Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee retirement

Super Lunar Vibes

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Some days, you just have a very good day. Other days seem to be good because of cosmic forces at play. Tonight is a Pink Supermoon. Meaning, the moon will be the closest to Earth than any other time this year (supermoon), and it also coincides with the Pink Moon, the name given to the full moon of April.

Today was a suspiciously quiet day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. All the chimpanzees spent most of their time resting or napping.

Negra spent most of her day napping in front of her favorite windows, covered in blankets
That is until a certain Willy B walks into the Chute and causes her roommates to go into an uproar, waking her up.
Burrito even spent most of his day laying back and watching his neighbors.

It was even a quiet day for Willy B, Honey B, and Mave.

Willy spent most of his day napping and lounging around.
While Honey B spent most of her day building forts and playing with/on the mirror.
Mave looked as thoughtful as ever.

Today, we also determined Jody is recovering tremendously and should have a play date. And what better friend to have visit you than Foxie?

When I first opened the door that separated them, they flew into each other’s embrace. They then engaged in a small game of chase before spending nearly all day grooming and napping with each other.

Whether today was just a good day, or the Pink Supermoon was emitting super lunar vibes, it’ hard to say. I’m just glad it was a magnificent day for the chimpanzees.

How to Speak CSNW

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A few months ago, a behaviorist at Chimp Haven wrote an enlightening blog post about the terminology that their staff uses when communicating with each other. They titled their post “How to Speak Caregiver” and used it to explain some of the stranger aspects of their shared vocabulary.

In general, the sanctuary community is full of variation that could be referred to as culture (if you subscribe to those kinds of labels, ha ha ha ha..). Just as chimpanzees exchange learned behaviors with others in their social network, so do sanctuary caregivers. This leads to distinct cultural differences between organizations. As existing personnel teach valuable skills to newcomers, for example, quirky behaviors and traditions often tag along. Some of these variants have become ubiquitous in the animal care industry, while other newer traditions are more common among sanctuaries than they are in other institutions. Due to decades of gradual exchange among facilities, the terminology at CSNW is largely consistent with that used elsewhere (e.g., “shifting”) despite some minor differences (e.g., Chimp Haven’s “wad” vs. our “wadge“).

The most fun and interesting of our vocabulary terms, in my opinion, are those that refer to novel innovations and are therefore unique to CSNW. The following post highlights some of my favorite items in our local “dialect” of the caregiver “language” (accompanied by photographs taken by our staff). Some of our regular blog readers may be familiar with these terms, while others may not. It is my pleasure to enlighten you all.

Troll Scarf

A collection of several plastic dolls (usually Troll Dolls but sometimes Dora the Explorer ones, too) that are tied into a wearable cloth item for enrichment purposes. The chimpanzees sometimes adorn themselves by throwing the scarves over their shoulder. This behavior, called draping, is also practiced by chimpanzees living in the wild. Without caregivers to provision them with troll scarves, free-ranging chimpanzees tend to use animal pelts (sometimes from monkeys that they’ve hunted) or leafy vines that they gather in the forest. Honey B, meanwhile, hasn’t caught onto the scarf phenomenon and prefers to wear unusual donated items such as sweaters and aprons.

Jamie drapes a troll scarf around her shoulders

Young’s Hill

The chimpanzees’ expansive outdoor habitat. Often referred to as The Hill, the 2-acre enclosure is named after supporters Don and Karen Young (who generously sponsored its construction). It was completed in 2011, although there have been numerous upgrades over the years. The perimeter of the enclosure consists of two rows of tall wooden posts lined with electrified wires to securely contain the chimpanzees. The fencing surrounds a hillside meadow that now features numerous man-made structures for the chimpanzees to climb on. Many of these landmarks each have their own names and stories (e.g., The Treat Rock, The Twister, The Escher, Negra’s Cabin, The Shaky Bridge, The Courtyard, and more). My favorite aspect of Young’s Hill is the panoramic view of the surrounding pastures, riparian wetlands and evergreen forests.

