Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Pal

Forever Be Mine, Jody

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I apologize in advance if I’m going to sound like a bumbling fool in today’s blog. This one isn’t going to be easy for me.

My dearest Jody/Jo/JoJo/Joji/Farmer Jo. It hasn’t even been a full year since you left, and my only hope is to be able to formulate my thoughts in a coherent way to fully encapsulate just what an amazing being you have been.

Jody was born some time in 1975. Her records during this time were spotty, so it is believed Jody was likely wild caught. During the first 33 years of her life was spent with the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania. It was there Jody was lent out to different medical laboratories for hepatitis testing, including the notorious and (thankfully) now defunct Alamogordo Primate Facility. During her time in medical testing, Jody was used as a breeder, meaning she was forced pregnancy upon to her with the only intention for her children to become test subjects themselves. In her life, Jody became pregnant 11 times, giving birth to nine and miscarrying two. Her children Andrea, Bart, and Clay, were rescued by Save the Chimps. Her son, Levi, was rescued after a long fight to have him released after he was transferred from Alamogordo to a laboratory in Texas in stead of sanctuary. Thankfully, Levi was rescued and now lives his best life at Chimp Haven. Unfortunately, her other children, April, Adam, and Opy, were not able to experience sanctuary life and passed away before getting the chance. We currently do not know the whereabouts, history, or status of her remaining two children, Cliff and Taylor.

Andrea (Photo courtesy of Save the Chimps)
Bart (Photo courtesy of Save the Chimps)
Clay (Photo courtesy of Save the Chimps)
Levi (Photo courtesy of caregiver Ellen)

It’s obvious to me these kids got their good looks from their mom.

Jody arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in 2008 with the rest of the Cle Elum Seven. It was here Jody was able to live out her remaining days without fear of routine knockdowns and being forced into pregnancy to only give up her child. She gained the titles “Den Mother” and “Manager” to her group by caregivers because of the way she was able to ease tense situations or make a distraction from it. From my point of view, Jody seemed very fair when determining who was at fault starting a fight or protecting individuals who were unduly blamed by the rest of the group for causing a ruckus. There were countless times I witnessed Jody deflect the rest of the group’s attention from Foxie during a fight to herself, giving Foxie time to get away.

She also looked after Negra carefully. Jody seemed to know what would make Negra over stimulated or give her a scare, and do all that she could keep an eye on her and prevent any negative feeling Negra might feel.

Jody was a a master forager, hence the nickname “Farmer Jo.” If Jody did have a favorite food, it would be whatever food she got herself; something she was denied to do the first 30+ years of her life.  Jody loved to pick out her own food, whether it was food caregivers put out onto Young’s Hill or things that naturally grow on Young’s Hill.

And let’s not forget, Jody was the master nest builder of any chimpanzee that has called CSNW home.

And the Great Pumpkin Thief!

There are so many stories I could tell about my time with Jody. One though sticks out in particular though. It was during the summer a few years ago. Katelyn and I were standing right outside the entrance to the building. The sky was cloudy and the air was still. It was that feeling of right before a storm hits. Katelyn and I were looking out onto Young’s Hill and Foxie was about to set off on one of her own adventures. Out of nowhere, the was a blur that raced toward Foxie. It was Jody. Jody put her arm around Foxie and redirected her back to the indoors, looking over her should every few feet to ensure Foxie was still following. Not long after that, a thunderstorm hit. Katelyn and I summed it up Jody being the den mother that she was, running after Foxie and in her own chimpanzee way was yelling, “FOXIE! GET INSIDE!”

Note: This photo is not of the event described previously.

I only knew Jody for six of her 15 years here at CSNW. I fell and fell hard for Jody when I first met her. I mean, who wouldn’t? Always miss her. Everyday, when I walk into work, there will always be a part of me that feels it is missing. I can no longer get Jody’s enthusiastic bouncing to greet caregivers or kiss she would give me, especially if I had been a way for a while. I can no longer get lost in the sounds of her content of the low moan or “dinosaur noise.” I am self-aware enough to know I have not accepted or processed her passing, thus I haven’t grieved yet. (Side note: I do not recommend this avenue of approach. If you are going through a mental crisis, please seek help. There are many resources out there that can and will help.) I know eventually I will have to come to terms with everything so my own mental health doesn’t decline, and I’m hoping this blog is my first step toward recovery.

