A few portraits of some budding new friendships (photos taken during today’s intros).
Forging Bonds
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
The Unlikely Meetup
This week is an intro week and I spent a lot of the day trying to get Dora alone so she could spend time with Honey B’s group. However, Dora is really hard to get alone. To make Dora a little more comfortable we decided to try to do a quad with all girls. Rayne kindly stayed with Dora and I think Willy B had a good laugh when I thought I could get just the girls. With all my best efforts Willy B decided he could not be left out. So today’s meet up was Honey B, Willy B, Rayne, and Dora. This intro made us all a little nervous, Willy B isn’t always the best at giving the girls the reassurance they might need and Dora is still a wild card for us. We had decided that we would just stick to the mesh unless there were a lot of positive behaviors at the mesh. Well, right off the bat they were breathy panting, grooming, reassuring each other, giving kisses, and playing through the mesh. We had to open the door, so we held our breath and we let them in together. Overall, it went really well! Near the end Dora and Willy B had a miscommunication, which led us to separating them. As you will see in the video Willy B was having a blast with Rayne and Dora! What you all might not know is that Willy B and Dora have met a few times and they were non-eventual, but today Willy B really learned how Dora wanted to play! At first he was overwhelming her, so he backed off and waited for her to come to him. To see how far Dora and Willy B have come is really spectacular. Though it didn’t end on the highest note there was a lot to take away from this intro!
Also Rayne is the best at introductions! She is so good at making the other chimps feel at ease, she gives reassurance when needed, and distracts others by instigating play instead of screaming when they are nervous. She is one of a kind.
Chimp ID: Terry
It seems to have been a while since the last time we did a Chimp ID from the new group. So who better to pickup where we left off than with Terry!
Terry is by far the “floofiest” of the bunch. It’s took the point where sometimes we have difficulty in determining if he is piloerect, or if he’s just that fuzzy.
Terry always tries to get caregivers’ attention. You can hear Terry pretty much anywhere blowing raspberries to get some attention from caregivers. When Terry is interested in your footwear, he will blow raspberries then spit water at your boots and only your boots, which he loves to groom.
He also has a peculiar way of greeting caregivers: licking the back of our hands.
Terry is also a big fan of food!
Usually, we can often find Terry with something in his mouth. Whether that is a wadge made from the paper bags his primate chow come in or wooden blocks.
Terry is also a fan of food puzzles, especially Boomer Balls.
Terry is just a big, lovable goofball who is extremely difficult not to love when you meet him.
We all love Terry!
Their Side of the Mountain
The mosaic landscape in which the sanctuary exists is truly breathtaking.
Even so, it’s difficult to assess the value that such a backdrop provides to four cattle and sixteen chimps who reside here.
For their part, the bovines appear most excited about their environment when it is carpeted with fresh green grass. They’re not particularly expressive otherwise.
As for the chimps, it’s evident that they at least take the time to observe their immediate and distant surroundings. The degree to which they value the aesthetic quality of their environment and the effect that this has on their wellbeing are much less clear. Given that chimpanzee cognition is a lot like ours, I find it logical to assume that they appreciate a good view. Sometimes, it even seems like they go outside just to soak up the weather and enjoy the panoramic perspectives of the surrounding hills.
This older photo by J.B. shows Foxie having one of those moments.
It’s not surprising that the chimps spend so much time exploring their own backyard. These chimpanzees live on some prime real estate.
The sanctuary occupies a grassy patch of land on the western flank of Lookout Mountain (which is not to be confused with any of the the state’s eight other landforms with the same name). Behind the sanctuary’s upper boundary, there is a network of dirt roads that wind their way up the slope to a few private cabins. Last week, I decided to “take the long way home,” pushing my old SUV up the ridge to get an eagle’s view of the sanctuary. As always, the view from up there was incredible.
From the side of the mountain, one can get a sweeping vista of the rust-colored hills and wooded rangeland of the Teanaway River valley to the north, the growing mountain towns of Cle Elum and Roslyn to the northwest, and the rushing waters of the Yakima River and its basalt canyon to the southwest. This entire patchwork is nestled below the mighty peaks of the Central Cascades.
Even with all these features visible from our backyard, the sanctuary itself might still be the strangest artifact on the landscape. It’s not too conspicuous; From a plane, it might be mistaken for a ranch or even some sort of outdoor sports complex. (I’ve joked that Young’s Hill could also double as an interesting paintball course.) From the ridge, however, it’s clear that the wooden climbing platforms and electrified fences are designed for another purpose entirely. If you didn’t already know the sanctuary was here and had never been to a similar facility, you’d probably never guess that sixteen chimps lived in one of the barn-like structures situated at the mouth of the canyon.
Lazy days filled with ice
Today was more on the chilly side, but that didn’t stop some of the chimpanzees in Jody’s group from making their way out to Young’s Hill to collect ice treats from the tires and platforms! They spent a good amount of time out there looking for ice. The rest of the day was spent lounging around in cozy nests up high.
Jody running back to eat her ice in the Greenhouse with Burrito behind her.
Foxie enjoying her ice up high.
Annie stayed out the longest finding all the hidden ice.
Missy also took her ice back to the Greenhouse.
Foxie and her doll hurrying back inside to where it was warm.
Over on the other side of the chimp house, I found Mave relaxing in her Greenhouse all day. Every time I went around to take photos she was there, but in a different spot. Rayne’s group spent most of the afternoon having grooming parties on the platforms in their Greenhouse. It was pretty warm in all the Greenhouses today with the sun and winter panels up.
It was the perfect day to relax and lounge around!
Lunch Up Close
I could listen to the crunching sounds of lunch all day!
Front Room Play Sessions
Despite having additional larger indoor and outdoor spaces to choose from, most of the chimpanzees absolutely love hanging out in Front Room 7. This space has a nice view of the human hallway (so you can be the first to spot the next meal service) and we almost always find someone nesting or lounging in this area. This morning, Front Room 7 was the prime play spot for members of Cy’s group.
