chimpanzee waiting somewhat patiently to collect their proper portions of fresh vegetables and primate chow. Every now and then though, we have someone that gets it in their minds that they want to steal more lunch. Usually that someone is Jamie or Jody, and sometimes Negra (who seems to steal mostly from Missy). While caregivers can’t really stop this behavior from happening, we can ask the chimpanzee that is collecting their lunch to move away from the thief for a better chance of getting their portion.

Here JB asks Burrito to shift a little ways away from Jody (below him), who is eying his portion of primate chow.

This technique doesn’t always work though. Jody was particularly persistent this afternoon and she knows that agreeable Foxie will usually give up some of her lunch without a fuss.

This kind of behavior is normal in chimpanzee group dynamics. Higher ranking chimpanzees can assert themselves over less dominant individuals with concern to food, grooming, enrichment, etc. As caregivers, it is our job to respect the hierarchy, while making sure there is plenty to go around for everyone.

I think this is just a photo of Jody mid-blink, but I’m pretty sure she enjoyed her spoils.