Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

In memory of Barbara

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This day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees was sponsored by Suzanne Van Ness in memory of her sister, Barbara Beck, who was born on this date 65 years ago.

Suzanne, thank you for your gracious heart in choosing to honor Barbara and her memory in such a compassionate way. You and Barbara have made a difference in the lives of the chimpanzees and we’re so appreciative to you both for that. May comfort and wonderful memories weave themselves around you today.

Missy and Annie:

Annie holding Missy’s foot:

Episode IV: A New Soap

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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

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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.

 

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

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Long-time friend of the chimpanzees, Rachel Ruggeri, sponsored this beautiful summer day of sanctuary in an inspiring celebration of her birthday:

“Today marks my 51st birthday and there is no way I’d rather celebrate than to honor my friends (chimpanzee and bovine) at the sanctuary. I take great comfort knowing that all of the animals at the sanctuary are living their best lives. That gives me hope and right now…that is what we all need.”

Happy Birthday, Rachel! Thank you so much for helping us fill all our days with the celebration of hope to be found in each day. We’re so grateful to you for all the good you help surround the chimps and bovines with. All of us here hope your day of celebration is a heart-filled one of joy and wonder.

Missy and Annie:

Burrito and Dora:

Honey B and Mave:

Willy B:

Honey, Betsy and Nutmeg (Meredith being her independent bovine self out of frame):

Meredith:

Meredith

Negra:

Foxie, Jody and Jamie:

Jamie’s Book Club

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It’s a cooker today and the chimpanzees on both sides of the building are enjoying their new fans immensely! Many of them have been camped out in front of the fans, building nests, completely relaxed as they doze off with their hair blowing in the breeze. A quintessential summer day. And it wouldn’t be summer without a summer reading list! I found Jamie blissfully relaxed in front of the cool air, clutching several of her choices.

Jamie’s summer reading recommendations:

1) Great Apes

2) The Art of the Boot

3) Jamie’s Salmon Sisters Boot Book (goes without saying – she still hoots daily every time we give it to her)

4) And really, anything with skulls, which Jamie is endlessly fascinated by:

Hope you all are enjoying some good summer reading as well (even if it doesn’t involve skulls 😉 )!

It’s super hot outside.

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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.

Annie
Burrito
Foxie
Jamie
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.
Missy
Negra
Nutmeg
Willy B

snippets of the day

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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.