Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee sanctuary

10 Minutes of Missy’s Day

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We woke up to a dusting of snow at the sanctuary but the rest of the day has remained cloudy, cool and dry. Perfect walking weather for chimps and humans – or if you’re Missy – perfect running weather. The following photos all took place within about a 10 minute span of Missy’s day.

First she chased after Jamie, Burrito and I around the perimeter.

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And then she spotted her best friend, Annie further down the hill and took off to join her:

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And they ended up chasing each other all the way back to the playroom which ended up in a game of wrestle. Naturally.

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Jamie’s choice

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Jamie spent her childhood living with a trainer. Her records are scarce, but she was most likely used in some form of entertainment before being purchased for use in biomedical research at around the age of nine. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating to see chimpanzees (or any wild animal) robbed of their natural lives, their childhood, and their family and social structures in order to provide so-called “entertainment” for humans. While we cannot change the histories the chimpanzees have experienced, or the fact that they will be in captivity for the rest of their lives, we do our best to provide them the space to be themselves, exactly as they choose in every minute of the day. A safe, dignified and loving home in which their “chimpanzee-ness” can come out.

We give the chimpanzees a variety of enrichment each day to keep their curious and intelligent minds engaged as much as possible, but whether they play with it, nest with it, tear it up or ignore it, it’s their choice. Jamie is highly intelligent and most likely as a result of her unnatural history, she is also very human oriented in her interests. She will often choose to use enrichment in ways that the other chimps don’t. But that’s the key – she gets to choose. When Jamie first arrived here she periodically chose to wear clothing that was included in enrichment, but over time her desire to do this has faded away and thankfully been replaced by chimp like activities such as walking the perimeter, playing with her friends, and being the boss of us all. But given her unnatural history, it’s only, well, natural that she would still incorporate things that are familiar to her in her play from time to time.

So while supervising the cleaning of her home from atop her barrel, this was one of Jamie’s choices:

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An upside-down-Jamie-on-a-barrel is always a happy Jamie.

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If you’d like to learn more about how you can help end the exploitation and abuse of great apes, please check out our advocacy program, Eyes on Apes, and sign up for our Take Action Alerts. Just as Jamie once did, there are others who need your voice.

Today is in memory of Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Joan O’Flaherty in memory of her parents, Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty, on their shared birthday. Joan has been honoring her parents by making the chimpanzees’ lives better for many years now and we are so touched by her kindness. She shared this message about today:

“In memory of my late parents’ birthday, both of whom were great animal lovers and supporters of conservation.”

Joan, thank you so much for all that you do for the chimpanzees in your parents’ memory, they must have been very special people. We are so happy to honor Ned and Noreen here at the sanctuary and celebrate their lives along with the chimpanzees. All of us here hope your day is filled with comfort, love and memories held dear.

Burrito and Jody:

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Then and Now

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Caring for chimpanzees with traumatic pasts is probably a lot like caring for anyone with a traumatic past. You’re aware of the person’s history and how it has affected them, but you probably don’t dwell on it on a day-to-day basis. There are even moments when you don’t think of the past at all; you’re just focused on the here and now.

Interestingly, the times I find myself reminded of the chimpanzees’ histories are the moments when they seem to be feeling particularly happy or relaxed or free. I think about how moments like that were few and far between until they made it to sanctuary. I hope that in those moments, the chimpanzees are thinking about anything but the past.

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Queen of the Hill

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Jamie does everything with a certain level of seriousness. In part, it’s just her personality and in part, it’s probably her role as alpha of the group that she works hard to remind us all of. Even when she’s really happy and playing, it’s rare to see her with a play face or hear her laugh unless she’s in a wrestling session with Foxie who is about the only person who can really get Jamie to cut loose.

Jamie’s seriousness also extends to her beloved walks around Young’s Hill. There are for the humans in particular to follow. She leads – you follow, run when she runs, don’t attempt to go in a direction she hasn’t initiated, and if she decides to wander and explore a bit, then just make yourself comfortable and wait for her to return and resume walking when she’s ready. To be fair, chimpanzees in general aren’t followers when engaging with the humans and if they initiate play they usually prefer us to follow their lead and/or mimic whatever they’re doing. But it’s especially true with the boss.

So in the middle of a walk around Young’s Hill with Jamie and Missy we were all running side by side (me outside the fence of course) when Missy suddenly playfully bumped shoulders with Jamie and then tried to grab her feet while running. A classic chimpanzee invitation to play! I wasn’t sure what Jamie’s response would be as she has a route she likes to follow around the perimeter. I had to smile to see Jamie accept Missy’s invitation and they ditched me and headed off down the hill together in a spontaneous game of chase. Just the way it should be.

Missy, mid-bounce, and Jamie (R):
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Missy following Jamie and exploring the log bridges:

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After this photo they raced through the bamboo together and I totally lost sight of them so I headed back down the hill on my own. But to my surprise they eventually ran back to meet me so we could all race back to the greenhouse together.

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Thank you, Roni!

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Roni Seabury! Roni is a long-time supporter and friend of the sanctuary. She is such a beautiful soul whose heart and life are filled with helping all animals however she can, from living a vegan lifestyle, to working with rescued farm animals, to sharing her home with her companion animals as well as fostering those waiting for their forever home. We’re so lucky to have her as part of our chimpanzee family. Roni shared this sweet message about today:

“For my love of Burrito’s shy cuteness, Missy’s energy, Jodi’s nest making skills, Annie’s playful friendships, Negra’s Queen-like naps with blankets over her head, Foxie’s love for dolls and loyalty and Jamie’s boss like attitude with cowboy boots on. I love each of them so much. The amount of joy they bring me is immeasurable. Thank you for all you do for them.”

Roni, thank you so much for sponsoring today for the chimpanzees and for loving them for the special individuals they are! And thank you for your compassionate heart and your dedication to making the lives of so many animals better. We’re awfully glad you’re in the world.

Roni’s pal, Burrito:

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Missy:

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Jody:

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Annie (R) chasing Missy (L):

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Negra:

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Foxie, Troll and Dora:

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Jamie:

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Dance, Human, Dance

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If you visited the sanctuary on any given day you’d probably see the humans behaving very strangely. We’ll do just about anything to make the chimps happy, and sometimes that means swallowing our pride and acting like fools for their entertainment. For Foxie, you might see us balancing a troll doll on our heads or doing pirouettes. Jamie likes us to wear a couple of cowboy boots (usually mismatched and two sizes too big or too small) and take a walk with her.

For Negra, we dance. The majority of the time, Negra has little use for humans. But when we dance for her, she can’t help but bob her head in appreciation.