Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The video above really speaks for itself. It was quite an exciting day for all of us!
As though Willy B’s bravery wasn’t enough to make our hearts soar today, guess who I just spotted at the TOP of the hill? I had to take a quick photo with the phone.
Today was sponsored by some of the amazing student interns and volunteers who we get to work with through Central Washington University and the Primate Behavior and Ecology (PBE) program!
“This is a donation from the 2018 PBE Cohort to our wonderful CSNW Family – we are so grateful for everything y’all have taught us and for introducing us to some amazing people (Chimps, cows, humans). We hope to hear some breathy pants, barrel drumming, and food smacking soon! We miss y’all so much and thank you for being a huge part of our years here. Love, Rose Amrhein, Rhiannon Belcher, Kailyn Campbell, Elizabeth Coggeshall, Erin Emerson, Rachel Fuller, Shaun Mayo, Emily Patton, and Maddie Spencer.”
This past year has been a particularly challenging one for our volunteers, all of whom have graciously weather the uncharted territory of unpredictable days and needs at the sanctuary with everything from the amazing arrival of Mave, Honey B and Willy B from Wildlife Waystation in California, to the subsequent attempts and ending of their introduction to the seven, to learning the layout and safety protocol of a new building, only to have things finally start to calm down just in time for a worldwide pandemic.
These dedicated people have consistently and joyfully shown up for their shifts, often with thoughtful gifts of support in hand, and have demonstrated patience and creativity when the days usual activities were on hold or catawampus, and worked so hard when we needed the help. And even though the current state of things is preventing them all from being here while they stay safely hunkered down at home, their support remains unwavering, even from afar. We’re so lucky to have so many amazing humans to help us provide the best lives we can for the chimpanzees!
Rose, Rihannon, Kailyn, Elizabeth, Erin, Rachel, Shaun, Emily and Maddie, thank you so much! Your support, hard work, and dedication to making the lives of so many primates better is very appreciated! The difference you do, and will continue to make with your lives and your hearts is inspiring and hopeful. We miss you all, too, and hope to see you back here soon!
One thing’s for sure, no matter where life takes you, you’ll never have another supervisor like Jamie:
Foxie and Jody:
Jody, Foxie and Burrito:
Meredith, Honey, Nutmeg and Betsy:
Annie, Missy, Foxie and Jody:
Honey B, Mave and Willy B:
Negra:
Today I turn 47. On June 13th we will celebrate Queen Negra’s 47th birthday.
I hope you will consider honoring us both today, as well as supporter Monica Best, who had her own birthday last week, by donating to our GiveBIG page.
In truth, we don’t know exactly how old Negra is or what day she was actually born. No one celebrated her birthday before she came to the sanctuary. This year, however we are inviting all of you to join her birthday celebration.
We chose June 13th to celebrate her because it was the day she and her six friends arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in 2008. It marked a new birth for her and for all seven of the chimpanzees.
When Negra and her friends arrived, I was the Director of Outreach for the sanctuary and J.B. was the Director of Operations. We had met the chimpanzees at the Buckshire Corporation months previously and wrote about those early meetings when this blog was in its own infancy.
I absolutely do not have a favorite chimpanzee. I truly love them all. There’s something unique about each of them that makes me admire and appreciate them. That said, it didn’t take me very many visits to confess my love for Negra.
Back in 2008 when so many people were working incredibly hard to get the chimpanzees to CSNW, I never would have guessed that I would still be here twelve years later. And I definitely would not have guessed that Negra would still be here.
Supporter Kathleen Corby, in wishing me a happy birthday today, reminded me of this blog post I wrote about Negra a couple of years ago.
There’s probably a common theme to many of the posts I’ve written about Negra, who was the oldest of the group. The theme, whether written explicitly or just implied, is the limited amount of time Negra might have to experience her sanctuary life and therefore, indeed, every single moment was invaluable.
Witnessing Negra do even the simplest things brings me immense joy, like when she was eating scraps in the greenhouse last week:
or swinging from the fire hose Super Negra style the other day:
Not bad for a 47 year old, if I do say so myself.
Two days ago, Kelsi and Chad were attempting to close up the chimp house after dinner. J.B. and I live in the residence on the property, a stone’s throw from the chimps’ home. I had gone outside to take some trash out, and I noticed Kelsi and Jamie on a walk. Jamie noticed me too and insisted I join them.
One walk turned into a few walks. After a bit, Chad went home and Kelsi went back inside to finish up some tasks.
It was the most beautiful evening I have ever experienced at the sanctuary. The weather was perfectly comfortable, with very little wind, which is unusual in the spring. The grass had taken on that almost unbelievably green luminescence, there were flowers, birds, and squirrels in every direction, and the fruit trees were attracting thousands of pollinating insects. Life was literally everywhere.
The cows were grazing on one side of me while Jamie slowly sauntered on the other side. She was picking dandelions, eating their stems, and discarding the flowers.
There was a magazine article that came out several years ago that described the sanctuary property as bucolic. At the time, it made me laugh. Only a writer who lived in a big city would use that word to describe the grounds. But the other night as I looked around, listening to the cows happily grazing, watching the swallows flitting by, and walking ever so slowly on the other side of a fence from a chimpanzee, the word came back to me. If ever there was a bucolic scene, even with the unusual addition of a chimpanzee, it was this.
Jamie’s walking ritual has always presented opportunities for me to reflect. It’s ironic, in a way. Jamie can be a very intense individual. No one would describe her as laid back. But her need to walk and her desire to have a human join her has helped me on multiple occasions tamp down my own moments of intensity, allowing me to relax and be in the moment.
And so it was the other night as we walked or just stood and took in the bucolic scenery around us.
When she was finally satisfied with walking, we settled in the greenhouse so she could groom the boots on my feet, as that is perhaps the most important part of her ritual.
I took this photo of her hand holding the stick that she poked through the mesh to groom my boot:
I’ve been noticing those hairs on Jamie’s hands for about a year. Like humans, as chimpanzees age, sometimes their hair loses pigment and fades to gray.
Foxie too has been collecting gray hair these last few years. Here’s a photo I took of her the day after her exam as she lie perfectly content with her purple haired doll. In addition to the gray hair, we know from Foxie’s radiographs from earlier this week that she has arthritis in one of her hips. Other than those normal signs of aging, she seems to be in tip-top shape.
We’ve long described the chimpanzees as aging in reverse. They really did gain years on their lives when they arrived at the sanctuary. There is no denying now that they are aging in a forward direction.
Just like me.
Just like all of us.
Every moment is precious because there are a finite number of moments, and we don’t know what that number is. It’s both the tragedy and also the incredible beauty of our own lives and of caring for other living beings.
Who would have guessed that we would be so lucky to have had so many moments – coming up on twelve years worth of them – with these special seven chimpanzees, and now with three more special chimpanzees and four very cool cattle.
What a privilege to be getting older with all of them. And what a privilege that you are here too, a part of all of our lives.
Today was the day. It happens each year around this time.
I would have placed a bet on it happening last week, but Negra, the Queen of the sanctuary, operates on her own timeline.
Jamie was grooming my boots in the greenhouse (me safely on the human side of the fencing, of course).
As Jamie was brushing and poking at the boots on my feet, I saw Negra go from the greenhouse through the raceway to Young’s Hill. There were no other chimpanzees out there and we hadn’t set out a forage, so something else was motivating Negra.
I politely excused myself from my grooming session with Jamie and went around the corner.
I found Negra, with her back to me, sitting just feet from the end of the raceway. She sat there for what seemed like five minutes, looking around silently. It was like she had just discovered it was spring. And maybe she had. Queen Negra is not one to savor the outdoors unless the conditions are just right. She prefers to lounge in her blanket nests and pass the time in leisure. But there was something about today that drew Negra outside.
Foxie was curious about Negra’s solo journey outside and watched from the greenhouse.
I realized at one point that I was holding my breath in anticipation, wondering if this was going to be the true day of emergence.
As she continued to just sit and look around, I thought to myself, “well, I guess this isn’t the day after all.”
And then it happened. She picked some grass, smelled it, and then began eating.
Then she walked further away from the greenhouse and sampled more:
Next she headed to the “cabin” we built just for her, where she tried some grass growing inside the structure:
Satisfied but still exploring, she wandered some more:
She found a little patch of dandelions and partook in a few.
That was apparently enough for day one, as she then headed back into the playroom to rest up until her next foray.
Happy Queen’s Emergence Day, everyone!
Actually, that is a good segue into a day for the queen that is in the works. June 13th is a very special day. It marks the 12-year anniversary of the arrival of the original seven chimpanzees to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the day that we will be celebrating Negra’s 47th birthday. We were going to have our annual gala event in Seattle on that day, but the pandemic caused us to shift our plans.
We are still hoping to have the in-person event on September 18th (fingers crossed), but we didn’t want the significant June 13th party to pass by, so we will be doing our first ever virtual event!
We have a lot of fun things in store for you all. Below is a teaser.
I had a bit of writer’s block today. It happens sometimes.
The weather was nice, though, and we finished the daily cleaning on time (sometime around 1pm when we regularly serve the chimpanzees their lunch). Some chimps were walking around the perimeter of Young’s Hill with Katelyn (on the outside of the fence, of course) and Chad had just returned from feeding the cattle and mucking their barn. With things settled and quiet around the Chimp House, I decided to drive around the property to capture some photographs of the scenic landscape. The pastures and woods that surround the facility have started to turn emerald green and are even speckled with the first yellow and purple wildflowers of the season.
One thing that is missing from the sanctuary right now is the extended team of people who would normally be enjoying the onset of spring along with us. We typically have fifty volunteers and interns who show up for rotating shifts, and many of them are like family to us. We are following a strict quarantine protocol and are operating with just the core staff, leaving us with just a fraction of the usual personnel. In terms of caregiving, we’re doing just fine– the meals and meds are always served, the enclosures are always cleaned and the chimps are always engaged in one activity or another- but the facility still feels somewhat empty without the all the familiar individuals who help us to care for the chimps and their sanctuary home.
We’ve been working on other ways to keep our community informed and active. Although we aren’t open to the public and we don’t exhibit the chimps (or even the cattle, for that matter), sharing our work is a huge part of this sanctuary’s culture. While that certainly includes communicating special updates and highlighting noteworthy milestones, it also means illustrating the most simple and mundane aspects of life at CSNW. I thought you all might enjoy seeing this little piece of my day: an afternoon cruise around the sanctuary on the John Deere Gator.
After the chimpanzees’ exciting day of Easter foraging on Young’s Hill, and Jamie’s late night of walking with her caregivers until nearly dark while simultaneously doing a solo after party forage, they’ve all been relatively restful today. It’s even warmer so most have been toasting themselves in the super warm greenhouse in between taking breaks in the playroom to cool off.
I have to wonder if our “Californian” three, Mave, Honey B, and Willy B, are thinking, “Finally! Some weather we can get behind!” They’ve spent much of the day in their outdoor chute, chatting with the rowdy neighbors through the windows, and enjoying the sun, which is even hotter on that side of the building. But even the Californians have been hunkering down in the shade.
William, in all his floofy gloriousness:
Jody has three nicknames that we frequently use when referring to her. “Jo” is the simplest and most common, but “JoJo” is the fun equivalent.
Every time I hear someone say the nickname Jojo, I think of two things. The first association is a song by Blind Pilot (a Portland-based folk band) that tells the story of a homeless man named Jojo. The song is called “The Story I Heard” and has a catchy melody that loops in my head whenever I see Jody’s kind, sweet face. It fits her perfectly.
The second thing that comes to mind, of course, is the Oscar-winning film Jojo Rabbit. (If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?) Jody, with her gentle demeanor and love of all things that grow, would make a very fine rabbit. In fact, Jody’s appropriate third nickname is “Farmer Jo” because of how eagerly she harvests food from the chimps’ outdoor habitat. Chimps are not strictly vegetarian by any means, but Jody would be quite happy if all we ever gave her were heaps of green vegetables to munch on.
That brings us to today’s holiday celebration: a feast and forage to celebrate Easter Sunday and the arrival of spring.
The day (which was lovingly sponsored by two amazing and generous supporters) began with the usual breakfast chaos and subsequent socialization. As Diana mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Foxie and Jody were just reunited with the group after receiving some medical attention and are getting back to their normal routines. Meanwhile, Jamie is dealing with a draining abscess but is otherwise acting like her usual self. She seemed to feel a bit better after Missy (“Dr. Missy”) gave her backside some much-needed grooming. After her appointment with Jamie, Missy proceeded to engage Burrito in a playful session of wrestling. Jamie “payed it forward” by giving Jody some T.L.C.
Meanwhile, CSNW co-directors J.B. and Diana spent some time planting this past holiday season’s evergreen trees. They were previously kept in pots after being featured in the Christmas Day celebration and are now taking root amid the bamboo on Young’s Hill. Maybe they’ll survive, and perhaps even grow, if Farmer Jo doesn’t prune off too many of their branches.
Back in the Greenhouse, the chimps could see us scattering food in their outdoor enclosure and got really excited.
Once all of the caregivers, vehicles and tools were safely out of the enclosure, we were finally able to let the chimpanzees go out and forage for their Easter lunch. Negra led the charge out of the Greenhouse and up the hillside, followed by her six companions. The chimps were ecstatic to find caches of carrots, beets, watermelon slices, chow biscuits, and brand new troll dolls.
Chimpanzees have a strong sense of fairness and, without interfering with their social hierarchy, we make sure there is enough food to go around at each meal. Even so, each celebratory forage usually has one chimp who “wins” by collecting the largest amount of the most prized item. As you all may have guessed by now, Jojo Rabbit won today’s Easter forage.
Farmer Jo decided immediately that carrots were the most valuable of all the foods. She sprinted past her companions and began filling her arms with the enormous orange carrots as if she was scooping up rolls of toilet paper at Fred Meyer. Before the others could even figure out what was hidden out there, Jody was making her way back to the Greenhouse with an armful of crunchy loot. The other chimps each found a carrot or two, but Jody had a whole bushel.
It’s hard to believe that Jody was the star of the show today after she just had a toe amputated last week. If my description doesn’t quite do it for you and you would prefer to watch today’s Easter forage for yourself, J.B. spontaneously streamed it live on our Facebook page so that all of our supporters could share the experience with us and the chimps. I highly recommend checking it out!
You may also be wondering how things went on the other side of the building. Mave, Willy B and Honey B had an exciting morning. For a short period of time, we opened the chute to their section of Young’s Hill so that they could have the opportunity to go outside. Per usual, they cautiously inspected their outdoor enclosure from the relative safety of the chute, although Honey B did roll a tire down the ramp and out onto the grass. She has developed a weird habit of noisily throwing large enrichment items through doorways, but that’s a story for another day…
Once the chute was closed back up, the three chimps enjoyed a hearty lunch and delicious dinner coupled with quick sessions of positive reinforcement training that allowed caregiver Chad to record their temperatures. It also marked the first time that they appeared interested in eating hard-boiled eggs (collected from locally-raised chickens, of course). Honey B and Willy B are now Easter eggs fanatics, although Mave doesn’t buy into the hype just yet.
Jody may have won the day, but Jamie won the evening. It’s currently after 8pm and Jamie just finished scouring Young’s Hill for the remaining produce. Just a half hour ago, she found a whole beet that was still hidden in the foliage. She finally allowed us to close the door and is settling in for a good night’s sleep, so I’m closing up the Chimp House and heading home.
Whether you celebrated today’s holiday or not, we hope that you had a great day. Stay healthy, everyone!
