Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today began much as it appears to be ending (it’s still in progress 🙂 ). And though there were at least one hundred and ninety nine other things in-between, it was wonderful to have the one constant of the day to be dear friends walking together on a late summer day.
Jamie and Missy lead the way (you can just make them out through the grass in the top right corner) and Annie and Burrito follow:
Dear Annie and Burrito:
Burrito:
Foxie, Blueberry Muffin and I bringing up the rear:
This weekend, y’all were treated to a pair of vivid stories: J.B.’s about a quiet moment with Jamie and Diana’s about an unusual predicament involving a snake. If you didn’t read them, what are you waiting for?
Today’s blog post isn’t really a story. Instead, I’m changing directions and just providing a few unrelated updates.
As Jody heals up from her recent trip to the sanctuary’s clinic, we have begun to let her have socialization sessions with the other chimps in her group. These meetings are a standard practice for us; controlled visits like today’s allow for the chimps to groom and play without a barrier. (Of course, the others can always see and interact with Jody through the steel mesh that separates their areas.) Since we’re concerned about Jo’s incision site staying clean, its safer for her to have just one companion at a time. This morning, Foxie darted into the front rooms and excitedly groomed with Jody for a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the building, the second phase of the expansion project (Phase 2) is well underway. Although the construction team has not yet poured the foundation, one can already see the outlines of two new indoor playrooms, two new Greenhouse-style enclosures, and the central hallway. There’s obviously a lot to be done, but it’s encouraging to witness the steady progress and even more exciting to imagine multiple groups of chimpanzees hanging out in the area when it is complete.
Finally, the day ended with a rambunctious crescendo: Jamie’s delight at an area full of grab bags. Grab bags are one of Jamie’s favorite enrichment items, so she absolutely lost it when we let her group back into the Playroom to gather, process, and savor the valued puzzles hidden inside. As usual, she tried her best to monopolize everything and ended up sitting in the middle of the Playroom surrounded by the remains of ransacked enrichment (much as a dragon would sit on a hoard of gold that it had plundered from the charred remnants of destroyed cities). That’s Jamie’s style, sometimes. Fortunately, we always put out enough enrichment materials to give the other chimps more opportunities.
Even after we locked up the chimp areas, changed out of our scrubs and prepared to leave the sanctuary for the evening, Jamie was still sitting amid her mountain of grab bags, apparently content.
If you, like Annie Chimpanzee, do not like the sight of snakes, beware that there are some photos of a snake in this blog post.
Today I was outside on the new side of the building while the door was open to the Courtyard. Willy B had been out once, but was back inside the building. Honey B was on the down slope of the chute, towards the door to the Courtyard.
This is actually significant. She has been avoiding that part of the chute, especially when the door to the Courtyard is open. Perhaps she’s making plans to eventually go outside. To acknowledge her progress, I went around to the other side of the chute to say hello.
While I was standing there, we both spotted a snake slithering by on the ground. The only kind of snakes we worry about around here are rattlesnakes, and I knew right away that’s not what this snake was. I just looked it up and it appears to be a yellow-bellied racer (thanks, Google).
Usually when chimpanzees see snakes of any kind, they emit loud alarm calls, but that’s not what Honey B did.
Instead, she whimpered and stuck her fingers through the caging, asking for reassurance. So, I gave her the back of my gloved hand to touch, told her it was okay, and that, surprisingly, was that.
I was keeping my eye on the snake, mostly because I didn’t want Willy B to get startled if he decided to go back outside into the Courtyard. I’m not exactly sure what my plan was to keep him from seeing the snake… maybe if the snake started to head into the Courtyard I would have called for Kelsi or J.B. to bring out something enticing so Willy B was distracted.
Luckily, I didn’t have to enact my (lack of a) plan, because the snake stayed in place as Willy B ventured back into the Courtyard and went about his business of being stunningly handsome.
Snakes don’t normally bother me; I don’t know why. But I will admit that this snake made me a little uncomfortable today. Not frightened, more a feeling of social awkwardness.
Perhaps sensing that I was watching him/her, my gaze was returned, and the snake remained looking at me the entire time Willy B was in the Courtyard.
Awkward, right?!
Soon, it was time for lunch for Willy B, Honey B, and Mave, so they all went back into the building and I busied myself with other things. Rather, Jamie busied me with other things, specifically walking around the hill while she collected cattails:
as Missy watched from a perch up high:
Side note: we are still limiting Jody’s activity while her sutures heal, so her cattails were delivered to her in the front rooms:
About 20 minutes later, I heard some alarm calls coming from the direction of the greenhouse. I had a feeling I knew what this was about…
Sure enough, Kelsi reported that the snake had found its way into the greenhouse and the chimpanzees on that side of the building were not reacting in the surprisingly calm manner that Honey B had earlier.
Annie in particular REALLY DOES NOT LIKE SNAKES, and she was doing most of the alarm calling/screaming:
Fun fact: when the chimpanzees are screaming, Wilson, a pit bull / bull mastiff rescue who lives with me and J.B. on the property, howls. It is the only time he howls, but he does it reliably if he is within earshot of the chimps screaming. If they are merely pant hooting or food grunting, he lets that go.
Read the following as the sarcasm it was intended to be, and include the proper inflection for air quotes: If you are wondering why we allow a 100lb dog to sit on our picnic table, well I really don’t need your questions or opinions on “good” or “bad” dog behavior or whether establishing “rules” for dogs are important. Please, let me get back to the story.
So, I’m sitting outside listening to Annie seriously losing it and Wilson howling, and I’m picturing that poor snake, who really had no idea what she/he had in store for themselves today.
Some of the more brave chimpanzees (NOT ANNIE), will approach snakes and try to either throw them or whack them, or some combination of those moves. Foxie and Jamie are usually the two who take this upon themselves. Kelsi came back and reported that is exactly what happened and that the snake appeared to be dead because it was lying upside down and not moving.
The chimpanzees came to that same logical conclusion and left the snake to go do other things.
I went out to the greenhouse quite a bit later and saw the snake as Kelsi had described.
Then I watched as Missy approached it and poked it with something.
The snake was alive!
What ensued was predictable – another round of Annie screaming as Foxie, Jamie, and this time Burrito too, tried to dispatch the snake in whatever way they could.
I grabbed the snake tongs that we have for capturing rattlesnakes (we’ve only had to use them a handful of times in the last dozen years), and attempted to convince Jamie to coax the snake in the direction of the caging where I was waiting with the tongs. She looked at me quizzically and did not go along with this plan.
Kelsi attempted to pick up the snake with a piece of plastic tubing through the caging, but that too was not successful. Eventually, the snake got itself into a rather hidden place in the greenhouse and everyone calmed back down.
Jamie knew exactly where the snake was. I later saw her watching the spot where it had disappeared from a very safe vantage point at the top of the platform.
The day progressed, with Kelsi serving dinner to the chimpanzees in the greenhouse without any snake sightings or drama of any kind. After dinner, I was walking around the greenhouse to close the hill for the night, when I heard something in the underbrush.
Could it be?!
I closed Door Y and excitedly returned to where I had heard the rustling. I had to separate the plants to find him/her again, but there was no doubt this was my old steely gazed snake friend.
He/she slipped behind a railroad tie, wedged between that and the side of the building. It wasn’t easy, but I was finally able to lift him/her out and relocate the snake-with-nine-lives to the barn, where I hope he/she will make a nice home and not venture towards the chimp house again.
This day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees was sponsored by Suzanne Van Ness in memory of her sister, Barbara Beck, who was born on this date 65 years ago.
Suzanne, thank you for your gracious heart in choosing to honor Barbara and her memory in such a compassionate way. You and Barbara have made a difference in the lives of the chimpanzees and we’re so appreciative to you both for that. May comfort and wonderful memories weave themselves around you today.
Missy and Annie:
Annie holding Missy’s foot:
Okay, so it isn’t Episode IV. It’s not actually the fourth in a series of anything. Furthermore, the soap isn’t even new soap.
However, this blog post is something like an episode and it does indeed contain soap, so there’s all that to consider. I think my stupid pun works for the title, and I would appreciate it if nobody complains. Keep your eye-rolls to yourselves.
Today, the chimpanzees were particular about whether or not they wanted to shift out of enclosures. Shifting is a necessary step that allows us to safely clean the areas and resupply the chimps with enrichment materials, but we sometimes need to work around the decisions that the chimps make. After all, we can’t make them leave an area if they don’t want to. This morning, everyone was out of step- especially with Jody recuperating in Front Room 1 after yesterday’s procedure, sweltering outdoor temperatures and the construction crew hammering away outside of the new wing.
[Note: Jody recovered quickly, as she usually does, and was eager to socialize with her friends through the mesh today! She spent the day eating, watching movies and lounging in front of the fan.]
Because Willy B., Mave and Honey B. were reluctant to leave the chute this morning, we had to clean their indoor rooms in an unusual order. The three chimpanzees still had access to Front Room 5 as we cleaned Front Rooms 6 and 7 right in front of them. Honey B. isn’t one to be left out, so we created a cleaning station for her that, unlike the tool sets that the humans use, was durable and safe enough to be given as enrichment. The kit consisted of a sandbox filled with soapy water, various brushes, and a couple of towels. We are aware that Honey B. has an affinity for cleaning, so this setup is far from novel. Still, it kept her busy while we completed the daily chores.
Honey B. seemed to have a blast, although Willy B. and Mave were mostly indifferent. Mave preferred to lounge in the corner with a plastic toy and Willy B kept trying to see his reflection in the camera lens. These three chimps are a great example of how the efficacy of enrichment items varies among chimpanzees, especially those with different backgrounds and personalities.
Today wasn’t as sweltering as it had been the past couple of days. There was even a slight (and I mean slight) cool breeze that rolled through in the afternoon. While there was a reprieve from summer’s scorch today, only a few decided to make use of the cooler weather and breeze in the Greenhouse, while the rest remained inside.
Jody would take glances at Young’s Hill to decide if she wanted to go out or not. She ultimately decided the Greenhouse was better.
Foxie also decided the bottom platform in the Greenhouse structure was the best place to relax and enjoy the breeze blowing through.
Mildly lower temperatures and a cool breeze seemed like the optimal conditions to have a grooming session between two friends.
You may be wondering who else was in enjoying the Greenhouse. Well let me build this up for everybody as a Behind the Scenes of Being a Caregiver:
Imagine being the lead caregiver. You hit the point of the day where you want to get photos to include into today’s blog. You grab the camera and proceed with your search for chimpanzees. You notice sweet little moments such as above of Foxie and Jody grooming. Then you hear it. The Bronx cheers grow ever louder and louder. The stomping of feet gets closer and closer. And out of your peripheral vision, just a furry blur. You look to see who is coming, but you already know 100% who it is and what they want.
The Bronx cheers. Stomping of the feet. Kicking of the mesh caging. “This is not photo/blog time! This is play time!”
Not to miss this sweet moment between Foxie and Jody, I had to ask Caregiver Kelsi if she could tag in for me and keep this man occupied.
It worked! Burrito got to play and I was able to get the photos of Foxie and Jody. After a short bout of play with Kelsi and I, Burrito subsided.
He even joined in grooming Foxie.
Long-time friend of the chimpanzees, Rachel Ruggeri, sponsored this beautiful summer day of sanctuary in an inspiring celebration of her birthday:
“Today marks my 51st birthday and there is no way I’d rather celebrate than to honor my friends (chimpanzee and bovine) at the sanctuary. I take great comfort knowing that all of the animals at the sanctuary are living their best lives. That gives me hope and right now…that is what we all need.”
Happy Birthday, Rachel! Thank you so much for helping us fill all our days with the celebration of hope to be found in each day. We’re so grateful to you for all the good you help surround the chimps and bovines with. All of us here hope your day of celebration is a heart-filled one of joy and wonder.
Missy and Annie:
Burrito and Dora:
Honey B and Mave:
Willy B:
Honey, Betsy and Nutmeg (Meredith being her independent bovine self out of frame):
Meredith:
Negra:
Foxie, Jody and Jamie:
