Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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chimpanzee

Bronx Cheers

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I remember when I first learned that adult house cats “meow” almost exclusively to humans and not to other cats. It’s still fascinating to me that in the course of domestication, not only have we selected for certain vocal tendencies in cats but they have also exploited some natural human perceptual tendencies to be able to express what they want – for example, food, affection, or help when they are in trouble. It’s a language, if you will, that exists only between our two species.

Chimpanzees are obviously not domesticated but they certainly are smart, and they have also found unique ways to communicate with humans. The Bronx cheer, or raspberry, is part of the vocal repertoire of many free-living chimpanzees but it is typically used when grooming. Captive chimpanzees, however, have discovered that at full volume it’s a great way to get the attention of humans. And if you do it over and over again, louder and louder each time, the humans will eventually give in. Or go crazy. Either way, it’s enriching for them.

Burrito Takes Over The Live Stream

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Today, we let you all watch one of the most exciting events that takes place at the sanctuary every day: lunch.

For those of you who were busy during the live stream or were unable to connect via Facebook, you can watch the recording here. (Unfortunately, it’s not possible to embed Facebook videos directly into the blog post.)

Despite some early technical obstacles, I was eventually able to broadcast a live feed that showed the Seven foraging on Young’s Hill, their outdoor enclosure. I then brought my phone to the Greenhouse so that the chimpanzees could join in on the chat. Burrito, of course, was interested in playing chase and seemed intrigued by the Facebook video being sent to all of you from the palm of my hand. As usual, he stole the show.

It was great to see so many viewers join in on the broadcast, despite the short notice and connection troubles. I tried to answer some questions during the stream while Diana typed out additional responses from the sanctuary’s office. I wasn’t expecting so much engagement (170+ comments in 24 minutes!), so I will do my best to address any additional inquiries throughout the day.

Thank you all for your patience, interest, and support!

Here are some still photographs to accompany the today’s events.

Annie:

Negra:

Honey B:

Burrito:

The Neighbor’s Horses:

And, finally, an intimate moment shared between Honey (one of our resident cattle) and one of the neighboring mares:

 

Enriching the Day

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It has been one year and one week since Mave, Honey B, and Willy B arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Since their arrival, we have introduced them to the nightly routine of evening enrichment puzzles. Talking to some of the other staff members, when the Three first arrived, they would have this look of confusion on their face when they received something AFTER their dinner.

The Evening Enrichment Puzzles are a way for the chimpanzees exercise their cognitive abilities while also receiving a food reward. Puzzles could also be seen as a means to try to alleviate boredom. The key to an enrichment problem is to not make them so easy, there is no challenge in completing them. It also means not to make them so difficult, they get frustrated and quit. There is a balance to be made when developing an enrichment food puzzle.

Now that the Three have been here for a year, they are used to (and sometimes anticipating) their evening puzzles. Here are some photos over the past several months of them engaged in their evening food puzzles:

Honey B cleverly found a new way to complete the PVC Tubes.

Mave decided to forego using her chopstick for the Dipper Tubes and just use her fingers.

Willy B searches for more raisins in his Raisin Board.

Mave searches for more hidden treats inside her Firehose Cube.

Honey B trying to find the sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a peanut butter Pine Cone.

Mave tries to fish out nuts from a Kong.

In the video, the Three interact with a puzzle called Frisbee Puzzles (or Hanging Frisbees). We realized after their party last week, that may have been the first time they received this puzzle. After it seemed they really enjoyed them last week, we decided to bump them up in the rotation and make the puzzles for them again today.

Celebrating Missy

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Today, we had the honor of hosting yet another birthday party for the sanctuary’s resident sparkplug: Missy Chimpanzee.

Missy spent 35 years in a cycle of exploitation before finally being transferred to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest with her companions in 2008. During those lost decades, her and hundreds of other chimpanzees were utilized as breeders and research subjects. Missy now has 45 years under her belt (which is only a couple fewer than Negra, the sanctuary’s oldest chimpanzee). Despite her age, which would lead her to be classified as “geriatric” by primatologists, Missy is known for her youthful athleticism, persistent energy, and fierce independence.

The first thing you may notice about Missy is that there’s a lot of chimp packed into that compact little body, and she often appears to be propelled by explosive bursts as she zooms around the Hill. She’s the type of action hero who would walk away from an explosion without turning to look at it. Missy is a rebel who surely has plenty of cause, but I find her most admirable quality to be the way she regards the process of senescence with cool defiance. The rest of us can only hope to delay aging and enjoy retirement with a fraction of her success. We should all throw out our self-help books, shut off our podcasts, and instead look to Dr. Missy for advice.

You can imagine how daunting it must be to throw a birthday bash for such a unique and enigmatic individual. Fortunately for Chad (the Enrichment Coordinator), Missy has not been shy about her love for the red berries of a Central American flowering vine, Solanum lycopersicum, which are widely known by their Nahuatl name: tomatoes. Missy loves all cultivars of these things unconditionally, and doesn’t seem to ever grow tired of seeing them on the serving tray. As soon as she spies us take those waxy red orbs out of the refrigerator, Missy turns into a ravenous lunatic whose sole objective is to ingest as many tomatoes as quickly as possible. Given this knowledge, Chad obviously had to organize a tomato-themed party to celebrate Missy’s 45th trip around the sun.

While the chimps waited in the cool Playroom, today’s crew spread a forage of fresh veggies and chow in the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill. The cornucopia included whole beefsteak and wedged Roma tomatoes, small piles of grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet corn on the cob, and zesty red onions. One of our volunteer caregivers also prepared Gatorade cups with orange slices to wash it all down.

When we carried this feast out to spread in the chimps’ enclosures, the Seven erupted. The chimps were so raucous with excitement that Diana and J.B. heard their hoots and screams from the other end of the property. Foxie, who is also a fan of tomatoes, screamed the loudest. Because our hands were full of vegetables and other treats, we didn’t take any photos of the chaotic moment. Fortunately, J.B. and Jamie recently posted this demonstration so that you can all imagine what a chorus of pant-hooting chimpanzees sounds like. Eventually, the craziness subsided enough for the chimps to gather around the windows as we distributed small caches of food in their outdoor enclosures.

Once the caregivers had secured the Hill and Greenhouse, we let the chimpanzees back out to begin foraging. Of course, Missy launched herself out onto the grassy hillside and immediately started gathering tomatoes. It was as if she knew the reason for the celebration, and she was clearly the guest of honor.

 

The other chimpanzees enjoyed their shares, too. Missy undoubtedly “won” the event, but nobody went without food.

Jody:

Foxie:

Annie:

Negra:

Burrito was more interested in playing, of course. This has been the norm for him this year. He eventually went outside and scrounged up some corn, but he made it clear that goofing around with a caregiver was the top priority.

At this point, you’re probably wondering where Jamie was. Did she hoard all of the corn? Well, she tried.

The magical aspect of widespread food is that it’s difficult to monopolize. In captive settings, resources are often provisioned in confined spaces that allow individuals with dominant personalities to, well, dominate. In ecological terms, this is known as contest competition and tends to reward those with brute strength and Machiavellian strategy.

Relatively large outdoor spaces (e.g. Young’s Hill) allow caregivers to distribute food over wider areas, which leads each group of chimpanzees to fission into smaller parties that then race each other to gather up the best available resources. This process, which more closely parallels the behavior of free-ranging chimpanzees, is an example of scramble competition. By facilitating this pattern of behavior, we can give subordinate chimpanzees a chance to get on the scoreboard. In such an environment, crafty and efficient chimpanzees can excel while those who usually rely on intimidation must fend for themselves. Today’s case in point was Missy, who proved herself to be the queen of the scramble.

Once the others had returned to the shade of the Greenhouse, Missy ventured out into the wilderness of Young’s Hill to continue searching. It was amazing to witness her scuttling across the wooden bridges and bushwhacking through the tall prairie grass. Her extraordinary effort reaped delicious rewards.

On the other side of the building, Honey B and her companions were treated to a similar feast. Honey B is, as you may know, Missy’s daughter. They have many differences, but Honey B was quite please by the tomatoes as well.

Willy B preferred the corn, and Mave was so engrossed with her lunch that we were unable to take any photos of her.

We usually avoid making assumptions about the chimpanzees’ experiences, but I feel confident that Missy made the most of her celebration.

Missy, I look forward to seeing you scarf down ten thousand more tomatoes.

Happy 45th, kid.

