Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimp

Taking it as it comes

by

Today was a little different. I don’t think there’s any such thing as normal, ho-hum day in the chimp house, but some days stray more from the routine than others.

This morning we set up the Summer Lovin‘ party in the greenhouse. Big thanks to everyone who gave for Summer Lovin’ during our recent Summer Biddin’ online auction!

I chose to have the party today because I knew the chimpanzees wouldn’t have Young’s Hill for all or most of the day, and I figured they could use a party to distract them from this. It was for good reason – a team of volunteers were helping J.B. plant some new bamboo on the hill and hang new fire hose!

The party was a blast, and Anna and I took a lot of photos, which kind of put us behind schedule by a bit.

Below are just a few of the photos we took.

 

The beach-themed Summer Lovin’ Party set-up. Volunteer Lizz and Anna set up the party. The “cocktail” was fresh pressed watermelon juice and seltzer water.

summer lovin set-up

 

Negra with one of the beach ball pinatas:

Negra holding beach ball pinata

 

Missy with a lime, a cocktail umbrella, and a coconut:

Missy in windowsill with cocktail umbrella and coconut

 

Jody who got and held on to the top of the pineapple (you can see it sticking up behind the beach ball pinata – she’s holding it with her feet as she eats a peanut from the pinata):

Jody eating peanut

 

Burrito with a coconut and Foxie in the foreground:

Burrito and Foxie

It was fun watching the chimps enjoy their party as the volunteers were hard at work planting bamboo on the hill.

Saturdays is one of our disinfecting days, and that takes longer than just a regular cleaning, so the whole day we stayed behind schedule. Which was fine, really – the schedule is just an outline for the day, not something to be adhered to with fanaticism.

The good news is that the chimps did get to go out onto the hill in the late afternoon. We put out a forage of roasted corn, which was a big hit, tomatoes, and onions.

 

Annie on “round two” looking for more forage:

Annie foraging

 

Jamie enjoying the corn:

Jamie eating corn

 

After the dinner forage, Missy decided to check out the new fire hose and the bamboo. J.B. got these photos of her:

Missy sitting on new fire hose

Missy reaching for bamboo

Missy with new bamboo in mouth

 

And then there was Jamie, who needed to make up for the time she didn’t have on the hill today. So, I’ve spent the last couple of hours walking around the hill with her.

Jamie walking by the memorial walkway.

Jamie walking around hill, memorial stones in foreground

 

Sometimes it’s impossible to both please your boss and get all of your work done… so, I haven’t yet put together the video clips from the party with a thank you to everyone who gave summer lovin’ donations.

But that just means you have something to look forward to tomorrow!

Good night, everyone – from the Cle Elum Seven, who are all now sleeping, and their human crew.

Today is for Becca and Lars!

by

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Brian Kostol in honor of “the Beautiful Marriage of Lars and Becca Jorgensen.” Becca is a long-time dedicated volunteer caregiver and a good subordinate human at that. She spends much time catering to the every whim of our beloved boss, Jamie, and always brightens all the primates’ days. More recently, we’ve also gained Lars as an amazing volunteer in the chimp house! We are so grateful for the commitment and compassion these two bring to the sanctuary and the chimpanzees’ lives.

We know the chimps are considered as family to Becca and Lars and through Becca’s beautiful artwork and creativity, they even made sure that each of the chimpanzees were represented at their wedding as a way for them to be present and share in their special day.

Brian, thank you so much for such a meaningful gift in celebration of the Jorgensen’s marriage and for making a difference in the lives of the chimps they hold dear.

Becca and Lars, we’re so happy for you! Thank you so much for everything you do for these amazing chimpanzee people. We are all so glad to have you as part of our sanctuary family and wish you a life of “hope, love, home and sanctuary.”

Boss lady, Jamie, was in heaven when she received new boots from Becca:

web_Jamie_lie_in_blanket_nest_wear_boot_from_volunteer_Becca_look_at_camera_PR_ek_IMG_2776

The other side

by

It would be easy to compare groups of chimpanzees to the mafia. Or to middle school cliques, for that matter.

Sometimes I worry that we don’t talk enough about this side of chimpanzees.

The side that may seem to contradict the gentle, curious, charming, loving moments, like these photos I took today of Foxie, Burrito, and Missy grooming:

Foxie and Burrito grooming

Missy, Burrito, and Foxie grooming

 

Or this photo of Foxie with a Dora doll, out exploring the hill:

Foxie holding dora

 

It is absolutely the truth that chimpanzees are caring, loving, warm, goofy, playful, and amazing. And it is absolutely the truth that chimpanzees are brutal, violent, scheming, and dangerous. Often, it is the very bonds that they exhibit with one another that is the flip side of their capacity for violence.

It’s just like humans, when you think about it.

We, like them, constantly separate ourselves into groups – whether the group is a biological family, a mob family, a nation, or a preteen clique. This separation, by definition, means there are those in the group, and then there are those out of the group.

Humans, like chimpanzees and other primates, develop a loyalty to our chosen or assigned group – a need to protect the group from outsiders or any potential harm and a drive to defend our collective territory and resources.

In many ways, I admire this when I observe it in the chimpanzees at the sanctuary. Take Missy, for example. You might not know this, but this 100 pound petite goofball of a chimpanzee can be extremely intimidating:

Missy cool bridge

Missy will defend her group, and Jamie, the group leader, like no one I’ve seen before. When the chimpanzees first arrived in 2008, the humans were definitely the out-group, and Missy reminded us of this frequently. If we attempted (innocently) to pick up dropped food on our side of the caging, Missy would come flying out of nowhere, land directly in front of our face clinging to the caging, scream, and shake the steel. The other chimpanzees would immediately back her up and join in by threat barking and screaming and sometimes spitting water (Jody would almost always go to a fountain and get a huge mouthful of water).

It wasn’t a good feeling when this happened, but I felt it was good sign. First of all – these seven chimpanzees  had every right to hate humans. They didn’t hate us, but they certainly had that right based on their past treatment by our species. Second – it really illustrated how solid they were as a group, and these instances probably helped them feel more united in this strange new home.

Missy rarely jumps at us these days. After a few months or maybe a year or so, she seemed to feel less threatened by us. I pick up food in front of her and Jamie all the time, and she now knows I’m just going to give it to her once I pick it up. Plus I’ve learned on an individual basis what each of the chimpanzees is comfortable with, and what they aren’t.

New caregivers have to be more cautious. Trust is not automatic – it has to be earned between primates. And caregivers have to always be on our toes. I know plenty of humans who have been injured by chimpanzees; it happens in a fraction of a second.

We have many rules in place and a very extensive training period for new caregivers. Our basic philosophy is to never put ourselves in a place or position where we can be hurt.

We have a deep respect for each of the chimpanzees – all sides of them, and it’s not our job to try to fit them into our rules of behavior, but rather to respect theirs.

 

Trolls becoming real

by

From the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams: “Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Here’s a troll doll who is in the process of becoming real, thanks to the love of one Foxie Chimpanzee:

Foxie on structure

Foxie walking with troll in mouth

Foxie behind grass with troll doll

Foxie with troll in mouth

 

Chimpanzees and insect eating

by

When I started to write this, J.B. was leading a Summer Visit tour:

JB giving presentation

I’d be willing to bet that one of the things he explained is what we put in the termite mound / treat rock on Young’s Hill. Generally, what we say is that the termite mound mimics ant hills or termite mounds that chimpanzees encounter in the wild, and we provide the chimpanzees with tools to access the goodies inside. It’s great enrichment because it involves tool use and problem solving, and it taps into natural chimpanzee behavior.

The difference, we explain, is that chimpanzees in captivity do not appreciate termites and ants! They react to “bugs” the same way most industrialized human cultures do – as a nuisance, but definitely not as a source for food. And that is why, instead of insects, we put things like mashed up bananas and/or peanut butter in the mound for the chimpanzees to fish out.

The chimpanzees, however, have a way of proving what we say to be wrong. I still don’t think that any of the chimpanzees would appreciate it if we put insects in the pvc tubes that screw into the termite mound, but Jamie and Missy have recently discovered a surprising delicacy – wasp larvae.

This is doubly surprising, given that the chimps certainly do not like wasps, and Jamie has been stung before. Apparently, that risk is worth harvesting this new treat. I wonder how they even discovered that the nests contained something they would like!

Here are a few photos I managed to get of Jamie with a nest that she brought in from Young’s Hill:

Jamie with a wasps' nest

 

Jamie with a wasps' nest 4

 

Jamie with a wasps' nest 3

 

Watching her, it wasn’t entirely clear to me how much of the larvae she was eating, because she seemed to be selectively eating some parts and not others, but she was clearly enjoying the experience:

Jamie with a wasps' nest 2

 

I haven’t been able to capture any photos of Missy with wasp nests, so you’ll have to take my word that she is very excited when she has a nest, perhaps even more so than Jamie.

 

Speaking of Missy, it’s her 40th birthday tomorrow!!!

Missy on the hill

Above is a photo of Missy from today as she took a rest before running the perimeter of Young’s Hill.

 

I defy anyone to call Missy old – she has one of the youngest spirits I’ve known in a chimpanzee. Whether she is searching for wasp nests, running like mad, wrestling with her BFF Annie, or demanding garden tomatoes, she demonstrates, daily, a sense of freedom that she’s found in her second chance at life (read this blog post from 2014 about Missy’s quite literal second chance).

We will be having a big celebration for Missy 40th tomorrow, so be sure to check here on the blog for photos of the party and wish her a happy birthday!

Love on a Windy Day

by

Three members of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest family had weddings today – the brides are new staff member Anna and dedicated volunteer Becca, who is marrying Lars, also a volunteer. I wanted to wish them a special congratulations using photos of the chimpanzees taken on this windy day, so here goes:

Anna & Andy and Becca & Lars, may your love be…

As sweet as Annie:

Sweet Annie

 

As endearing as Burrito:

Burrito with amazing shoulder hair

 

As playful as Foxie:

Foxie carrying Dora

 

As strong as Jamie:

Jamie standing on structure

 

As unique as Jody:

Jody with hands full

 

As loyal as Missy:

Missy with sunflowers

 

And as inspiring as Negra:

Negra with green onions

 

A little backstory on the photo of Missy above – in honor of the couples, I put out two sunflowers from the garden as part of the chimps’ lunch forage. I expected Jody to be the one to get them, but it was Missy!

Here are a few more photos:

Missy retrieving sunflowers

Missy leaving the treat rock

Missy carry her stash Missy carrying her stash 2

 

Happy wedding day to all four of you!

 

Foxie’s 39th!

by

Today we celebrated Foxie’s 39th birthday! It was a day filled with some of her favorite foods – lots and lots of fruit, fruit smoothie in shot glasses…

Foxie found a smoothie shot on the hill:

Foxie with a smoothie shot

Foxie drinking a smoothie shot

plus there were carrots, celery, more fruit, avocados, sweet potatoes, corn, and fresh-pressed carrot & apple juice!

 

There’s a video below, but first a few shots of the chimps enjoying the celebration in their own way:

 

Burrito looking for food:

Burrito searching for food

 

 

Annie chillin’ in the hammock:

Annie chillin in the hammock

 

Negra getting that last bit of coconut from the cup:

Negra with cup

 

Jody in her characteristic belly-to-the-ground position, finishing her meal:

Jody belly down

 

And Missy, who was not going to let a bit of the flaked coconut that was in this piñata go to waste.

Missy holding pinata

 

Not one…

Missy with her head in a pinata

 

 

little bit

Missy with her face in a pinata

 

There were several people who contributed to Foxie’s celebration, including Karen Young who provided decorations and money for food, Tracy H. who sponsored the day, Jayne R., and many people who sent Foxie Dora and troll dolls. Thanks for making her day special!

Enjoy the video!