chimpanzee retirement

Episode IV: A New Soap

July 30, 2020 by Anthony

Okay, so it isn’t Episode IV. It’s not actually the fourth in a series of anything. Furthermore, the soap isn’t even new soap.

However, this blog post is something like an episode and it does indeed contain soap, so there’s all that to consider. I think my stupid pun works for the title, and I would appreciate it if nobody complains. Keep your eye-rolls to yourselves.

Today, the chimpanzees were particular about whether or not they wanted to shift out of enclosures. Shifting is a necessary step that allows us to safely clean the areas and resupply the chimps with enrichment materials, but we sometimes need to work around the decisions that the chimps make. After all, we can’t make them leave an area if they don’t want to. This morning, everyone was out of step- especially with Jody recuperating in Front Room 1 after yesterday’s procedure, sweltering outdoor temperatures and the construction crew hammering away outside of the new wing.

[Note: Jody recovered quickly, as she usually does, and was eager to socialize with her friends through the mesh today! She spent the day eating, watching movies and lounging in front of the fan.]

Because Willy B., Mave and Honey B. were reluctant to leave the chute this morning, we had to clean their indoor rooms in an unusual order. The three chimpanzees still had access to Front Room 5 as we cleaned Front Rooms 6 and 7 right in front of them. Honey B. isn’t one to be left out, so we created a cleaning station for her that, unlike the tool sets that the humans use, was durable and safe enough to be given as enrichment. The kit consisted of a sandbox filled with soapy water, various brushes, and a couple of towels. We are aware that Honey B. has an affinity for cleaning, so this setup is far from novel. Still, it kept her busy while we completed the daily chores.

Honey B. seemed to have a blast, although Willy B. and Mave were mostly indifferent. Mave preferred to lounge in the corner with a plastic toy and Willy B kept trying to see his reflection in the camera lens. These three chimps are a great example of how the efficacy of enrichment items varies among chimpanzees, especially those with different backgrounds and personalities.

Grooming to the Greenhouse Rock

July 28, 2020 by Chad de Bree

Today wasn’t as sweltering as it had been the past couple of days. There was even a slight (and I mean slight) cool breeze that rolled through in the afternoon. While there was a reprieve from summer’s scorch today, only a few decided to make use of the cooler weather and breeze in the Greenhouse, while the rest remained inside.

Jody would take glances at Young’s Hill to decide if she wanted to go out or not. She ultimately decided the Greenhouse was better.

Foxie also decided the bottom platform in the Greenhouse structure was the best place to relax and enjoy the breeze blowing through.

Mildly lower temperatures and a cool breeze seemed like the optimal conditions to have a grooming session between two friends.

You may be wondering who else was in enjoying the Greenhouse. Well let me build this up for everybody as a Behind the Scenes of Being a Caregiver:

Imagine being the lead caregiver. You hit the point of the day where you want to get photos to include into today’s blog. You grab the camera and proceed with your search for chimpanzees. You notice sweet little moments such as above of Foxie and Jody grooming. Then you hear it. The Bronx cheers grow ever louder and louder. The stomping of feet gets closer and closer. And out of your peripheral vision, just a furry blur. You look to see who is coming, but you already know 100% who it is and what they want.

The Bronx cheers. Stomping of the feet. Kicking of the mesh caging. “This is not photo/blog time! This is play time!”

Not to miss this sweet moment between Foxie and Jody, I had to ask Caregiver Kelsi if she could tag in for me and keep this man occupied.

It worked! Burrito got to play and I was able to get the photos of Foxie and Jody. After a short bout of play with Kelsi and I, Burrito subsided.

He even joined in grooming Foxie.

It’s super hot outside.

July 26, 2020 by Anthony

Well, maybe it’s not that hot.

Today’s temperature is actually only a few degrees above Cle Elum’s average for July, and we’ve had much hotter days recently with even more blistering heat ahead. Still, there was something about today’s weather that slowed everyone down by half and made the shady indoor areas feel twice as good.

The chimps spent most of the day alternating among the preferred indoor nesting spots in what seemed to be an odd game of “musical chimps.” The only exceptions were Jamie and Burrito, who made their caregivers playfully chase them for a few minutes at a time. Even they seemed a bit more subdued than usual, though, and each found some creative spots to hunker down for a prolonged afternoon siesta.

To make the chimps’ midsummer naps even sweeter, the staff set up the shiny new electric fans that were kindly donated via our Wish List. These fans may seem trivial, but they’re helping us to keep the chimps healthy. Although the data are still thankfully deficient, it seems likely that captive and free-living chimpanzees are susceptible to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. As we’ve mentioned on the blog, the sanctuary has been closed off from visitors and most volunteers and the essential personnel have been limiting their social interactions while wearing extra personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, scrubs, etc) around the chimps. We’ve also been trying to keep the building well-ventilated to help disperse any respiratory particles that we exhale, but it’s tough to keep such a large space open and cool (especially on days that lack the trademark winds of eastern Washington). Tomorrow, the ambient temperature is expected to approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the chimps will probably appreciate the gentle breeze created by the new appliances.

Here are some snapshots from today.

Jody (left), Jamie (center) and caregiver Katelyn (right) hang out in front of the fan. Katelyn also used a small handheld fan to help Jamie cool off.

snippets of the day

July 25, 2020 by Diana

The video above shows a few things that some of the chimpanzees were up to during random moments of the day.

The willow and the cattails that the chimpanzees were enjoying grow wild on the sanctuary property. The cattle love to browse the willow too – creating some funny-shaped willow trees.

I didn’t get a photo of it, but, to my surprise, Mave really liked the cattails. She ate the brown flower first and then stripped and wadged the stem like Jamie was demonstrating in the video.

I hope everyone reading this had a good Saturday, even if it didn’t include wadging cattails.

Blog Title Under Construction

July 21, 2020 by Chad de Bree

There was a lot going on today, meaning there were a lot of distractions. With the construction of Phase 2 underway, the chimpanzees are ever so curious about what is going on right outside of their walls.

When Missy was given access to Young’s Hill, her first order of business was to try to get a better view of what all the commotion was all about.

It was also a hot day today, with today’s high at 92°. So after she got a look at the progress being made around the sanctuary, Missy headed in to cooler locations like the Greenhouse.

The California Three were also given access to their outdoor Chute for the first time since construction began. Though they have a front and center seat to watch everything form their windows in their front rooms, they wanted a full spectrum look from the Chute.

Honey B was the first to inspect the newly excavated area.

And Mave soon joined her.

One area being built as part of Phase 2 is a new playroom for Mave, Honey B, and Willy B. Now that construction has begun on expanding their home, hopefully time will seem to fly by and they can enjoy their new area.

Jamie Helps with Renovations

July 18, 2020 by Diana

Today was full of excitement. It started with a breakfast forage on the hill for the group of seven. While you might not choose to eat lettuce for breakfast, the chimpanzees were pretty thrilled with it.

We just got back our long telephoto lens that supporter Kathy Cochran donated to us many years ago. We’ve been having trouble with the focus so I sent it in to be repaired. It was expensive, but so worth it. They must have cleaned everything too because the photos are not only in focus but vibrant.

J.B has been working really, really hard this last week repairing and renovating the playroom. The other staff have lent a hand here and there, but he’s put in the bulk of the work and all of the worry about whether it will withstand the test of Jamie (see video above).

I decided that the chimpanzees needed something special for dinner after putting up with us all week, so I made some waffles out of the “dust” from their primate chow mixed with blended bananas, raspberries and soy milk. According to Kelsi and J.B, the waffles received 9 out of 10 thumbs up from the chimps. Willy B politely took a bite, but then just as politely put his waffle on the floor.

I keep looking at the camera monitor and having to do a double-take on the playroom. The light is streaming in and I hear Jody ripping up blankets to make her nest.

That’s probably my cue to get out of here and, like the chimpanzees, have a nice long sleep tonight after a long week.

Happy World Chimpanzee Day!

July 14, 2020 by Chad de Bree

Together we can ensure that captive chimpanzees have a better life. Together we can save wild chimpanzees in their forest homes.

– Jane Goodall

Today marks the 60th anniversary Jane Goodall first stepped foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. Jane Goodall and researchers who have followed her footsteps have studied the members of the Kasakela Community for 60 years at what is now called Gombe National Park. The research station now holds a Guinness World Record for the longest-running study of any wild mammal.

What set Jane Goodall apart from her colleagues at the time was she held no formal higher education degree. She was a woman. And she committed a scientific crime at the time: she named the Kasakela chimpanzees instead of assigning them numbers. Researchers were adamant about not giving chimpanzees names because it would indicate chimpanzees had things such as feelings, choice, and personalities. Flash forward to present day, there are few who would argue a chimpanzee does not posses these qualities.

I think about my entrance into the Pan troglodytes world and where I have been to where I am now. I was originally studying political science during my undergraduate studies. Long story short, I took an anthropology course, found out primatology is a sub-branch of the field, found out even further there is a lot of crossover between political theory and what we now know of primate social behavior, including chimpanzees of course. After I bit the bullet and took on another degree in anthropology, I applied to be in the Gombe Chimpanzee Lab at Arizona State University. My job was to receive photos coming in from the field and use a new state of the art process to gather measurements of the individuals of the community. The process (known as photogrammetry) is a way researchers can now track the growth of particular individuals without using a darting method. Even at my inception into chimpanzee studies, I have never known a chimpanzee by a number. They have always had names, and asking those who have studied them longer and in the field, each one was unique in their own personality and decision making process.

Though I had a grasp of this thought early on into my studies and career, it wouldn’t really hit me until 2017 when I was an intern here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. It’s one thing to hear and sort of know each chimpanzee is uniquely different from the next, but to see it firsthand is another story. Personally, I don’t think anyone can mentally prepare themselves to truly comprehend just how individualistic each chimpanzee is until they spend some time with them. It is that individual factor that makes being a chimpanzee caregiver at a sanctuary such an incredible joy, yet at the same time a challenging task. Trying to balance and cater to 10 individual personalities is a very tricky feat, so we try extremely hard every day to find that balance. Some days are a great success, other days we may fall completely flat.

Knowing them as individuals affects how we care for them on a day-to-day basis. We, as staff, spend everyday with the 10 unique individuals who reside here. Since we know them, we want to make sure we clean their enclosures not just quickly, but thoroughly as well to give each of them access to as much clean area as quickly as possible. We do put a lot of thought into what we prepare for their meals and try to think of what each individual likes and doesn’t like to find a balance among all 10 so everybody is happy. And we brainstorm to think of enrichment puzzles that are not too hard for some, but also not too easy for others to help them not become bored. We do this because we want to do better for them.

So to every caregiver who has had the honor of knowing a chimpanzee, to every researcher who has had the privilege of studying chimpanzees, to every person who has ever supported a sanctuary chimpanzee, to Jane Goodall, but especially, to every chimpanzee past and present, Happy World Chimpanzee Day!