Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Getting prepped!

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Exciting things are happening at the sanctuary! We are preparing to break ground on Phase 1 of our expansion plans! Today JB moved our temporary clinic/break room (AKA the Desert Fox travel trailer) just outside the perimeter fence to make way for the construction that is imminent! We also have a special groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Saturday and a date set for construction to begin early next month! We will post a more thorough blog update soon, with the details of what’s to come with our expansion, but for now enjoy these photos from today.

Ellie the elk was on hand to supervise the trailer moving process:

Annie, Negra, and Foxie investigating the new empty space in their view:

Here’s what their view looks like now! Next up, this shelter is going to be transplanted to a new location at the sanctuary. Stay tuned!

In memory of Ruth Syrop

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David Beckett sponsored today for the chimpanzees in memory of Ruth Syrop.

David, thank you so much for thinking of the chimpanzees in Ruth’s memory. We’re always so touched when someone chooses to remember and honor someone special to them by making a difference in the lives of others. I can’t think of a more wonderful remembrance and legacy of one’s life. We so appreciate your gift and so do the chimps!

Jody:

Missy:

Annie:

The joy of being Foxie

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Foxie has been full of spitfire and shenanigans today, her hair standing on end (pilo-erect) almost all day due to her seemingly constant state of joy and excitement. She’s been engaging us in wild games of chase, carrying a minimum of three dolls everywhere she goes, and just entirely enjoying her day.

J.B. captured photos of Foxie the other day during the celebration of the chimps’ 10th anniversary and Negra’s birthday, her and her new France Dora doll, out on Young’s Hill by themselves enjoying a spin under one of the structures in between foraging. Pure joy. Pure Foxie.

Sanctuary Livin’

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Well, today Jody decided she couldn’t leave the Greenhouse for us to clean because she was REALLY comfortable. I mean, I couldn’t agree more…

It was pretty hot today and even Jamie thought it was too hot to walk around the Hill. So she napped and stayed on patrol around the Chimp House…

Jamie even built a fort in the Playroom so that she could have her privacy, but still be able to watch what everyone was doing…

Burrito was trying to be on his best behavior with the ladies…

And Foxie and the rest of the chimps were really excited for mid-day shaved ice! It was almost too hot to play with dolls, but rest assure Foxie found a way!

The Tightrope Walkers

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Jamie and Missy have somewhat different life histories, but they definitely share some things in common.

 

Missy was born in a laboratory in 1975 and used both for hepatitis vaccine testing (and likely other types of biomedical research) and also for breeding. She had four infants, but she did not get to raise any of them.

 

Jamie‘s early life, on the other hand, is a little more of a mystery. We believe she was born in captivity, and we were told that she was raised in a human environment by an animal trainer for the first nine years of her life. She most likely was used within the entertainment industry. Perhaps she was trained to do tricks and loaned out for birthday parties, or maybe she performed in a circus or a roadside zoo attraction.

After “growing up human” during her formative years, she was then put into biomedical testing and, like Missy and all of the Cle Elum Seven, she was used for hepatitis vaccine research. As far as we know, she was never used to breed more chimpanzees.

 

One somewhat random thing that these two chimpanzees have in common is the joy they seem to get out of tightrope walking.

Given Jamie’s early history, you might wonder whether she was trained to tightrope walk as a youngster, and perhaps she was.

But Missy, as far as we know, spent her entire life before coming to the sanctuary in laboratory environments, and not ones that likely had ropes or fire hose or the room to tightrope walk.

In the wild, chimpanzees do a lot of their traveling on the ground, but, when in the jungle, they do traverse through trees and vines to get from one place to another and when playing, hunting, fighting (or running away from a fight), foraging for fruit, and finding a spot for a nest. With their opposable toes, they can grip branches and vines with their feet.

 

Most good captive environments for great apes include ropes or fire hose so that the apes can do what comes naturally to them. If you google “tightrope walk chimp” you will find all sorts of photos of chimpanzees and (apparently mislabeled) gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons in zoos and sanctuaries.

With chimpanzees who have grown up in laboratories, you really never know what they will be comfortable with and what they may decide to ignore or even be afraid of doing. We are unlikely to ever see Foxie tightrope walk, given her avoidance of non-sturdy surfaces, but we did spot Burrito trying out this activity for the first time earlier this month (sorry, we didn’t get a photo). They are all going for year-ten firsts lately!

Jamie and Missy, though, both seem to really enjoy this activity and will do it on their own apparently just for fun. I noticed recently that they do have different styles. I think this may have to do with their individual centers of gravity.

Missy is short and can glide across a fire hose without much need for outstretched arms for balancing:

 

Jamie, on the other hand, is long and lean and seems to rely on quite a bit of balancing assistance from her arms:

Whatever the origins of their common interest in this activity, I’m just glad they can now do it whenever they want.

 

In memory of Koko

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This special day of sanctuary was sponsored by our good friend, Meg Lunnum, in memory of Koko the gorilla, who sadly passed away on June 19th. Meg shared this lovely message about her gift in Koko’s honor:

“In memory of Hanabi-Ko, Japanese for Fireworks-Child (she was born on the Fourth of July), but she was nicknamed Koko. Koko the gorilla passed away last Tuesday. I am so sad. Koko was my first introduction to the great apes. Especially when she adopted a kitten, All Ball. Without Koko, I would never have been tuned into other apes, most certainly, chimpanzees. It is because of Koko that I am a huge fan of the Cle Elum Seven and Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Koko was such a wonderful ambassador for the great apes. National Geographic had this on their website: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/1978/10/conversations-with-koko-the-gorilla/“

Meg, thank you so much for thinking of Koko and honoring her life here today. Koko’s passing is such sad news. We extend our deepest sympathy to all those who loved and cared for her and know her loss will be profoundly felt.

Koko. (Image credits to The Gorilla Foundation via the BBC/PBS documentary, “Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks”)

And thank you for always holding the chimpanzees in your heart, Meg. From our hearts, thank you for the difference you make in their lives and the lives of so many of our fellow animals.

Negra:

Missy:

Jody:

In memory of Koko, a very special gorilla

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As you may have heard, The Gorilla Foundation sadly shared that Koko the gorilla passed away in her sleep on June 19th. People the world over have been moved by Koko and her story, as well as the two other gorillas at The Gorilla Foundation, Michael, who became part of Project Koko, learning American Sign Language with Koko until his passing in 2000, and Ndume, who was brought to The Gorilla Foundation from the Cincinnatti Zoo in the hopes of forming a bond with Koko, and currently still resides there.

As humans we tend to be intrigued, if not deeply passionate about our fellow great apes. We often see so much of ourselves in them, but also so much of them in ourselves. We are mesmerized by the beautiful, creative, unique, complicated, intelligent and emotional individuals they are.

We’ve been touched this week by friends of  the chimpanzees who have chosen to make a difference in their lives by sponsoring days of sanctuary as a way to honor Koko and the unique person she was.

Arva Roland sponsored today’s day of sanctuary “in memory of Koko, a very special gorilla.” Our hearts and thoughts are with all those who cared for and loved Koko.

Koko (photo credit to Ron Cohn and The Gorilla Foundation):

Arva, thank you for your compassion and for remembering Koko today. Your heartfelt gift makes a lasting difference in the lives of the chimpanzees and we appreciate you including them as you honor Koko and her life.

Negra:

Burrito:

Foxie and Jamie: