Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Bouncy Ball Mayhem & Mystery

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Willy B has always had an undeniable love for enrichment that makes a lot of noise such as slinkies, boxes, and his new love, bouncy balls. When he gets a hold of the bouncy balls, chaos ensues- bouncing erratically, rolling around, and a whole lot of noise. When Willy B’s group goes into the mezzanine we often give him 1 or 2 through the food chute, if he doesn’t have one already. It seems to be pure joy for Willy B! Recently, the bouncy balls have been mysteriously appearing outside the enclosures. And because we could not catch anyone in the act, we caregiver started coming up with our own theories!

  • Could it be that Willy B’s exuberant play is causing the balls to bounce through the gaps between the ceiling and the mesh? Some believed he was launching them with such intensity that they were escaping entirely, defying physics in the process.
  • Others theorized that the balls might be slipping out through the food chute, carried by the force of Willy B’s powerful throws.
  • But there was also a strong suspicion that his mischievous friend, Honey B, might be the true culprit, secretly tossing the balls out and enjoying the mayhem from afar.

At last, the mystery was solved when we watched Honey B on the security camera this morning. In the beginning, it seemed like she just wanted a little peace and quiet away from Willy B’s wild bouncing sessions, but as you’ll see in the video, she ended up having a lot of fun with those bouncy balls herself!

With Willy B’s 35th birthday just around the corner, we’d love to fill his space with all kinds of new bouncy balls to fit the theme of his birthday party “Bouncy Ball Mayhem”. You can help make his birthday extra special by adding to his collection through our Amazon and Chewy wish lists. Let’s make sure he has a chaotic birthday!

George’s New Roommate!

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As Ellen mentioned the other day in her blog, the next step in George’s integration process is to have Cy join him. Well, as of yesterday, Cy is officially George’s roommate! And so far, as far as roommates go, they’ve been nothing but respectful of each other. The transition has been incredibly smooth.

They’ve shared meals, shifted for cleaning, and even had an overnight together—all without a hint of drama (which we can’t say for the groups surrounding them!). Cy has already done an amazing job showing George his dominance, but in true Cy fashion, that dominance comes with a lot of patience and guidance.

Cy showed a bit of chimp politics by politely stealing chow from George, which George didn’t make a fuss about. Since Cy loves magazines, they’re considered a high-value item for him. There was a moment where George was looking at a magazine when Cy displaced him so that he could look through the magazine first, moments like this send a message that Cy gets first dibs on certain items. George has also tried taking what seems like lower-value food from Cy, and Cy has let him have it, so far. Cy is known for letting others in his group steal from him occasionally, but if it’s something he really wants, like corn, he draws the line and has no problem correcting them.

George is a really smart guy and seems to understand what Cy wants or values most. Everyday, we are also more and more impressed by George and his social skills! So far, these two seem to be getting along swimmingly, and it makes us really hopeful for their future together.

Downtime with George

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Lately, George has barely had a break. With introductions happening multiple times a week, finding a quiet moment to himself hasn’t been easy. But recently, he managed to set aside a little time to just sit and enjoy a pomegranate. It was a small, straightforward pleasure — his moment of zen this week

 

George and Cy: Connecting on The Bray

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Introductions are unpredictable. You never quite know what the chimps are going to do, how they’ll react, or how they’ll respond to neighbors making noise (and yes, sometimes the neighbors do heighten the situation). But that’s the point of these meet-ups — to give them the opportunity to work through situations or conflicts and gain more confidence as we build this group, especially for George.

Last Saturday, we did an all day introduction with George and Cy. We wanted to give them more time to work through different scenarios and bond together. Bonding with Cy will be a critical part of this introduction process. Cy is an exceptional leader, and I think he’ll really help show George the ropes, helping him build confidence and engage in typical chimp activities, like grooming. We also want George to understand the hierarchy and recognize Cy as the leader. And what better way to do that than to give them extended time together and introduce them to a new space they’d have to navigate side by side? So, we gave Cy and George access to the chute and The Bray!

We are so incredibly proud of George. He was actually the one encouraging Cy to go out onto The Bray, while Cy seemed a bit apprehensive. Since this was a space they hadn’t shared together before, it caused a moment of uncertainty for Cy. However, George beckoned for Cy to come — and he did! This was a big step for them in bonding and building a friendship. I think Cy has really grown fond of the little guy! As a side note, Cy was also really distracted because he really wanted to hangout in front room 7. It’s his favorite room because you can see so much in the chimp house, Cy hasn’t had access to it in a long time!

The week before, we had tried giving George and Gordo access to the same space, but Gordo, being the cautious soul he is, thought there was a catch and refused to go outside with George. George was so patient and tried hard to encourage him, but Gordo just couldn’t do it. However, as you saw in Tuesday’s blog, Gordo also had an all day introduction with George, and eventually, he found the courage to run out onto The Bray with him.

Setting up introduction days is a lot of work. Behind the scenes, getting the chimps to shift and move where they need to be can be quite challenging. Not everyone is always eager to cooperate (cough, cough — Honey B, Terry, and now Rayne). Sometimes, if the chimps don’t shift, it can really affect the whole day, and we have to get creative with our shifting plans. Mentally, it can be extremely taxing.

However, that makes it all the more rewarding to witness these milestones. George has been alone for over two years since his companion at his previous home passed away. Watching George beckon Cy over and seeing them embrace on The Bray brought tears to my eyes. George has had to explore much of his new surroundings alone, so it strikes a deep chord to see him finally sharing the experience with another chimp. Moments like these really fill our cups and remind us that this is the heart of our work- providing opportunities, offering choice, and fostering meaningful social connections.

Holiday Cheer Starts Now!

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It’s hard to believe, but the holidays are coming up and Jamieween is just around the corner!

This year, we’re trying to be more proactive about getting everything we need for the upcoming celebrations: Jamieween, Chimpmas, birthdays, and all the fun enrichment and day-to-day supplies the chimpanzees love and rely on. So please keep your eyes peeled—starting this week, I’ll be adding holiday items to our Amazon Wish List!

While Amazon is a big part of our wish list planning, we also want to highlight Jerrol’s, our amazing local store here in Ellensburg. Jerrol’s has been incredibly supportive and helpful, supplying us with almost all of our cleaning products. However, they also have arts and crafts materials, books, and more! If they don’t have a product we’re looking for, they go out of their way to find it for us. They’ve been such a reliable partner, especially as we continue to have issues with Amazon not shipping certain items to our address. You can support us through our Jerrol’s Wish List, or donate to our bill, which allows us to get exactly what the chimps and the staff need.

As some of you may have noticed, Amazon has been a little difficult lately. If you try to purchase something from our Amazon Wish list and get a message such as:

“This item can’t be shipped to the selected address”

Don’t worry! Here are a couple of options:

I want to express how grateful we are for all of you and say thank you so much for being part of our community. Your support, whether it’s buying something off our list, sending a gift card, or just cheering us on, it helps make every day, and every holiday, special for the chimpanzees! Thank you!

Here are a few teasers of items to look out for on our Wish Lists!

More keys!

Fluffy, soft socks:

Sweatbands and more bouncy balls:

Wooden spoons:

Wood wool:

Toy hammers:

Blankets!

Books:

The Beat of Willy B

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The other morning, as we were cleaning, we could hear a steady beat of drumming. Often, when we hear this, it is the slow start to a display and usually we could put money on a particular “B” being the culprit, that “B” being, Willy B. Other times, we find the noise to be Willy B playing, usually with a box or a slinky, like the blog a few weeks ago! But this time, when we went to investigate, we found Willy B wasn’t displaying; he was playing. While, Willy B was playing with the green tub minding his own business, beating the tub to his own drum. He wasn’t just drumming on the tub, but rather had the large tub over his head and making the drumming noise! It’s always nice to see Willy B having fun!

Bonus photos of George in his nest the other evening!

Goodnight George!