The vista from the middle of Young’s Hill

Gator Race

An exhilarating activity in which a human drives the John Deere Gator (our small farm vehicle) around the outside perimeter of Young’s Hill while one or more chimpanzees sprint around the interior boundary, seemingly trying to compete against us in a race. Missy is the fastest of the chimpanzees and has a habit of sprinting way ahead of the Gator (and the other chimps), leaving everyone in the proverbial dust. Jamie likes to hype herself up while the engine idles by standing bipedally and clapping before charging forward for short bursts. Gator Races are generally more interesting when the caregiver is wearing some rad footwear.

Missy races the Gator (from the Gator’s point of view)

Night Bag

A brown paper bag filled with small amounts of dry foods served to the chimpanzees at the end of the day. These are not only nutritious and tasty; they also stimulate the chimps’ natural tendency to selectively process foods and keep them occupied while we caregivers do evening chores. The most popular ingredients are dehydrated fruit, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, popcorn, and sunflower seeds.

Negra looking at camera with night bag
Negra devours a night bag

Going for a Walk

The act of strolling the perimeter of Young’s Hill alongside Jamie. Other chimpanzees sometimes join the caravan, but Jamie often does this activity alone. Jamie and her companions seem to do this for several reasons, the foremost of which is to patrol the boundary of the group’s territory. Free-living chimpanzees conduct regular patrols to survey their home range and wage war on neighboring groups. The walks also seem to serve as exercise for the CSNW chimps and help them to maintain a set daily routine. The walks also seem to have a prosocial purpose since Jamie will frequently use gestures to request that caregivers join her. Jamie is also a footwear enthusiast and appreciates patrolling with people who are sporting new and/or interesting boots.

Jamie walks in the morning fog

The Chimp House

The sanctuary’s main building that currently houses all of the chimpanzees. The original structure consisted of five enclosures (four front rooms and a playroom) as well as a small area for human activities. The Greenhouse enclosure was added shortly after the chimpanzees arrived and was followed by a connection to Young’s Hill in 2011. The first phase of a major expansion was completed in 2019 and gave us humans a foyer, bathroom, laundry room and vet clinic. Notably, it also included five new enclosures (three new front rooms, the Mezzanine and the outdoor chute) that enabled us to provide a home for another group of chimpanzees. The second phase of the expansion will include additional playrooms and greenhouses, hopefully allowing us to take in more chimps!

The Chimp House on a snowy day

Grooming Tool

A short length of plastic hose material used by the chimpanzees to manipulate the environment outside the caging. We keep a quiver of these (yes, it’s literally a quiver made of recycled firehose) in the enrichment storage area because they are an important, popular and safe item for the chimpanzees to have. Jamie, for example, uses them to prod and inspect footwear as the humans are wearing it. We wouldn’t want her to be grabbing anyone’s clothes or accessories with her fingers, so the plastic grooming tool is employed as a substitute. These grooming tools can also be used as fishing poles (for retrieving items that have fallen into the hallway just outside the enclosure) and as drinking straws (for taking sips or gulps of smoothie and juice). Other sanctuaries use instruments such as wooden spoons or bamboo sticks for similar purposes. At a few sanctuaries, caregivers call them “tickle sticks” (phrasing!).

Jamie inspects a caregiver’s boots using a grooming tool

The Foot Box

A small cubby that allows us to take radiographs (x-ray images) of chimpanzee feet and hands. J.B. conceived this idea last year during Burrito’s painstaking recovery and fabricated the steel frame in his garage later that afternoon. Now that the box is securely installed, the chimps are learning to place their extremities inside of it and remain still. Once the chimps voluntarily do this, we can acquire high-quality radiographs that can inform how we manage injuries and conditions. At first, Foxie used the Foot Box to store her dolls and Jamie was seen putting a wooden toy in there. In the past couple of weeks, however, the Foot Box has begun to serve its original purpose. Jody has cooperated with us by voluntarily placing her injured foot into the box and holding it there like a true champion. Today, we were able to send detailed images to Dr. Erin without having to immobilize, sedate or restrain Jody in any way.  Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, J.B. and Diana’s x-rayed troll doll may be one of my favorite images in the entire history of the sanctuary. That’s why they make the big bucks.

