Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee sanctuary

A Day for Annie!

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There can never be enough parties!!!

That must be one of our mantras here at CSNW. After celebrating HOOT! 2023 yesterday evening, we rolled into the chimp house this morning ready to celebrate again. Today, though, we are celebrating Annie’s 49th birthday! Like Jenna wrote in her blog yesterday, it truly takes a village to support the chimpanzees and cattle in our care. Thank you to everyone who participated in HOOT! yesterday, whether in person or remotely. It’s really wonderful to be surrounded by a community such as this one.

Today, we celebrated Annie’s 49th. It’s always shocking to me when I remember Annie’s age, because (for me) she is timeless.

Annie is a special lady. She is what we refer to as a ‘chimps chimp’, in that she prefers spending time with her group mates rather than with humans. She lets others in her group take charge and can be anxious at times, but loves spending time with Missy and is known to play rough with Burrito every now and then. She has had a tough journey- we celebrate her birthday on September 10th and we believe it’s possible that she was born in the wild. Before coming to CSNW, she spent her life in biomedical research where she was used in hepatitis vaccine studies. She also had quite a few babies while in the lab, potentially even up to 7, but they were all taken from her. In the lab, she wasn’t given the opportunity to decide how she would be known.

Here at CSNW, she is known for making her unique ‘bird-noises’ when she’s laying down, for washing her face with water that she cups in her hands and rubs vigorously across her forehead which leaves the hair on the top of her forehead all spiky. She is known for walking (or even running) bipedally while out on the hill, and for her love of human toes and comfy nests. Us humans often know when spring is coming after a long winter when we find Annie wearing one of her beloved head bands around her waist. She is sweet, kind, and often quiet, but will adventure to the top of Young’s Hill with her best pal, Missy. If you’re serving her, she will let you know if you are taking too long (or if she’s not ready to take something yet). Her food grunts when she’s eating something she loves (like pears at breakfast this morning) are deep and soothing.

We love her for exactly who she is.

 

A big thank you to Paulette Wrisley for sponsoring Annie’s birthday today- from everyone here, thank you for helping us celebrate this special lady!!!

BONUS PHOTOS:

Annie:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Negra:

CSNW’s Funniest Home Videos: Part Two

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It has been quite a busy day here in the chimp house, so I’ve decided to keep my written blog brief and hope the video speaks for itself! 🙂

Back in January I wrote a blog titled ‘Cheers to The Goofy Moments‘- the first instillation of our own version of America’s Funniest Home Videos. We’ve been continuing to collect blooper moments throughout our work days here in the chimp house when we can. I hope you get a chuckle out of watching them just like we do!

Enjoy!

Bonus Photos:

Annie, gazing lovingly at the Frisbee Puzzle Enrichment they received today:

Terry enjoying the cool, cloudy afternoon by taking some time for himself out on The Bray:

 

Happy Anniversary to Mave, Willy B & Honey B!

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Today marks four years since Willy B, Mave and Honey B made their way to CSNW and a lot has happened since they arrived. The original plans for the three didn’t work out as everyone had hoped but after some time the Lucky 6 arrived and welcomed Willy B, Honey B and Mave into their family. While some are still finding their place within the group, which is completely normal, others have found their other half, like Mave did with Dora.

I wasn’t here for the introduction of two groups one of my favorite things about introductions with chimpanzees is watching them figure each other out and decide how to approach each other. I have been watching Rayne and Honey B’s relationship since I started and while some day’s it can be a little rough, they are quick to forgive and also have so many moments where I see them playing and grooming recently. One thing Honey B has picked up is Rayne’s keen fashion sense.

Honey B wearing a headband as a waistband:

They’ve not only made new friends but since their last anniversary the Bray has opened so they now have their very own outdoor habitat to explore at their leisure!

Willy B enjoyed an anniversary forage with his group

Honey B enjoying her lunch forage in the chute with the girls, she’s clearly a big fan of radicchio!

I couldn’t get them in the same frame but Mave and Dora enjoyed taking an after lunch snooze in the chute together

 

While Cy enjoyed some quiet contemplation in the greenhouse, because everyone needs a little alone time

 

Missy’s birthday is coming up soon, so don’t forget to check out her tomato themed wishlist items!

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop (Playin’)

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We are really appreciating the break from the intense summer heat here in Cle Elum and the chimps seem to be enjoying it too. Both groups enjoyed a lunch forage today that included strawberries, blackberries, fingerling potatoes, bell peppers, and whole heads of baby Iceberg lettuce! All day today the chimps have been grooming and playing (mostly playing) with each other- so it’s been a pretty good day. Check out the video for more. 🙂

Two days ago, J.B. wrote about Willy B’s procedure. We’re happy to report that he went back with his group first thing yesterday morning and is doing great! We are so grateful to Dr. Erin and the team of professionals she brought together to help us ensure that we are giving Willy B the best possible care he can receive.

Photos from Today

Annie, looking out to Young’s Hill before breakfast this morning:

Burrito during the lunch forage on Young’s Hill:

The cattle are also enjoying this weather in their extended summer pasture!

Gordo, before a game of chase:

Jamie really putting in work during the lunch forage:

Rayne looking out through the Riverview Greenhouse:

A Classic Chimp House Caper

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It’s time to grab your bowler hat, trench coat, and magnifying glass- we have a chimp house caper to solve.