I was only part of Jody’s life for a fraction of it. She will, however, always be a part of mine for my remaining days on this earth.

I will miss and love you eternally, my sweet Joji. Grunts and hoots forever.

A big thank you to those who continue to be Jody’s Chimpanzee Pal:

Vicki, Monica, Chris & Lee Ann, Donna, Sandy, Sharlene, Sandy, Barbara, Rebecca, Amy, Jean, Laura, Shari, Jill, and Carole.

Though she is gone, she is not forgotten. You can still become Jody’s Pal in her memory by signing up here!

Be mine, Negra

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Negra is a grumpy old lady. I have a feeling she’s been a grumpy old lady since she was born.

Mind you, we didn’t even know Negra until she was 35 years old. We met during our first trip to the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania, back in 2007. Technically we didn’t even really meet her that time, because she hid behind the solid panel of her cage during most of the visit. My only memory of her from that initial encounter was the sight of her fingers reaching through the food slot, signalling that it was time for more peanuts.

During subsequent trips she started to come out of her shell, but only slightly. She was aloof, overweight, and severely arthritic. Her skin was ashen. In contrast to the others, who studied us intently, spat upon us, and even invited us to play, Negra remained largely disengaged. She seemed to have given up long ago.

Negra in lab cage

Near the end of our final visit, we emerged from the stuffy, windowless basement in which they were kept and removed our PPE. We sat on a nearby picnic table to cool off and began talking about what we thought life might have in store for Negra and her six companions once they made their cross-country journey to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Everyone agreed: Negra was in such a state that if we could just give her one year in sanctuary, we would consider it a victory. It felt like a big if.

For Negra, everything about her life in sanctuary was new. As far as we know, she hadn’t seen the sun or breathed fresh air in decades. As an infant, she had been captured in Africa and shipped to the United States for use as a biomedical research subject. She spent much of her life at the infamous Coulston Foundation in New Mexico, where she was bred to produce more chimpanzees for research and where she underwent regular dartings, biopsies, and surgeries as the subject of hepatitis vaccines safety trials. She had given birth to three children, all taken from her prematurely (and all, thankfully, later released from research as well – Angel and Noah now live at Save the Chimps in Florida and Heidi lives at Chimp Haven in Louisiana). When we met Negra at Buckshire in 2008, she was in a tortuous state of limbo: no longer leased to other laboratories for active research but needlessly confined to a barren cage nonetheless.

The sanctuary in 2008 was still a work in progress. But despite the outdoor area being still unfinished, Negra’s new home gave her room to walk and climb as well as sunshine and nearly endless vistas from every window of her two-story playroom. Somehow, seeing her in the environment of the sanctuary made her sickly state that much more apparent. At the lab, it was to be expected. At the sanctuary, and in the light of day, it was a shocking contrast.

We learned early on that Negra does things in her own time. And by that I mean some other time. Her bed—one of the many simple comforts she was never afforded—became a protective cocoon, the one place where she finally felt safe. We counted ourselves lucky on the rare occasions when she emerged from it to grace us with her presence.

Time passed surprisingly quickly in those early days. As the first anniversary of the chimps’ arrival rolled around, we toasted the fact that Negra had achieved her year in sanctuary. She had done it! And yet, rather than feeling like a the happy ending we envisioned, it started to feel more like a new beginning.

Two years later, we were able to complete the larger outdoor habitat where Negra, at the age of 38, finally stepped all the way outdoors.

It was a big deal to us. Her reaction, on the other hand, was a resounding big whoop…Bed was much warmer and softer, anyway, and far less chimpy and peopley.

But over time she would come to enjoy the outdoors as she does everything else: In her own way and on her own time. She only took advantage of the lower quarter of the 2-acre enclosure, perhaps fearing the thought of being so far away from the comfort and security of the familiar. Still, it was always exciting to catch her outside. Calls could be heard over the staff’s two-way radios whenever she emerged: Negra is outside! Negra is outside! Upon hearing the news, everyone would leave their tasks momentarily to watch her bask, however briefly, in the morning sun.

Negra has now had far more than the single year we had hoped to provide to her in sanctuary. In fact, she has now lived for over 15 years outside that hellish basement. And somehow she actually becomes younger with each passing year.

Last spring, as I was walking to the chimp house, I saw a lone figure moving through the tall grass at the very top of the hill, as far away from the building as you can get. I grabbed a camera with a telephoto lens and raced to catch up, partly to document the occasion but mostly because I couldn’t believe my naked eyes. When I reached the top I saw Negra atop the climbing tower, looking out across the Cascade Mountains and nibbling gently on a pine bough. At the age of 49, she was still recovering, still making progress, just as she does everything else: in her own time.

Of course, neither time nor experience in sanctuary have softened the old lady. Negra, now 50, is still a grump. And she’d still prefer the comfort of a warm nest to an outdoor adventure any day.

But who are we to tell a chimpanzee how to live? I’ll always find joy in witnessing those moments of courage but I recognize that sanctuary means different things to different people. For Negra it means peanuts and lettuce, sweet spring grass, a troll doll companion in the summer, peanut butter food puzzles, wrestling with her friend Burrito, a heaping pile of blankets, an occasional walk through the grass, and, perhaps most importantly, the freedom to choose among them as she pleases.

It’s a life made possible by those who have supported this sanctuary, with a special thanks to Negra’s Pals, Vicki, Monica, Chris & Lee Ann, Donna, Kathleen, Sharlene, Star, Stacey, Lorna, Jean, Melissa & Bruce, Jenny, and Alice.

You can be Negra’s Pal, too, and give this grumpy old lady the Valentine she deserves.

Honey B My Valentine

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With Honey B recovering from her eye injury, we felt it would be nice for her if she got first dibs on a brand new enrichment toy before the rest of her group. The Round Thingie from the Wildlife Toy Box was one of the items in this past Comfort & Joy auction. A huge thank you to long time sanctuary friend Monica B. for winning this item for Honey B and all the other residents of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest! Thank you so much, Monica!

Honey B was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) to mother Missy and father Herbie. Her mother, Missy, has been a resident of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest since the beginning and was part of the original Cle Elum 7. Honey B was taken away from Missy only a few short hours after she was born to be raised by humans. Her father, Herbie, was not only used in testing, he was also used as a breeder and sired a decent amount of offspring, which include Cy, Lucky, and Rayne!

Honey B, along with Willy B and Mave, arrived at CSNW from the now defunct Wildlife Way Station animal rescue in California on August 18, 2019. In April 2022, Honey B, Willy B, and Mave were integrated into a larger group of chimpanzees who also came from WWS. This group also included her half-siblings Cy, Lucky, and Rayne!

Honey B is a very intelligent and very intense individual. When she is getting to know you, she will stare you down to try to figure you out. Caregivers joke around that in these moments, Honey B now knows our social security number, credit card numbers, and what grade point average we got in 4th grade. She is ever observant and loves keeping tabs on the humans, hoping they will slip up at some point (see A Little Bit of Mischief, The Great Hose Heist, CSNW Candid Camera).

A new to you photo of Honey B with a forage bowl accidentally left in the Riverview Green House by a caregiver

The Honey B Stare was how I was introduced to Honey B. I remember it with crystal clarity. It was right after her quarantine period when volunteers were finally given access to that side of the sanctuary, which at the time I was still a volunteer. At this point I heard the hazing stories from other volunteers who served her a meal for the first time. From screaming to spitting smoothie at volunteers to kicking the caging to dominance displays, Honey B was not going to make it easy. I had to psych myself up before I served her lunch for the very first time.

The second I walked into the front room area, her eyes locked on me. The intimidation game had begun. I started with a carrot (a food item that is long enough to if she did try something, I would have time and space to react). Without breaking her stare, she let me put the carrot in her hand and she slowly pulled it through the mesh. She didn’t eat it right away. She just sat there staring at me with carrot in hand.

Finally she brought the carrot up held it with both hands, and snapped it in half and began slowly eating the top end. Keep in mind, she did not break her stare the entire time. This lasted the entire lunch service. It ranks up there of times in my life where I was genuinely intimidated and uncomfortable. Luckily for me, it ended well and she didn’t have any hazing in store for me, unless she’s playing the really long game… which I don’t think anyone would put it past her to play.

Honey B is such an amazing individual. Highly intelligent, very sweet but also very sassy, imaginative and fun loving,  and a woman who knows what she wants. It’s been such an honor to watch her be her individual self and making some new friends (I still think her and Lucky plan beforehand to throw a wrench in caregivers’ shifting plans so they can have the front rooms to themselves for play sessions).

Now that Honey B has more pals who live with her, she would love to have more pals from all over the world to become a Chimpanzee Pal and help keeping the gears in that wheelhouse of a head of hers going with more puzzles!