In memory of Debera

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Long-time friend of the sanctuary and volunteer, Jen Douglas, sponsored a day of sanctuary today in memory of Debera Verlinda. Jen shared this message about her gift:

“My friend Debera had the honour of sharing her birthday with Missy! She passed away on July 17th but hope Missy is willing to share the spotlight with her today, as she was truly a special person. Debera and I volunteered together at Homeward Pet on the Wednesday morning dog-walking shift for 13 years. We also volunteered together at CSNW. We had such good times through the years with all the dogs. She was an inspiration to me, she was a talented artist, loving, compassionate, selfless and very courageous and positive throughout her battle with cancer. I feel so privileged to have known her. She lived life to the full for the time that was left and made this world a better place for both people and animals. I’ll always miss her. Here’s to Debera and Missy!”

Jen, this is a such a lovely way to remember someone, and to be remembered. We’re so sorry to know of Debera’s passing and for the loss of your dear friend. Thank you so much for honoring Debera’s legacy and for giving us the opportunity to celebrate her and the compassionate and inspirational life she led.

Another special and inspiring woman whose birthday we are celebrating today: Missy! Party preparations are under way as we get ready for Missy’s 45th birthday! Be sure to check in later today (especially if you share in Missy’s love of tomatoes 😉 ). It’s a good day for birthdays.

Here’s to 1 Year and Many More to Come!

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It’s hard to believe only one year ago Mave, Honey B, and Willy B arrived here from Southern California. When they first arrived, they were in quarantine for 30 days before any volunteer was allowed to meet them, so my first meeting with them was delayed by a month. After meeting them, it’s truly hard for me (personally) to think back during a time where these three amazing beings have not been in my life at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. So much has happened since then. From Willy B triumphantly venturing outside for the first time, to Honey B developing her sense of style, to Mave’s adoring personality. Yes, there have been some rough and tough times since their arrival, but even with the bad, their current life and happiness is all that matters to us.

We all consider ourselves lucky to have even gotten a chance to meet these three, let alone given the opportunity to provide care for them and watch their personalities grow. It’s no wonder why past caregivers from throughout their lives, who have had the incredible luck of caring for them, still speak so highly of them.

To celebrate their one year anniversary here, we decided to throw them a celebration. Or at least tried to throw them a celebration. We tried to close off the front rooms today and individualize each one with each of their favorite things. Honey B had other plans this morning. She wouldn’t allow us to close off the areas we wanted to in order to set things up. But that’s the point of sanctuary. They ultimately get to make that choice. So first we were able to close of Front Room 5, to set up Willy B’s celebration, since I thought they would have to be set up one-by-one.

Then, by some miracle (also known as lunch), Honey B allowed us to close off the other areas for celebration set up. For lunch, they were served some of their favorites including avocados, and coconuts!

With all three of them happily eating in the Mezzanine, we quickly cleaned the other front rooms (and setup Willy B’s again), for their celebrations!

Willy B’s celebration, again, with slinkies and his leopard print blanket.
Mave’s celebration, with tons of socks, sashes, and her rocking dog.
Honey B’s celebration with tons of paper, fanny packs, headbands, and a stuffed dragon on a scooter.

We also set up an enrichment item called “Frisbee Puzzles” for each of them in their room.

You may have noticed Honey B’s rainbow sash. Initially, these were set up in Mave’s celebration area. But when they exited the Mezzanine, these sashes caught Honey B’s eye. She immediately knew what to do with them.

She wore these almost for the remainder of the day, even passing one through to mesh for to me to wear with her.

After they completed their puzzles and got a chance to sort through their old and new enrichment, it was time to relax.

Willy B kept playing with his newest slinky while laying on his blanket. He would stretch it out, and try to catch it with his mouth as it coiled back up.

Mave napped with one of Honey B’s headbands (seemed fair enough since Honey B took her sashes).

And Honey B continued to patrol her enclosures in her “Mayor” sash. She just reminded me of those old time mayors who wore sashes everywhere.

One very special day is done, signalling the start of Honey B, Willy B, and Mave’s second year here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

I want to echo Katelyn’s words in yesterday’s blog:

To those who directly cared and advocated for Willy B, Mave and Honey B during their time at Wildlife Waystation, and who continue to care for the chimpanzees still there awaiting their new sanctuary homes, thank you, we think of you every day.”

In all sincerity, thank you to everybody who has been involved in these three’s lives. To their former caregivers to all the wonderful supporters from around the world, thank you! Your love for them fuels our passion to try to provide the best care for them. Here’s to one year down and many more to come!