We here at CSNW are not immune to pulling the occasional prank on our coworkers. Hiding food is not uncommon, or leaving things in funny places for the next morning crew to find (like Kirk, our fun anatomically accurate skeleton). The thing that sets this caper apart is the fact that we have gone almost a month without identifying the perpetrator. We all have our suspicions and the discussion on who we think did it has found it’s way into our bi-weekly staff meetings, morning meetings, staff group chats… You get the picture. It’s slowly infiltrating every part of our day.

What is this caper you ask? Great question.

Let me set the scene.

About a month ago, it was a normal day in the chimp house. No one seems to know who was all here that day, but I think it was a Thursday. One moment, everything is fine. The next, someone (I think J.B. or Chad?) noticed a new item on the white board in the foyer. On an unassuming white piece of paper, in a new laminated sheet, was a Human Enrichment Calendar. We have chimp enrichment calendars, yes- two to be exact. But this was the first appearance of a Human Enrichment Calendar. Each day it listed a staff member with a task to do that was not, nor has ever been, on our daily task lists. From disinfecting every single enclosure in one day, to making a whole month’s worth of paper braids, to raking the driveway (it’s not a short driveway), every day was a new humbling activity. See for yourself:

Evidence Presented to the Court #1:

There’s one thing that stands out the most from this calendar. It’s that a certain staff member has a certain type of task each day that they’re listed that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.

Evidence Presented to the Court #2:

Now, it being a Thursday, no one was on their weekends. So either a staff member was in the chimp house or having office time, but there would also have likely been volunteers on site as well. We briefly discussed dusting for fingerprints, but the laminated sheet was clean. The perp knew what they were doing.

So far, all have claimed innocence. Jenna is adamant that she is being framed, Chad argues that just because he is the enrichment coordinator doesn’t mean he did it, I was in office time so my alibi is working from home (my dog, Pongo, can attest)- but everyone has a similar story. For a while, it was widely believed that Jenna did it (maybe with an accomplice?) then Chad was decided to be the perpetrator. He has since argued his innocence. I will keep my biases to myself, but I will say that a certain staff member (ahem, Jenna) has been very, very, very adamant that it’s not her. But whose to judge what behavior is suspicious?

So, I ask you- who do you think did it? We look forward to reading your suspicions, theories, and ideas- maybe it will help us in identifying the trouble maker. 🙂

Photos From the Day:

Chad caught Jamie on Young’s Hill this afternoon with her favorite book:

Rayne and Terry enjoying some time on The Bray this afternoon:

 

 

Ms. B: Agent of Chaos

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Honey B is definitely a one of a kind personality, she can be your best friend one minute and an agent of chaos the next. She knows what she wants and what she likes but it might change from minute to minute and you don’t know until your moment with her has gone from peaceful grooming to her screaming at you and possibly trying to poke you with her finger or a tool of her choice.

 

Since I started back in February, Honey has been mostly indifferent to me, she doesn’t really cause issues for shifting or meals however, if someone else is feeling spicy about shifting she’s definitely down to join in the cause and aid her fellow chimpanzee in their campaign against shifting. Recently Honey has been showing an interest when I come back from my weekend and go back to visit with the chimps before starting my morning duties. She will come up and breathy pant at me and offer to groom. These grooming sessions are fairly short, she usually loses interest pretty quickly if I don’t have anything fun to pick at and I’ve not yet experienced the sudden shift in mood but knowing it could come at any time is part of the fun when making friends with Ms. Honey B.

 

Ms B and the gang:

 

Happiness is Contagious

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When I was on my way to work this morning, I promised myself that I would do something different for the blog. The last few weeks I’ve posted videos of various chimps playing on my blog days, and I felt the need to branch out a bit… Of course, these plans came crashing down after just about an hour in the chimp house. 🙂

Lizz and I were cleaning the playroom on Jamie’s side this morning and, usually, when we’re done cleaning and start setting the room up for the chimps they come into the front rooms to watch. Something about Front Room One must lend itself to play, because most days we can find at least two chimps in there playing while we finish up. It’s actually one of my favorite things about cleaning on the original side of the building- there’s nothing better than hearing loud, happy, breathy pants while you’re putting out the forage, toys, and clean blankets. It reminds me of Front Room 7 on Cy’s side- one of the top hang outs for the individuals in that group. Front rooms, man- they’re just the best!

Today was no different, except the whole room was full of chimps. Burrito and Negra in one corner, Annie and Missy in the other, and Foxie bouncing back and forth. I got my phone out to record and, as it kept going, I knew it would be my blog for the day. But, can you blame me?! The moments we catch of the chimps playing or grooming together are precious. Whether it’s building new friendships or reaffirming relationships that they’ve had for years, seeing them happy is contagious.

Over the weekend I was thinking a lot about how many sweet moments of play and grooming we’ve seen lately and it hit me that it hasn’t been even three months since we lost our dear Jody. The time has gone fast, as it does with 15 chimps and 4 cows keeping you busy, but that grief is still very much a part of every day life. For both the humans and the chimps, it has been a time of challenging changes as we get used to a new normal. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me the moments of pure happiness between the chimps (or shared with a caregiver) during the day have helped me work through the heavy moments of grief.

Maybe that’s why these moments have caught my attention so much recently- because love is what gets us through. Or perhaps it’s just because they’re truly special and I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to witness them and share them with you. Or, maybe, it’s all of the above.

Bonus Photos

Foxie:

  

Willy B:

Nutmeg and Friends: