Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee sanctuary

Summer lounging

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No matter how relaxed Annie and Missy are, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a time when they aren’t ready to burst into play. Or at least lapse into play, dependent on the level of relaxation happening:

Missy looks like she’s playing it cool here, and she is, of course, but her wheels are also spinning about what silliness she can get into with Annie:

So she donned a sock and the play biting began:

Annie’s head as foot rest:

Bonus Jamie nose and toes. She’s sound asleep on top of her barrel. She’s even sighing in her sleep as the summer breeze drifts through the chimp house:

Another Door Opens

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Yesterday was an exciting day for the chimps. As we promised, we are giving you a more detailed description and a video today!

As the team continues modifying the facility to prepare for the arrival of three chimpanzee individuals from Wildlife Waystation, the current residents get to observe the ongoing changes. Yesterday, their attention was focused on the wall that separates the existing Playroom from the new wing of chimpanzee enclosures. Until recently, a pair of steel mesh doors and a solid barn door separated the Playroom from the meadow outside. With Phase I of the expansion almost complete, however, the wall now serves as the primary barrier between the old and new sections of the building. It is here that the new arrivals will meet the seven chimpanzees who already live here, and we have to make structural modifications accordingly.

J.B. had his kit (pictured above) ready to go yesterday morning as we unlocked the Playroom for routine cleaning (without any chimps inside, of course). The first step was to cut off the existing doors, then Level II intern Fritz helped the staff to carry them out of the building. Then, with the the wall and new doorway now fully accessible, J.B. installed a sheet of clear plastic into the steel door frame leading into the new expansion (pictured below). (The materials for this door were salvaged from the former Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg.)

The solid plastic window locks into the frame but can be replaced by other materials that allow for varying degrees of physical, visual, and auditory communication between the chimpanzees on either side. In caregiving/zookeeping jargon, this customizable interface is known as a “Howdy Door.” Such devices can be extremely valuable when introducing unfamiliar chimpanzees to one another. Although the plastic insertion still needs a bit of polishing, it gave the chimpanzees their closest peek yet into the enclosures which will soon contain Honey B., Mave, and Willy B.

As seen in the video, the chimpanzees all expressed interest in the newly-exposed doorway. Jamie certainly spent the most time in front of the Howdy Door, alternating between supervising J.B. and trying to take the door apart. Burrito used the hard surface for percussion while Annie, Jody and Foxie all inspected it on their own terms. Although we didn’t capture them on camera, even Negra and Missy gave the door a quick inspection once everyone else had cleared out. Even after Level III volunteer Miranda served the chimps their lunch in the Greenhouse, most returned to the Playroom to watch the door as they digested (like Annie, below).

It is difficult to predict how each individual will react to meeting an unfamiliar chimp through the window, but they certainly notice, and get excited by, each new change.

Today is for Kevin Clark

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Long-time friend of the sanctuary, Shelley Winfrey, sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees today in memory of Kevin Clark:

“For my brother, who passed away…he would have loved the chimps!”

Shelley, thank you so much for the lasting difference you make in the chimpanzees’ lives in honor of your brother, Kevin. We’re always touched to share in this special day with you. All of us are sending all the good thoughts for a day of comfort and joy as you think of Kevin.

Good friends, Foxie and Burrito:

They Know

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The Cle Elum Seven Chimpanzees spent decades in biomedical research laboratories and holding facilities in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.

The minimum space requirements for housing chimpanzees under the Animal Welfare Act remain shockingly, well, minimal. It’s still legal to keep a chimpanzee in a 5’x5’x7′ cage. These days, however, most laboratories that are still housing chimpanzees allow them to live in social groups and give them some sort of outside access. The National Institutes of Health recommends (though doesn’t require) enclosures that provide at least 250 square feet of space per chimpanzee. As a point of reference, for our group of seven, that’s a total of 1,750 square feet. Think about the size of your apartment or house as a comparison. Now think of yourself having only that amount of space for the rest of your life. Still, 250 square feet is way beyond the twenty-five square-foot cages that the Cle Elum Seven spent much of their lives.

The changes in how labs house chimpanzees came about in part due to pressure from a public that had gained insight into the deep intelligence and social lives of these beings that are so closely related to us.

Beyond just amount of space, providing an enriching, stimulating, interesting environment for chimpanzees is about giving them lots and lots of choices. Even if they only use some of their space a fraction of the time or only pick up a certain object one out of every five times it’s available, simply living in an environment that provides a large amount of variety is a huge part of giving intelligent primates at least some of what they need.

After spending decades in small spaces without access to the outside, I wonder if the Cle Elum Seven could have imagined a place like CSNW with 85,000 square feet of space.

Once they were at the sanctuary, their bodies and their minds knew what to do.

They followed their instincts, put their muscles to work, and got down to the business of exploring.

They reached into their imaginations and indulged in private games and adventures.

They broadened their palate and relished opportunities to search for and gather food.

No one had to teach them to be chimpanzees.

(Just a note about these photos – they were all taken today! The photos include Foxie, Jamie, Annie, and Missy.)

Her Majesty

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Negra is the oldest of the sanctuary residents. We celebrate her birthday on the same day the chimpanzees all arrived at the sanctuary (June 13th). However, we will never really know her true date of birth because she was captured as an infant from the wild in the early 1970s. Negra savors her life in sanctuary the way some older humans enjoy their retirement. She eats only her favorite foods, takes lots of long naps and maybe, just maybe, is a tad on the bossy side. Once you know her, it’s simply impossible not to love the Queen of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

Keeping Watch

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The weather has been unusual this summer. As Katelyn noted yesterday, the temperatures have been cool and the skies have been misty at times. Today is a better example of a typical July day in central Washington- dry, sunny, and warm- and the sanctuary residents are making the most of it. The chimps enjoyed their breakfast while basking in the sunlight on the upper decking of the Greenhouse. The meal included some generously donated green apples and was lovingly served by Level III volunteer Miranda (below).

Afterwards, the chimps seemed to be sufficiently full of fruit and chow and appeared to be extremely content as they slipped into mid-morning naps in various corners of the Greenhouse. Neggie, per usual, settled in a ring of blankets on the upper deck (below), and even Jamie seemed to doze off between bouts of monitoring the caregivers through the playroom window.

Annie sprawled out on the lower decking, tucked her feet in, and inspected the writing on the underside of a toy (below).

Per usual, Missy stationed herself next to Annie and used the opportunity to give herself a quick groom (below). All was quiet in the Greenhouse.

Even when they’re resting and recharging, however, the chimpanzees don’t miss any of the events unraveling around them. Each part of the facility offers a unique view of the surrounding valley, enabling the chimps to be the sentinels of their own territory. Everything the light touches is theirs, and everything that occurs within sight is their business. This morning, that included the team of laborers constructing a new access road that will soon flank the sanctuary to the East (below).

As soon as they started working, Missy took notice (below). Then Annie sat upright and began to follow along. Soon, everyone was spilling out of the raceway onto Young’s Hill to check out the action.

Jamie led the way up the hill, pausing at regular intervals to watch the distant excavation. I could only imagine what she was thinking, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if she was analyzing the grade of the switchbacks or making sure the workers were wearing the proper protective equipment. She’s always supervising.

Foxie and her tiny troll doll traveled in the vanguard, providing Jamie with support and monitoring the situation (below). Missy, Annie, Jody and Burrito all followed close behind. (Neggie “kept watch” over her nest in the Greenhouse.)

Even with all of the planned activities and provisioned objects that the staff and volunteers provide, unexpected events can be the best source of enrichment for the chimps. Both free-ranging and captive chimpanzees engage in regular boundary patrols to survey the landscape and monitor neighboring communities, so unexpected changes can make things interesting. With all of the new developments in their vicinity, the chimps have a lot to keep tabs on as summer progresses and they seem to welcome the responsibility.