Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee sanctuary

Mask Madness

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What I love about my job the most is that every day is never the same. You really never know what will be sitting in the foyer for the chimps when you come back from your weekend or what new interest they have. Through sanctuary the chimps get the opportunity to evolve and change, while also being able to have consistent steady things in their lives. For example, Foxie loves troll dolls! Because of our kind donors, she will always have troll dolls in her life, but she has also gotten the opportunity to expand that interest into other types of dolls. While her enrichment and opportunities have grown and evolved into new things, her dolls will always be there to comfort her and that will never change!
Recently, someone donated a troll doll mask! Foxie liked having her caregivers wear it for her, but to our surprise Gordo thought the mask was the funniest thing! The moment he saw it, he erupted into a game of chase! He would make us run all around the chimp house with it on (safely of course!). In between chasing he would playfully spit and bounce up and down while laughing! Donations like this are so wonderful, because even though it was terrifying for the humans to look at ;), it was an enriching opportunity for Gordo. Honey B really loved it too! She was playing chase and following me around while I wore it, she even gave out a sweet little kiss!

Be Right as Rayne

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There was some slight reprieve from the heat today. The sky is blanketed with clouds and rain has been on and off since morning. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this reprieve because though it is cooler, it’s still a “brisk” 97º out, making the day more humid. The chimpanzees didn’t seem to mind though.

During lunch, Rayne chose to perch herself on a pool of diluted Gatorade in the Riverview Greenhouse. She ate her entire lunch there, taking sips in-between bites. I was able to get some photos of here enjoying her chow biscuits. This series of photos is also a good depiction of how a wadge is made.

Some bonus photos from today:

Negra watching her group embark on their first patrol of the day.

Honey B watching me as I was taking photos of the Gatorade pool.

Jody taking it easy in her Greenhouse.

Burrito coming over to tell me to stop taking photos of Jody and to play chase.

Lucky patiently waiting for dinner service.

Foxie’s 46th

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I think that the title of this morning’s post (It’s Foxie’s birthdaaayyy!!) accurately reflected our staff’s enthusiasm for today’s big celebration.

It was a busy day for the humans, but the sanctuary’s chimpanzee residents seemed to enjoy every minute of it. First, this morning’s caregiving team prepared fruit-filled watermelon bowls and berry smoothies for both groups of chimps, sending them all into excited frenzies. While the chimpanzees were enjoying those in their groups’ respective greenhouse enclosures, Dr. Erin swung by with some fresh grapevine from a neighbor’s property which we passed out as forage and nesting material. On top of all that delicious food and browse, Foxie also received a unique gift from our supporters: a pile of new dolls from which to select her new favorites!

We hope you all enjoy the video showing some of the festivities. Thank you all for helping us to give Foxie and her friends another special birthday!

“Watermelon Bowls”
Missy, Negra, Burrito, Jamie, Jody and Foxie (L to R) foraging in Young’s Hill
Jamie snagging one of the last hidden bowls

The Boss & Bonus Footage

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A frequent question we get asked is how we know when one of our residents wants something specific or when they want one of us to do something with them. While this definitely gets easier as you get to know them better, and it’s never a perfect science, we are often able to determine what a chimp is looking for in how and where they are gesturing.

For example- if Burrito or Gordo are trying to get you to play a game of chase with them, they will look at you and then run away! We would also watch for behavioral indicators of play that include a play face, foot stomp, and exaggerated movements. If Jamie is wanting a specific pair of boots, she will often stand in the playroom loft and gesture through the kitchen door. She will continue to gesture until you bring back the right pair (no matter how many wrong pairs you offer her first) and then she will likely either come down to take it or she will take off for the hill- which is a sign that she wants you, and said boot, to come with her on her patrol. She also sometimes wants you to wear the specific boot instead of carry it… no matter the size. I would like to take this moment to formally apologize to my coworkers (*ahem* Sofia) that have had to squeeze their feet into my toddler-feet sized boots. Y’all are troopers. 🙂

Lately, though, Jamie has been all about raspberries and frozen treats- which are a hit with everyone. Check out the video for more!

Negra enjoying the cool morning on Young’s Hill.

Annie looking particularly beautiful in the morning light of the Greenhouse.

Cy being his dreamy self.

Wind and Willows

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Today we awoke to an entirely different climate from last week. Cooling wind relief rolled in overnight to Central Washington and we are enjoying a perfect (although blustery) day in the upper 60’s.  I even had to click on my car’s heated seats on my way to work!
Chad and I spent the morning cleaning the original side of the building and I sensed the chimpanzees were all enjoying the drop in temperatures. Jamie went for frequent explorations on Young’s Hill as she needed to check on J.B. and the progress being made on the new enclosure fence line.  She skipped a playroom cabbage forage and opted to go outside instead of letting me close of the Greenhouse for cleaning.  Meanwhile, Negra covered her head with a leopard print blanket to add that extra layer of comfort back into her nest.

I captured a few random moments from the day.

Portrait Studio Jamie:
Jamie examining her new book about Egypt (and mummies):
Here Jamie lovingly looks at her favorite book about Bonobos:
Since we didn’t get the Greenhouse closed off, we opted to put out some browse in the front rooms after we fully cleaned and disinfected them. Chad and Grace harvested fresh willow on the property and the chimpanzees eagerly collected the branches for consumption.  No one was more eager to eat the willow than Missy:
Missy even kept a good grip on her willow during a quick wrestling match with Burrito:
 
Jamie again:
Burrito:
Meanwhile on the other side of the building, Kelsi captured this pretty spectacular moment. We counted seven chimpanzees in this grooming puddle!!
“Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way.”
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Missy’s Big Harvest

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Missy harvested gold today! I was watching Missy looking around Negra’s cabin. She ever so slyly ran back into the greenhouse with something in her mouth. She had a good sized wasp nest! As Missy delicately ate the larvae her friends took turns food peering, except Jamie. Jamie found her own gold, leftover fingerling potatoes from a forage. She found a large handful and was quite pleased with herself!

Family Ties

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A few weeks ago, we asked you to submit your questions for us to answer. One question that was asked a few times by different people was if the siblings spend more time with each other than those not related to them.

In case there is anybody new, there are several siblings, full and half, in the group from the Wildlife Waystation. Cy and Lucky are full siblings. Rayne and Honey B are half siblings to each other as well as to Cy and Lucky. They all share the same father: Herbie.

Honey B:

Rayne:

Lucky:

Cy:

Dora and Gordo are also half siblings through their father: Les. Since Dora and Gordo were in the same group for several years and arrived here together, I assume the questions were based on the Herbie Clan. I will say that Dora and Gordo are great friends and spend a lot of time together.

Cy, Lucky, and Rayne arrived here last year with their group, while Honey B arrived here almost three years ago with Willy B and Mave. Though they are all related at least through their father, there is little to no indication they are aware of it. They all interact with each other at least once throughout the day in some way shape or form.

Lucky, for the most part, keeps to herself. Cy spends a lot of time keeping the group in order. Rayne is a social butterfly. Honey B interacts when and with whom she wants to interact at any given point.

Though Honey B shows the respect Cy deserves as the group’s alpha, they aren’t seen together that much. Honey B and Lucky do play with each other from time to time, but it’s not really a daily occurrence. Honey B and Rayne, on the other hand, do spend quite some time together almost every day with playing, grooming, or “mall walking.” I imagine they would be walking around their “mall” with coffees in hand if they had the chance.

Their is some physical resemblance between Honey B and Rayne, but it’s mostly if you catch them at certain angles. And if there is one thing all four of them have in common, they all can be very stubborn. (Examples: 1 & 2 ) It hasn’t been written about as much, but Rayne used to hold out when we tried to shift them out of an area early on when she first arrived. (Fingers crossed that was just a phase and I didn’t just jinx it!) Other than that, all four are very unique from one another. And ultimately, there is no difference between the time they spend with each other and the other unrelated chimpanzees.

If you still have some lingering questions, it’s never too late to submit them! You can still do so on the original post!

Rayne and Honey B:

Cy:

Lucky:

Some bonus photos of Burrito during today’s lunch forage: