Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee rescue

Happy Birthday, Foxie!

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This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by Tracy Headley in honor of her pal, Foxie’s, birthday! Tracy is a luminous soul who holds the chimpanzees in her heart and welcomes them into her life at every opportunity. She is such a good friend to the chimpanzees and humans alike, advocating however she can to make the lives of so many, better.

We would also like to thank Karen and Don Young for ensuring that today’s Dora the Explorer themed celebration is one for the records! Karen and Don have also been a big part of the chimpanzees’ lives and have made possible their amazing outdoor area, Young’s Hill. We have watched Foxie (with Dora and trolls) explore Young’s Hill this year like no other. Walking the perimeter with her caregivers, bravely testing out climbing structures, and often leading the way on adventures with her chimpanzee family. Karen and Don send this special message for Foxie:

“Happy Birthday to beautiful Foxie, the first chimp we met at CSNW and the reason we became involved with this amazing sanctuary. To witness the comparison of how you are today to how you were then is miraculous! We hope you have fun at your birthday bash and wiggle your toes at all of the food goodies and a new Dora doll! Happy, Happy Birthday! Karen and Don”

Tracy, Karen and Don, thank you so much for all you do to ensure the chimpanzees live the lives they deserve, filled with hope, dignity and love.

As we prepare to celebrate our beloved and endearing Foxie’s 39th birthday, we are filled with gratitude. Gratitude that despite all that she endured and had stolen from her during her three decades in biomedical research, she is full of joy, courage and love. All of which we are profoundly honored to witness, and share in, each day. Happiest of birthdays yet to you, dear Foxie! We love you!!

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We are so touched and grateful to all of you who have reached out to make sure Foxie and her family have a wonderful day. She has received new France Dora dolls, new troll dolls (including a France troll!), decorations, toys, and treats. It’s going to be quite the special bash for a special lady so check in later today to join in on the festivities!

Positive Reinforcement Training

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A few months ago, we began a positive reinforcement training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees. (Read JB’s thorough description in this blog post.) Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them. By teaching them to present certain body parts for inspection, for example, we will be better able to check on and treat wounds.

We started by teaching the chimps to touch a “target.” A target can be just about any object – we use PVC pipes with colored tape on the end. When a chimp touches the target, the caregiver who’s working with them presses a clicker (click = “good job”) and then rewards the chimp with a small piece of fruit or other treat. Once a chimp has learned this “targeting” behavior, we move on to asking for different body parts. The routine is the same – when a chimp presents the body part we’ve asked for, they hear a click and get a treat.

When we started this program in April, we invited Gail Laule from Active Environments to spend several days at the sanctuary training the staff on these positive reinforcement techniques. This week, Gail has returned to check up on our progress. Here are some photos from today’s sessions.

Jamie presenting her shoulder to Diana:

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Jody opening her mouth while working with me (Elizabeth):

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Annie presenting her back (Anna and Negra are on the right):

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Negra “targeting” with Anna:

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Negra presenting her shoulder:

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Participation in this program is totally optional. The great thing about PRT, though, is that the chimps want to participate. It’s a win-win. It’s enriching for them (and for their bellies!) and the cooperative behaviors they learn are going to improve their lives by allowing us to give them the best care possible.

Jody adopts a friend for the day

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Jamie and Foxie are well known for their longtime obsessions with boots and troll dolls, respectively. But occasionally one of the other chimps will develop a fleeting infatuation with a particular piece of enrichment.

Today, Jody has not let this Dora the Explorer doll out of her sight. She was carrying it when I greeted her first thing this morning:

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And she still had it when she came in from a lunch forage on Young’s Hill.

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At one point, she accidentally left Dora in the front rooms when she went out to the greenhouse, and when she realized, she ran back inside to rescue her. This afternoon she settled down with Dora to watch the happenings on Young’s Hill.

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Happy Birthday, Erin!

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We are so fortunate to have two of our amazing supporters sponsoring today’s day of sanctuary! This day was also sponsored by Erin McKenna, who has been part of the chimps lives for several years. Today happens to be Erin’s birthday and she is choosing to celebrate her special day by enriching the lives of the chimpanzees!

Erin, we hope you have a day fit for a Queen (Queen Negra, that is!). Thank you so much for all you do for the chimpanzees and for helping to ensure that all of Negra’s days are fit for the special person she is. We hope you know that you make a difference in all of the chimps’ lives and how much we (and they!) appreciate your support. Whether your celebration today includes a party, enjoying a peaceful summer day, or relaxing in a cozy nest (or all three), all of us here at the sanctuary wish you the happiest of days!

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Happy Birthday, Doug!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Natasha Yankoffski in honor of Doug Engmann! Natasha is a long-time friend and supporter of the chimpanzees who also works to help rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals. Natasha shared this lovely message about today:

“August 3rd is my boss’ birthday. He is a very kind, caring & generous individual who is very supportive of my passion for wildlife conservation. I wanted to give him a unique holiday present and what better way to honor his caring spirit than to ensure that your wonderful chimps live their days in a safe, happy & fun environment (with lots of good things to eat!).”

Natasha, thank you so much for being such a wonderful advocate for not only the chimpanzees, but all animals. We truly appreciate your desire to make a difference in the chimpanzees’ lives as you honor Doug today.

Doug, thank you for your support of wildlife conservation and the passion of those who advocate on behalf of so many special beings. We hope you have the best birthday yet and a day full of celebration and joy. You sound like a wonderfully special being yourself and all of us here at CSNW send birthday pant-hoots your way! Happy Birthday!!

Annie enjoying pea tendrils and corn on the cob (and lips 🙂 ):

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We are so fortunate to have two people sponsoring this day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees so please tune in later this morning to help us celebrate with our second sponsor! The chimpanzees have the best friends!

Testing Testing…123

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Hello to all the CSNW blog readers! My name is Anna Wallace and I’m the newest staff caregiver to join the team. I’m really excited to be going through training here and getting to know more about the Cle Elum 7! Today, as you may already know, is my first blog post. Not only is it my first blog post, but it is also my first time taking photos of these very photogenic beings. I thought I would share with you my favorites from the series of pictures I took this afternoon under Elizabeth’s watchful guidance.

Negra and her droopy lip.
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Handsome Mr. Burrito, lounging in the portrait studio.
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I hope to share many more photos and a more detailed account of my training in the weeks to come!

Grab bag Tuesday

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The chimpanzees are ultra low-key today. They have all spent the day relaxing this warm summer day and most everyone has been tucked away in their nests or out exploring Young’s Hill. On these kind of days it can be tough work for the paparazzi to get any photos, so one has to loiter in the hopes of getting anything. But eventually a few of the ladies were willing to oblige.

Jody, enjoying a relaxing moment in the greenhouse.

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Foxie was having fun running back and forth from the spigot to me with mouthfuls of water and getting pretty excited about me anticipating being spat upon (as is evidenced by her hair being pilo-erect). This is a favorite game of hers and though she didn’t spit any at me she does a pretty good job making you think she might. Which is, I’m sure, half the fun.

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And the beautiful Missy.

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