J.B. calibrates the portable x-ray machine while Diana rewards Jody for being cooperative earlier today. The images were acquired without sedation and will help us to evaluate how Jody’s toes are healing. (Note that Diana backed away immediately before the image was captured to minimize exposure.)

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If you can think of any other jargon that you’d like explained, feel free to comment here or on the corresponding Facebook post!

P.S. I owe a huge deal of gratitude to Chimp Haven’s Jordan Green for writing the original blog post that inspired me.

Chimpanzees are terrible at social distancing

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Even if we were able to explain to the chimpanzees that we thought it would be best for them to keep their distance from one another, I guarantee they would not be compliant. Chimpanzees are in each other’s personal space constantly.

When they are grooming, it can be difficult to see where one chimp begins and the other ends, like Burrito grooming Foxie’s back today:

Even chimpanzees who are more human-focused frequently want physical contact with their caregivers. We’re strict about safety and never want to put ourselves in the position of being harmed by a chimpanzee. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re even more strict as we protect them as much as we can from potentially picking up any viruses from us.

Jamie can still find ways to groom us, or more accurately, groom “her” boots.

As for isolation, chimpanzees don’t take to it very well.

When Burrito was in his long recovery a few months ago, he actually did remarkably well. It helped that he still had contact with his chimpanzee and human companions through the fencing every day and he was able to watch the group to keep tabs on what they were up to. I think he discovered some benefits to being alone, such as midnight bagel deliveries and not having to deal with other chimps during mealtimes. Still, he was more than ready to go back with his group.

Jody has been isolated from her group for the last few days while she recovers from her foot procedure. She too can interact with the other chimpanzees and the humans through the caging, but she’s less comfortable than Burrito with this temporary separation.

I’m sure many of you can relate right now as you isolate alone or with your family.

One of Jody’s favored activities is nesting, so we are providing lots and lots of blankets for her. She, in turn, is ripping up those blankets to create even better nests.

Today Kelsi put a big pile of blanket strips that Jody created in a laundry basket and we put it in front of Jody’s room so she could pick them out herself.

We’re trying to keep her busy, and maybe she’s learning that it’s okay being a spectator instead of in the mix with the other chimpanzees once in a while too:

I heard someone describe this period the world is going through right now as everyone isolated alone, together. We’re glad to be a part of your together.

Just Right

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If you are new to the blog, here are two things to know about the boss female chimpanzee Jamie: she loves boots, and she is constantly ordering the humans around.

You can see the force of her personality in these photos:

She’s also very particular about the things that she wants, and sometimes it takes the humans a while to understand what she’s asking for in a given moment.

Usually, when Jamie wants us to put on boots and walk around the outside of the outdoor habitat “with” her, she wants us to change into her favorite pair of boots du jour. We turn to the drying boots from the previous days enrichment or to her own personal boot and book closet to find the pair that she’s been most interested in lately.

Over the past twelve years, caregivers have worn various boot brands and styles. Right now, however, many of us are wearing XtraTuf boots. Kelsi, Anna, and Katelyn have a pair, as do I now. Chad and J.B. were the latest caregivers to upgrade to XtraTufs. Anthony still hasn’t succumbed to conformity. We have not received any funds from XtraTuf for this endorsement, but maybe they should send Anthony a pair so he will find out what he’s missing 😉

We female caregivers have the “Salmon Sisters” style that can be worn fully up or folded down to different lengths, revealing the unique fabric on the inside.

As with most fashion, there tends to be more variety for women’s styles, and Chad and J.B.’s boots are of the kind that don’t fold down to reveal fun patterns – they just wear them up.

