Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

The Sunday Routine

November 3, 2019 by Anthony

It was another laid-back Sunday, aided by cooperative chimpanzees and incredible personnel.

We haven’t been doing any complicated projects or maneuvers on Sundays, giving our staff and chimpanzees time to focus on maintenance and recuperation before diving into the upcoming week. Today’s most exciting moments didn’t rival the excitement of Jamieween or the tension and chaos of an integration event. Even on our calmest of days, however, we still have to maintain and operate an intricate facility in order to manage multiple groups of chimpanzees with complex needs and preferences. Getting through each day requires a lot of teamwork, focus, and commitment among the humans.

Today, our staff had stellar assistance from two dedicated volunteers and two excellent interns. They carved and baked pumpkins, conducted safety checks, scrubbed floors, observed chimps, folded blankets, dehydrated fruit, and prepared enrichment for the chimps. (Thank you for your help, Courtney, Dusty, Katie and Rose!)

We also had two students undergo their first orientation so that they can begin helping us this winter. (Welcome to CSNW, Riley and Ashton!) With all the changes that have occurred over the last few months, we are beyond thrilled with how helpful and adaptable our volunteers and interns have been. It’s not an understatement to say that they are an integral part of the team.

As the humans worked hard to clean and provide care, the chimpanzees did chimpanzee things in the chimpanzee areas. Spaces such as the Playroom and Greenhouse don’t resemble an African jungle, superficially, but they serve a critical purpose; the interconnected enclosures provide a functional environment in which the chimps can engage in species-typical behaviors. At one point this morning, Willy B and Burrito proved that they can make a formidable duo when throwing enrichment objects across the open spaces in the Playroom. The explosive display provoked a boisterous response from the females on the other side of the wall. After lunch, however, the Chimp House was remarkably quiet and peaceful as the chimpanzees channeled their energy into positive social interactions.

Honey B and Mave continued to forge new friendships with Negra, while Willy B and Burrito kept lounging, eating and grooming together. The Girl Gang (composed of Annie, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, and Missy) spent the day socializing with each other, pant-grunting at the boys through the Playroom windows, and exploring Young’s Hill. I’ve included some snapshots of today’s activities at the bottom of this post.

We’re preparing to facilitate more meetings between chimps this week as we continue the gradual integration of the two social groups. It’s going to be an exciting week, so we’re appreciating the serenity and comfort of a lazy Sunday afternoon.

P.S. If you haven’t seen the news yet, there has been a critical setback in the effort to transfer the remaining populations of retired chimpanzees from biomedical facilities. Although it does not directly affect our future plans here at CSNW at this point in time, there is now a very real possibility that 44 chimpanzees will not be transferred to permanent sanctuary at Chimp Haven in Louisiana. I recommend the following articles to any of our followers and supporters who want to read further about the issue and be informed advocates for captive chimpanzees:

October 30 – Opinion – LA Times

October 27 – Article – NYT

Burrito grooms Willy B this morning in the Greenhouse.

Honey B grooms a scab on Negra’s backside. It’s not a glorious job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Negra playfully bites Honey B’s genital area during a rowdy session of wrasslin’.

Negra and Honey B exhibit goofy faces as they engage in some rough, friendly play.

Annie seems to enjoy a moment of solitude while sitting on the new structure on Young’s Hill.

Mave naps on an elevated bench in the front rooms.

Jamie looked back to make sure that her companions were following behind as she patrolled the boundary of Young’s Hill.

Mave intimately grooms Honey B’s face, even sticking her fingers in her friend’s mouth. Mave is an avid groomer and has a gregarious and outgoing personality around the other chimps.

Mave picks at Honey B’s face on a bench in the front rooms.

Connections Made and Lost

November 2, 2019 by Diana

Working at a chimpanzee sanctuary, I never anticipated the number of (human) people I would get to know. I like to say, because I believe it is verifiably true, that the chimpanzees have brought the most amazing people into my life.

No one has ever called me a social butterfly, but even an introvert like me has managed to develop unexpected relationships over the years with those who hold the chimpanzees in the hearts. I can’t help but respect people who love the chimpanzees. Even if I don’t know donors very well, I think about them often.

Because of our sponsor-a-day and personalized/memorial stone fundraising programs, we learn about the people (human and non) in the lives of donors who they love and, often, who they have lost. It’s an intimate view that we wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s something that is special way beyond the dollars that are generated to help care for the chimpanzees.

When donors themselves pass, sometimes we find out because relatives make donations in their honor and sometimes, because we’ve had a personal connection to them at some point, we find out like any friend or acquaintance would – through the heartbreaking announcements that those left behind make in order to inform everyone that someone irreplaceable is gone.

This year we have received far too many of those announcements. I don’t feel it’s the sanctuary’s place to pass along this information outside of the circle of people who are directly connected, but I’m so glad that we have ways to honor them in non-public ways.

To anyone who has lost someone this year, my heart goes out to you. To all of the donors who have passed this year, thank you for being the generous being you were and for spreading your light.

Today was a gorgeous day at the sanctuary. Before the humans arrived, I saw on the remote camera that Willy B and Burrito were sitting in front of a window grooming up on the catwalk of the playroom, silhouetted by the gentle morning light. These guys have been somewhat reserved with each other the last few days. There haven’t been any raucous games of chase or wrestling, like on Wednesday when they first got together, but today they had at least three quiet grooming sessions.

Mave, Honey B, and Negra spent some of the morning relaxing in the greenhouse before I shifted everyone to allow the “Girl Gang” to have some time on Young’s Hill.

J.B. snapped these winning photos.

Jody and Foxie having a moment of excitement together.

If you are familiar with our now rather-complicated building, you might wonder how Jamie, Jody, Foxie, Missy, and Annie got onto the hill without disrupting Willy B and Burrito. And the answer is, they did disrupt them. We decided it was time for a little disruption. The girl gang went out through the chute, right past the playroom where Willy B and Burrito were together.

They guys spied on them through the windows and did some (separate) displaying, but overall there wasn’t as much drama as I was anticipating, given that they haven’t seen each other in a while.

It was a good day.

Jamieween 2019!

October 31, 2019 by Anna

Today we kept half of the chimp house pretty low key and quiet so Burrito and Willy B could continue to build their friendship. Meanwhile, the “Girl Gang” celebrated Jamie’s 42nd Birthday in their upstairs Mezzanine space. Happy Jamieween everyone!

In honor of Jamie “Boss Lady” Chimpanzee!

October 31, 2019 by Katelyn

This amazing day of sanctuary was sponsored by Shirley Wooten, Chimpanzee Pal to the boss lady herself, Jamie, in honor of Jamie’s 42nd birthday today!! Shirley shared this really lovely note about her gift today:

“Happy Birthday Jamie! Thank you to her caregivers and to the supporters of CSNW for giving Jamie choices, lots of space, more freedom than she has ever had, and the enrichment her active mind needs. Thank you for giving her the opportunity to be the leader she was born to be, Jamie is a very special lady and I hope she has a very special day.”

Shirley, thank you SO much for thinking of Jamie and sponsoring her honorary Halloween birthday, or as it’s known here at the sanctuary, Jamieween!!

If you’ve ever had the honor of meeting Jamie here at the sanctuary or have gotten to know her through our daily blog, you know she’s one of the most intelligent, creative, amazing (and sometimes intimidating) people you will meet. To the Lady Trickster herself, Happy Birthday, Jamie! We could not be more in awe of, or in love with, you.

A win!

October 28, 2019 by Katelyn

We had a small, but big “win” today in the ongoing saga of introductions with our chimpanzee family. Burrito’s injuries had healed sufficiently to receive the okay from our vet, Dr. Erin Zamzow, to have a meeting with Willy B so we introduced the fellas 1:1 today. And while we had no idea how things would go, we walked them through one step at a time and just took things at their pace, based on what they told us they were comfortable with.

While Negra, Mave and Honey B were sequestered comfortably in the front rooms and Foxie, Jamie, Missy, Annie, and Jody were in Phase 1, we allowed Willy B and Burrito to spend a few minutes meeting at the mesh between the greenhouse and the front room where Burrito has been residing while he heals. Willy B pulled out all the stops in chimpanzee lingo and gestures toward Burrito; breathy panting, bobbing his head, allowing Burrito to approach at his own pace and showing nothing but friendly excitement and interest in meeting him. It took Burrito several minutes to work up his courage to approach Willy B, but when he did it was another very successful interaction where they spent several minutes intensely grooming through the caging.

Then the big step came of holding our breath and opening the door a fraction to see how each responded. With no signs of aggression, we opened the door up and gave Burrito access to the greenhouse with Willy B. It took Burrito a bit to feel comfortable heading out there with that big guy, but Willy B was calm and patient and Burrito finally followed his courage into the greenhouse. It took a long time for them to approach each other and when they eventually met it was brief and then they separated. Though they both continued to demonstrate positive, sometimes even playful interactions toward one another, they weren’t having contact. Which isn’t what you want to see. So we waited. And waited. And waited. And then…we heard it. Breathy panting! A welcome vocalization of greeting, reassurance and excitement. And when we peeked in they were grooming! They spent close to two hours like this! Eventually both were ready for dinner and everyone is back in their respective spaces for the night. But we couldn’t have asked for it to have ended better.

It’s important to remember that just because this first 1:1 meeting went extremely well, it’s absolutely no indication that subsequent meetings will follow suit. In fact, it’s pretty much guaranteed that a fight is going to ensue at some point. And as soon as we add any other chimpanzee to the mix, dynamics change again. But for now, we all needed a win. And more importantly Willy B and Burrito did, too. And did we ever get one.

The “bro-fest”:

It’s been a long day for everyone so we leave you with a few photos of the guys for now and a video to come tomorrow!

The Gang Goes Counterclockwise

October 27, 2019 by Anthony

Chimpanzees thrive on routine.

Of course, we don’t want every day to be exactly the same for them. As caregivers, we strive to provide the chimps with an enrichment program that balances variety and predictability, which is a never-ending challenge. The result is that we work hard each day to facilitate a range of new experiences for the chimpanzees within the framework of a regular schedule. Knowing what’s going to happen next helps the chimps to plan ahead, make choices, and be agents of their own comfort and happiness.

Jamie enjoys boomer balls, an enrichment device that we prepare once every few weeks. The chimps get some form of enrichment device each morning, but the type varies from day to day.

With so many new events occurring at the sanctuary, sticking to a familiar routine also seems to help the chimps adjust to each change. For example, even though Jamie and the Girl Gang are now residing in a previously unfamiliar area of the Chimp House, we still provide them with their favorite enrichment items at the same time each morning, serve their meals on the same schedule, and open the hydraulic gate each day so that they can explore Young’s Hill.

Fall at the sanctuary (Note: there’s a wild Nutmeg hidden in the background)

We’ve had some perfect fall weather for the past few days, and the Girl Gang (Annie, Foxie, Jamie, Jody and Missy) have been eagerly spending time outdoors. Just this weekend, J.B. and a group of committed volunteers built a new multi-level wooden structure on Young’s Hill. As Kelsi noted yesterday, the females were quick to investigate this new addition to their habitat. Even though nobody modified or enhanced the structure overnight, the girls needed some extra time today to reacquaint themselves with the new tower.

Foxie surveys the landscape from the highest perch.

Jamie conducts what appears to be an OSHA inspection.

Jody squats on the fresh grass growing around the tower.

Missy hangs out on the lower deck of the multi-tiered platform.

The new structure is located near the entryway into the chute. Now that they’re in the new area, Jamie and the others access Young’s Hill via the chute and therefore begin their patrols over on the southeast corner of the enclosure. Even though their patrols no longer start over by the Greenhouse door, they still walk in the same clockwise direction as they have since they first started exploring the Hill almost a decade ago. I have never seen them patrol in a counterclockwise direction. Just a few days ago, I jokingly asked J.B. if we could try to get Jamie to walk counterclockwise around the Hill with us. He dryly answered “No. You can’t do that.” We agreed that Jamie has a routine and it would be a crime to disrupt it.

So, when I opened the hydraulic door and the chimps hustled out of the chute onto the Hill, the unthinkable happened.

*** Imagine that the iconic jingle from the *It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia* title card is playing right now ***

Anna and I were quite stunned when all five of the females started plodding their way uphill along the southeastern boundary of the enclosure. Missy led the charge, of course, but Jamie seemed a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. She started to follow the others, then fell behind, and was soon looking back at Anna (who was watching the events unfold from outside the electrified fence).

Sure enough, Jamie returned to the bottom of the slope and began to patrol in her normal clockwise pattern, gesturing at Anna to follow along. She encountered the others about halfway up the northwestern boundary and it was hella awkward. As Jamie trudged past each of the others, they had to stop and greet each other with a touch and a chimp kiss. Then they all just stood there, lined up along the fence, and watched her defiantly continue up the slope on her own.

Jamie seemed a little off after that, because she abandoned her patrol, ditched Anna in favor of the Twister, and cut straight through the bamboo forest on her way back to the chute. Jamie can handle wildfires, social integrations and even snakes, but going counterclockwise around the Hill is too much.

This exemplifies the power of routine. Some chimps, such as Jamie, have personalities that seem to thrive on discipline and repetition. She likes to be in control. She did three patrols today, walking at the same pace in the same clockwise direction using the same path. The other four females, who tend to be more easygoing, didn’t seem scared by the idea of hiking the trail backwards.

Of course, there is the possibility that Jamie, like Derek Zoolander, cannot turn left. Let’s not rule that out.

A New Structure!

October 26, 2019 by Kelsi

A new structure was built today! We had a wonderful group, Thrivent Financial, come out and build this two-story deck! The chimps anxiously waited to see how it would turn out.

These awesome volunteers worked so hard throughout the entire day:

Before it was finished:

After:

We are so excited for this structure. I can imagine Negra lounging in the shade while warm summer air breezes by her or Foxie playing with her dolls at the top! I can also envision Mave, Willy B, & Honey B concurring their fears and climbing up this sturdy structure!

Jamie, Jody, Foxie, Missy, & Annie were able to go out and explore on the new play structure. Of course, a new structure means someone has to inspect it, which is what Jamie and the rest of the girls did!