It’s impossible to not fall in love with Honey B.

And a huge thank you to all of her current Pals!

Monica, Sharlene, Darcy, Carrie, Barbara, Paulette, Sarah, Lana, and Alexsandra. 

Be Mine, Cy

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Cy is the leader of his family of nine chimpanzees. Contrary to popular myths about alpha male chimpanzees, he is kind, gentle, and caring. He is at times a reluctant leader—one whose dominant status has been bestowed upon him out of admiration and respect rather than being sought after and achieved for its own sake. But when called upon, he never fails to meet the needs and expectations of those who count on him.

Cy was born in 1990 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery In Primates (LEMSIP). He was taken from his mother and raised by humans, splitting time between the nursery playroom and a small cage suspended off the floor. He would likely have been subject to HIV or hepatitis vaccine trials but LEMSIP closed their chimpanzee research program in 1996 before he could enter the the adult wing of the lab. Cy was then transferred to the Wildlife Waystation in California, where he would live for over two decades. In 2021, he came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest along with his full sister, Lucky, and his half sister, Rayne, as well as Terry, Dora, and Gordo. A year later they were integrated with Willy B, Mave, and Honey B, who is also Cy’s half sister.

Cy at LEMSIP:

When he is isn’t called upon to lead his family, Cy can often be found sitting by himself in a corner, flipping through magazines. His favorite subjects are animals (but no cows, please!) and the latest celebrity photos from People and Us Weekly. He also loves spending time with his caregivers, playing quiet games of “tickle” or raucous games of chase. Among his favorite foods is corn on the cob—one of the few things for which he will exact a tax on his group mates (but even when he steals food, he does it in a kind and gentle manner!).

One of Cy’s most important roles is that of mentor and protector to his second in command, Willy B. His ability to accept Willy B’s anxieties and social challenges and approach them with patience and understanding is practically saint-like, and almost certainly a primary reason that Willy B has finally been able to live in the larger social group he deserves.

Cy’s new life at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has been made possible, in part, by his Pals Monica, Daniel, Aprile & Robert, Emily, Thomas & Ranu, Katherine, Matthew, Penelope, Fritzie and Tami, who sponsor his care. You, too, can become Cy’s Pal or give the gift of sponsorship to someone you love.

After all, it’s hard not to fall in love with Cy.

Keep the Love Going: Fall in Love with Cy!

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Yesterday, Grace re-introduced our blog readers to the Fall in Love videos and today I have the pleasure of highlighting that big lovable Cy guy!  For all the fun Cy facts and to see some more video of our magazine loving alpha, check out the video above!

We’ll be uploading this video to Cy’s Bio Page once all the videos have been featured, but if you’re interested in sponsoring Cy you can become his Chimpanzee Pal today!

Fall in Love with Willy B

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Happy Valentine’s Eve!

On Saturday, we shared the Fall in Love with Honey B video, so you’ve probably been anticipating this one!

For a little background in case you missed Saturday’s post: a few years ago we made ‘Fall in Love with” videos for all of the chimpanzees. Like right now, these videos were part of a February fundraiser highlighting the Chimpanzee Pal program. The videos are at the bottom of each of the chimpanzees‘ webpages.

I now present to you: Fall in Love with Willy B (see video above).

I anticipated a lot of slinky footage for Willy B’s video, and I knew I would enjoy putting it all together, but it was even more delightful a process than I had anticipated.

One thing you may have noticed from Willy B and Honey B’s videos is the lack of images and footage of them outside. That’s because they are still wary of the electric fence and are choosing not to go into their “courtyard” even when given the opportunity. This hopefully will change with time, and it makes our continued expansion even more important so that they can enjoy a large playroom and indoor-outdoor greenhouse space too!

Tomorrow is the first Valentine’s Day that Honey B, Willy B, and Mave will be celebrating at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Help us celebrate this special occasion by signing up to be a pal to one of the new three (Mave’s video is in the works) or to any of the chimpanzees at the sanctuary.

For a smaller donation, you can even be a Bovine Buddy to one of the three rescued cows or steer Nutmeg at the sanctuary (video to come before the end of the month)!  Pal and Buddy sponsorships help pay for the care of these unique and charming non-humans.

Thanks to everyone who already contributes to the sanctuary in a myriad ways, including through the Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy programs. Your donations are very much needed and appreciated!