A few days ago, Jamie got my attention and was gesturing for something. I assumed she wanted to go on a walk, so I pulled out all of the boots that I knew were favorites of hers, but she just continued to gesture empathically. After several minutes, I finally figured out that she wanted me to change into my cleaning boots, which I did, and we proceeded on our walk.

Today it was a similar routine, but both Kelsi and I were already wearing our cleaning boots, so we couldn’t immediately figure out what Jamie wanted.

Later in the afternoon Kelsi had a moment of insight and tried unrolling her boots to their full length.

That was it!

Jamie was off in a flash, with Kelsi happily catching up to her.

I wish I knew more about what goes on in Jamie’s head, but it’s always rewarding to figure out what she wants, even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense to us.

 

Chimping Ain’t Easy

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Prior to my arrival in Washington, I was a photojournalist for the better part of a decade. It was during one of my photography classes way back when that I was introduced to the term “chimping.” The term came about at the dawn of digital photography. It was when digital cameras were beginning to be used more frequently over film (though film cameras were still widely used). Chimping is when you take a photograph and immediately look down at the screen to see how the photo came out.

There are two explanations of how the term came to be. The first is if the photographer takes a good photo, looks down,  and sees it, their response is similar to a pant hoot. A series of “Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!” as they scroll through their photos. The second explanation is that if a photographer spends so much time looking at the photos they just took, they may miss something. The story goes that a photographer went to a zoo to take photos of chimpanzees. Every time he took a photo he would look down at his screen to see how his shot came out. As he did this, the chimpanzees would do some remarkable things, but stop once he brought his camera up to get photos.

So we were taught to never “chimp” our photos so we wouldn’t miss anything. That lesson has stuck with me even today. Though, admittedly, I will chimp from time-to-time to ensure I got a good shot. By using this method, I have taken a lot of “outtakes” to my blog postings. So I thought I would share some of my outtakes today.

Sometimes these photos are just by chance. Like this photo of Jamie which was taken last week as I was testing out another camera lens we have.

Some times I won’t use a photo because I catch a chimp in mid-yawn. Like this one of Honey B from a couple of months ago.

Or sometimes they blink the second I push the shutter. Like Missy here scratching her chin. She looked pretty thoughtful otherwise, but this is what the camera caught. I admittedly chimped after this photo and wasn’t able to catch her looking thoughtful because as you know, Missy is usually always on the move. An example of why chimping is bad.

Other times, the photos just don’t fit the overall flow of the blog post, but they are too good not to share.

Like these photos of Burrito eating chow after a recent forage on Young’s Hill, Jody waking up in the morning and checking out what is going on outside, and Honey B getting into Honey B antics.

I tried to take some photos today as well. I couldn’t think of how to piece them together to write a well-cohesive posting today. On any other day, they probably would have ended up in my outtakes folder. But they actually helped inspire me to share some of my previous outtakes.

When the chimpanzees got access to Young’s Hill this morning, it was a little chilly. Foxie sneered her entire time outside before retreating back to the Greenhouse.

Jamie held off on going outside right away and enjoyed her chow in the warmth of the Greenhouse.

On the other side of the sanctuary, Honey B made probably the best fort I have seen her make.

And per usual, Mave was just being a mixture of goofy, shy, and beautiful today.

 

Picnic on the Hill

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For us chimpanzee caregivers, climbing on the wooden towers and platforms of Young’s Hill is almost as fun as watching the chimps do it themselves. Elevation, exercise and nature- That’s my style of social distancing.
 
Maybe I shouldn’t assume that the rest of the team enjoys it as much as I do. However, there is certainly something liberating about standing high above the Chimp House and looking over the surrounding farmland at the evergreen-covered hillsides of Upper Kittitas County. From this epic vantage, I get the same perspectives as the red-tailed hawks that circle over the valley and the bald eagles that watch over the Yakima River below. As Chad and I recently discussed while doing chores around the sanctuary (because we’re nerds who talk about animal welfare issues), several animal care guidelines now acknowledge that having surroundings that are aesthetically enriching can positively influence individual well-being. I wholeheartedly agree, and I’m proud that this sanctuary gives chimpanzees the opportunity to have such a dynamic sensory experience. It’s impossible to quantify the enrichment value of warm breezes, bright sunshine and green grass (what is enrichment, anyway?), but it would be naive to think that the chimpanzees don’t appreciate having these experiences in their lives.
With all that being said, the Hill isn’t just for looks. It is also incredibly useful for allowing the chimpanzees to spread out, survey the landscape, and exercise. Because of this, we often do “forages” on Young’s Hill (like yesterday’s, for example). Today’s was a special one, though, because the official enrichment theme was “Picnic Day.” The chimpanzees received an eclectic mix of checkered blankets and plastic drinking vessels alongside their usual provisions and toys. Of course, the most enjoyable part of the picnic experience seemed to be the food itself. First, Katelyn chopped up baby iceberg lettuce, red bell peppers, fresh cucumbers and vine tomatoes. Then, Chad and I walked around the Hill, placing and hiding small caches of food on each structure and landmark. The chimpanzees then had all afternoon to search for hidden food and take in the breathtaking scenery.
I had prepared a video to show you all how it went, but this rural internet is abysmal right now; according to the current upload speed, it will be hours before it is ready to watch. Instead, I will have to show you some photographs of Negra that Chad captured today.
Negra eats sunflower seeds during this morning’s post-breakfast indoor “picnic” (or, as I like to call it, Second Breakfast). Negra is a hobbit.
Neggie also foraged for lettuce and chow while participating in the afternoon’s outdoor activities. She did sit in the cabin, however (presumably to block the wind).
I’m not making any guarantees, but I will try to get the other video out sometime in the next week or two! 🙂
P.S. For those of you reading and following along, please continue to use caution, practice thorough social distancing, and take care of each other by taking care of yourselves! I’m wishing all the best for you and yours.

Happy Thoughts

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Years ago, a couple of volunteers (Roszika and Andy) started something they called Happy Club.

A small group of us would meet at a local ice cream/coffee shop and bring a list of five things that had made us happy since we last met. We would read our lists out loud to the group. In the sharing of our happy moments, we increased happiness exponentially within the group (I’ve done the math to prove that statement).

The in-person meetings petered out when people moved away or got busy doing other things (I do hope they were resurrected once in a while), and Happy Club was moved to a virtual platform that still exists. People don’t post to it too frequently, but every once in a while I’ll see in my Facebook feed that someone has posted their list of five things that made them happy that week. It always makes me pause and puts things into a different perspective.

Today was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day. It’s not going to last – there’s even snow in the forecast for Monday – but today was like summer. It would have been a huge missed opportunity to not set out a lunch forage on the hill, but luckily I didn’t miss the opportunity.

Here’s a list of things that made me happy today.

Number 1: The sun. No explanation needed.

Number 2: The staff at CSNW. Amazing, I tell you.

Number 3: CSNW supporters. I received texts and emails of support and a couple of notifications of donations throughout the day. I love people who share my love of the chimpanzees!

I realize I mentioned #2&3 in my video from the other day. Those two probably would make my list every week!

Number 4: Burrito

Burrito started his day wrestling and tickling Missy, then Jody, then Negra. Nothing knocks him down. He remains full of playfulness, charm, and energy. I don’t know how he does it.

Number 5: Negra

Unlike Burrito, she is not often full of playfulness and energy (though when she is, it is a pure joy to witness).

This is how Negra started her day:

Doesn’t she look so cozy? She also looks like she could spend the rest of the day in bed.

But, she didn’t. She tore herself out of bed for breakfast, and she was out on the hill for the forage with everyone else, though her style is to take it easy while the other chimpanzees quickly go from place to place looking for food.

Seeing Negra outside in the sun should be able to make anyone’s happy list.

Pretty soon, the hill will be full of green grass and Negra will be outside partaking of one of her top ten happy things. I am so looking forward to that! It’s okay if we go through one more snow storm first to get there.