Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (Playin’)

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We are really appreciating the break from the intense summer heat here in Cle Elum and the chimps seem to be enjoying it too. Both groups enjoyed a lunch forage today that included strawberries, blackberries, fingerling potatoes, bell peppers, and whole heads of baby Iceberg lettuce! All day today the chimps have been grooming and playing (mostly playing) with each other- so it’s been a pretty good day. Check out the video for more. 🙂

Two days ago, J.B. wrote about Willy B’s procedure. We’re happy to report that he went back with his group first thing yesterday morning and is doing great! We are so grateful to Dr. Erin and the team of professionals she brought together to help us ensure that we are giving Willy B the best possible care he can receive.

Photos from Today

Annie, looking out to Young’s Hill before breakfast this morning:

Burrito during the lunch forage on Young’s Hill:

The cattle are also enjoying this weather in their extended summer pasture!

Gordo, before a game of chase:

Jamie really putting in work during the lunch forage:

Rayne looking out through the Riverview Greenhouse:

A Classic Chimp House Caper

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It’s time to grab your bowler hat, trench coat, and magnifying glass- we have a chimp house caper to solve.

We here at CSNW are not immune to pulling the occasional prank on our coworkers. Hiding food is not uncommon, or leaving things in funny places for the next morning crew to find (like Kirk, our fun anatomically accurate skeleton). The thing that sets this caper apart is the fact that we have gone almost a month without identifying the perpetrator. We all have our suspicions and the discussion on who we think did it has found it’s way into our bi-weekly staff meetings, morning meetings, staff group chats… You get the picture. It’s slowly infiltrating every part of our day.

What is this caper you ask? Great question.

Let me set the scene.

About a month ago, it was a normal day in the chimp house. No one seems to know who was all here that day, but I think it was a Thursday. One moment, everything is fine. The next, someone (I think J.B. or Chad?) noticed a new item on the white board in the foyer. On an unassuming white piece of paper, in a new laminated sheet, was a Human Enrichment Calendar. We have chimp enrichment calendars, yes- two to be exact. But this was the first appearance of a Human Enrichment Calendar. Each day it listed a staff member with a task to do that was not, nor has ever been, on our daily task lists. From disinfecting every single enclosure in one day, to making a whole month’s worth of paper braids, to raking the driveway (it’s not a short driveway), every day was a new humbling activity. See for yourself:

Evidence Presented to the Court #1:

There’s one thing that stands out the most from this calendar. It’s that a certain staff member has a certain type of task each day that they’re listed that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.

Evidence Presented to the Court #2:

Now, it being a Thursday, no one was on their weekends. So either a staff member was in the chimp house or having office time, but there would also have likely been volunteers on site as well. We briefly discussed dusting for fingerprints, but the laminated sheet was clean. The perp knew what they were doing.

So far, all have claimed innocence. Jenna is adamant that she is being framed, Chad argues that just because he is the enrichment coordinator doesn’t mean he did it, I was in office time so my alibi is working from home (my dog, Pongo, can attest)- but everyone has a similar story. For a while, it was widely believed that Jenna did it (maybe with an accomplice?) then Chad was decided to be the perpetrator. He has since argued his innocence. I will keep my biases to myself, but I will say that a certain staff member (ahem, Jenna) has been very, very, very adamant that it’s not her. But whose to judge what behavior is suspicious?

So, I ask you- who do you think did it? We look forward to reading your suspicions, theories, and ideas- maybe it will help us in identifying the trouble maker. 🙂

Photos From the Day:

Chad caught Jamie on Young’s Hill this afternoon with her favorite book:

Rayne and Terry enjoying some time on The Bray this afternoon:

 

 

Ms. B: Agent of Chaos

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Honey B is definitely a one of a kind personality, she can be your best friend one minute and an agent of chaos the next. She knows what she wants and what she likes but it might change from minute to minute and you don’t know until your moment with her has gone from peaceful grooming to her screaming at you and possibly trying to poke you with her finger or a tool of her choice.

 

Since I started back in February, Honey has been mostly indifferent to me, she doesn’t really cause issues for shifting or meals however, if someone else is feeling spicy about shifting she’s definitely down to join in the cause and aid her fellow chimpanzee in their campaign against shifting. Recently Honey has been showing an interest when I come back from my weekend and go back to visit with the chimps before starting my morning duties. She will come up and breathy pant at me and offer to groom. These grooming sessions are fairly short, she usually loses interest pretty quickly if I don’t have anything fun to pick at and I’ve not yet experienced the sudden shift in mood but knowing it could come at any time is part of the fun when making friends with Ms. Honey B.

 

Ms B and the gang:

 

Holy Sheet!

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We recently asked for a few new sheets on the Wish List. As some of you might know, Rayne and Honey B seem to really like sheets, whether they are used for nesting, fashion, or playing! So overall bedding sheets are a great form of enrichment! The chimps can only have the flat sheets due to the elastic on the bottom sheets, however once we received and checked that they were chimp approved we put the sheets out on Rayne’s side. It was the first thing Rayne grabbed as you will see in the video! Honey B likes to think outside of the box, so she decided to use her sheets a little differently! If anyone has new/gently used top sheets they would like to donate for the chimps, we would be happy to take them off your hands!

Rayne with new sheets:

Just pictures of Rayne:

Jamie also likes to use them for nesting:

Now for the bonus photos!

Jamie scored big today on the forage, she only wanted corn apparently:

Negra was happy with her one ear of corn:

Jamie grooming Negra while Missy grooms Jamie:

**Reminders corner** Don’t forget we have lots of stuff still on the Wish List for Gordo’s birthday! Yesterday, we started selling tickets for HOOT!, you can join us in-person on September 9th or virtually! We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone, don’t miss out on the early bird pricing happening right now!

Happiness is Contagious

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When I was on my way to work this morning, I promised myself that I would do something different for the blog. The last few weeks I’ve posted videos of various chimps playing on my blog days, and I felt the need to branch out a bit… Of course, these plans came crashing down after just about an hour in the chimp house. 🙂

Lizz and I were cleaning the playroom on Jamie’s side this morning and, usually, when we’re done cleaning and start setting the room up for the chimps they come into the front rooms to watch. Something about Front Room One must lend itself to play, because most days we can find at least two chimps in there playing while we finish up. It’s actually one of my favorite things about cleaning on the original side of the building- there’s nothing better than hearing loud, happy, breathy pants while you’re putting out the forage, toys, and clean blankets. It reminds me of Front Room 7 on Cy’s side- one of the top hang outs for the individuals in that group. Front rooms, man- they’re just the best!

Today was no different, except the whole room was full of chimps. Burrito and Negra in one corner, Annie and Missy in the other, and Foxie bouncing back and forth. I got my phone out to record and, as it kept going, I knew it would be my blog for the day. But, can you blame me?! The moments we catch of the chimps playing or grooming together are precious. Whether it’s building new friendships or reaffirming relationships that they’ve had for years, seeing them happy is contagious.

Over the weekend I was thinking a lot about how many sweet moments of play and grooming we’ve seen lately and it hit me that it hasn’t been even three months since we lost our dear Jody. The time has gone fast, as it does with 15 chimps and 4 cows keeping you busy, but that grief is still very much a part of every day life. For both the humans and the chimps, it has been a time of challenging changes as we get used to a new normal. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me the moments of pure happiness between the chimps (or shared with a caregiver) during the day have helped me work through the heavy moments of grief.

Maybe that’s why these moments have caught my attention so much recently- because love is what gets us through. Or perhaps it’s just because they’re truly special and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to witness them and share them with you. Or, maybe, it’s all of the above.

Bonus Photos

Foxie:

  

Willy B:

Nutmeg and Friends:

Growth

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I know I have mentioned this many times, but being able to witness Mave and Dora’s group grow into this integrated family that has provided them more social opportunities and friendships, plus the ability to work through interpersonal relationships has absolutely been one of the highlights of my career! It is really easy to forget how stressful the introduction process was, especially since they have grown so much and worked so hard to become this group of nine! However, I can still remember the feelings of uncertainty and stress about whether the integration would actually work. It almost feels silly to think about about how stressed we all were. I just remember thinking that Mave, Willy B, and Honey B needed more friends, especially the social butterfly Mave. That was the motivation- more friends and more opportunities.

Now a year and some months later, Dora’s group is flourishing! As predicted, eventually, Mave loved making new friends and Willy B finally has some male friends to hangout with. But the real surprise, the real social butterfly is Honey B. Honey B always seems to be in the middle of a grooming train, mall walking with friends, or playing with a friend like Dora! It goes to show that in sanctuary providing more opportunities and choices really does make their lives all the better.

Bonus photos!

Jenna took this photo and was kind enough to share it with me! A sweet photo Honey B, Mave, and Dora all nesting together:

Recently, Negra has been keeping a doll in her pelvic pocket:

Jamie in the portrait studio:

Foxie right next to Jamie:

Foxie rubbing her toes together:

 

All Day Shenanigans

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Today has been nothing short of goofy here in the chimp house.

This morning, after cleaning the playroom, we put out giant kongs for Burrito and his group. Giant kongs have always been a favorite of Burrito’s and it never gets old watching him drag them along, bounce or sit on them, or just be generally silly as he plays with them! Today was no exception and it made us all smile.

This afternoon, as we wrapped up lunch, Chad mentioned that Honey B and Dora were having a great play session in the front rooms. We could see them in the security footage and hear them breathy panting, so I snuck in to try and get footage! Honey B has a big, fierce personality and I think it’s safe to say that we are all super proud of her and the bonds she’s making in the bigger group. It was really sweet to watch her have so much fun with Dora and they played for a lot of the afternoon!

Every moment with the chimps is special, but seeing them engaged with something (or someone) that makes them so happy is the best feeling. And when these moments last all day, then it’s just a really darn good day. 🙂

Burrito had a mini photo shoot with one of the giant kongs this morning:

Cy looking as handsome as ever in the Riverview Greenhouse:

Foxie with her baby doll:

Terry watching something over my shoulder very intently, or just giving me a great portrait shot. Either way: