Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Caregivers are racing around completing chores on this rainy Monday afternoon, so today’s blog post is absurdly simple.
In honor of National Napping Day, here’s a portrait of Honey B lounging on the heated floor in one of the indoor enclosures.
Chad explained yesterday that the chimps have no concept of “daylight savings,” but they definitely know how to spend a gloomy, damp day like this one.
The Riverview and Oakwood greenhouses provide an incredible amount of warmth, even on snowy days. The chimps also seem to really love the vertical space! We often find them up high in the greenhouses grooming or taking a nap in the cozy snug greenhouse.
The progression of Dora falling asleep:
Terry and Cy having their heads together before grooming.
Terry with his dream-eyes.
Rayne holding her feet and laying in a nest.
Bonus photo! A silhouette of Annie laying next to Foxie.
After taking in several days of great weather, we are back to winter conditions. What started off as rain, quickly turned into snow, with it supposed to last throughout the afternoon and into the night. With a day like today, the chimpanzees are spending most of the day in their nests on the upper story, where it is nearly impossible to get any photos. But who can blame them. It’s the perfect day to just cozy up and nap.
I was able to get some sporadic photos here and there though.
As Katelyn noted yesterday, it’s already beginning to feel like spring. That means a lot around here, but I doubt anyone appreciates this transition more than the sanctuary’s bovines.
Every year, the small herd of four rescued Jersey cattle spend the winter in an enclosed paddock on the northern side of the property. This area contains their main barn (and a couple secondary shelters) where caregivers provision them with grass hay, alfalfa, water, minerals, and supplementary grain.
As the days get longer and warmer, the Moo Crew begin to spend more of their time roaming around the paddock and sunbathing. The muddy brown landscape slowly develops a tinge of lime green and the bovines venture into the creek to browse.
It won’t be until May that the pastures are mature enough to support these large herbivores. (There are several tests that we do to verify that the prairie grasses are ready.) At that time, the crew will pick a day for “The Running of the Cows“– the opening of the gateways to the larger grazing areas— and the bovines will be on their merry way to ruminant bliss.
With that being said, there is always a lot of work to be done before we can safely turn them out for the summer. First, the cattle need their annual visit from the hoof trimmer who makes sure their feet are ready for another year of strenuous trips around the hilly property. Dr. Erin also uses this as an opportunity to give them their annual vaccinations and quick physical exams.
Finally, the fencing itself usually needs a minor facelift. This task will be more difficult than ever this year due to the ongoing expansion of Young’s Hill and construction of The Bray, both of which will now occupy what was once cattle pasture. Instead, the bovines will most likely get access to the wooded farmland further up the slope which we will have to enclose with suitable electric fencing.
Last week, I took some photos of the cattle enjoying a couple fresh bales of hay in their winter paddock.
Honey:
Betsy and Honey:
Nutmeg:
Meredith:
While the bovines have been serenely waiting for pasture, the chimps seem particularly excited about the human activity around Young’s Hill. This afternoon, J.B. hosted some familiar faces who have volunteered to help furnish the new outdoor areas. As is tradition, the tour was mirrored by a few curious chimpanzees. (Unsurprisingly, one of them had to scout out everyone’s footwear.)
Volunteers Tom, Greg, Steve and Brian, with Jamie Chimpanzee & Co. in the background:
This spring will be busy and challenging, but it’s exciting to utilize more of the property and give the chimps and bovines some new experiences!
Sometimes the world feels chaotic, but then you look over at Negra and a sense of calm washes over you. Negra is the perfect example of never losing your cool, unless necessary. With the exception of demanding chow and peanuts, because well she is hungry and we are slow!
Speaking of chimps that give you a sense of calm!
In last Tuesday’s post (Twosday), Sofia mentioned that Barn Kitty has returned to the sanctuary.
For those of you who may not be aware, Barn Kitty (“B.K.”) is a free-ranging domestic cat that prowls the patchwork landscape surrounding the Chimp House. It’s believed he divides his time between the sanctuary property and the neighboring ranch, but we have no way of monitoring his whereabouts in real time. We don’t even know with certainty whether Barn Kitty is a true feral (born and raised apart from humans), a homeless stray, or just a particularly independent outdoor “barn cat” from next door. Sometimes, he disappears for months at a time before casually returning. He’s a mysterious lad.
I absolutely love living with cats (and can’t imagine the internet without them), but the existence of stray and feral cats is problematic for various reasons.
For one thing, the historical relationship between humans and house cats is mutually beneficial but not codependent. In many ways, this species was never fully domesticated and differs only slightly from its African wildcat ancestor. Importantly, cats all remain adept hunters and prolific breeders regardless of whether we supplement their diets or not. This self-reliance allows them to subsist indefinitely without much assistance from humans (besides the occasional voyage across an ocean or piggy-back ride across national borders).
The unfortunate loser in this transaction is biodiversity. Many native species, especially birds and small mammals, cannot reproduce fast enough to compensate for the addition of a new predator on the landscape. A 2013 study by Smithsonian researchers estimated that house cats kill billions of wild animals annually in the U.S. alone and individual cats have been observed to kill hundreds of birds and rodents in a single year. Their effect is especially devastating on islands where native species haven’t adapted defenses against land predators and there are no larger carnivores to keep the newcomers in check. This isn’t to say that domestic felines are objectively bad– ecosystems are constantly in flux and most species will do what they can to exploit available niches- but their spread has definitely had a substantial impact on fragile ecosystems during a massive extinction crisis.
A second problem with domestic cats living outdoors is that they’re susceptible to a plethora of factors that can negatively impact their own welfare. In places where native predators such as coyotes and cougars exist, house cats often become a widespread and easy meal. Free-ranging cats are also at risk of accidents such as vehicle collisions and rarely have access to veterinary care when sick or injured, shortening their average lifespan. Without routine vaccinations, feral cats are also largely responsible for the spread of infectious diseases such as FIV.
Of course, a counterargument can be made that feral cats are relieved from the constraints of living in a human home and don’t suffer from the complications of a captive lifestyle: boredom, artificial diets, separation anxiety, overfeeding, etc. While many stray cats can happily return to indoor living, ferals tend to remain fearful of humans for their entire lives.
In areas where free-ranging cats have grown to be particularly bothersome, veterinary professionals will often work with wildlife agencies to curb their impacts. The simplest method of control- culling them outright- is ecologically effective but understandably controversial. Fortunately, less drastic interventions (e.g. trap-neuter-release programs) can yield long-term results while remaining palatable to the general public. The cats can keep living outdoors and hunting, but they lose the ability to reproduce and eventually disappear from the landscape.
In B.K.’s case, we decided long ago that he is welcome here at the sanctuary with one stipulation: that he doesn’t sire any more tuxedo’ed killing machines. Last year, Dr. Erin and Sofia made this official by neutering him while tending to a concerning leg injury. B.K. made a full recovery and, despite being more wary of us, seems to spend just as much time hanging around our barn as he did before. It’s not uncommon to see him lounging on a sun-drenched patch of grass or stalking mice in the nearby thickets. With reliable access to shelter, cover, food, water, and health care, one could argue that Barn Kitty is better off than most free-ranging cats
Caring for animals requires a never-ending series of compromises; the most tenable policies and effective solutions are usually those that balance compassion and logic. I like to think that we’ve found something like that for the furry enigma that we call Barn Kitty.
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P.S. Yesterday, B.K. followed me back and forth around the hay barn as I did chores, so I risked my skin to take some closeups for you all to enjoy.
Jamie always has the right idea. She is a perfect planner and executor. Whether her plan is using tools to work on food puzzles, modifying enrichment for her own construction project, maneuvering a human do what she wants, implementing optimum forage strategies, selecting boots/books of her liking, or creative fort building, Jamie has the organization skills to do it all!
Yesterday, as I was serving dinner, Jamie stepped off her chair with a handful of food and began using it as a table. We often see Jamie convert her chair into a table! It’s perfect because she can keep her food in sight, spread it all out, and it’s at the perfect eating height. I love the way she can be so tactical. Jamie just has a beautiful mind.
Bonus photos!
Today I accidentally simulated a hot summers day because I forgot to turn the our greenhouse heater off mid-morning. However, no one seemed to be complaining!
