Foxie and Dora have had a quiet Sunday so far.
chimpanzee
The Reason Why
I have the most amazing job in the world. I know so many people who would love to be in my place and help run a sanctuary for chimpanzees. There are stressful times though; a lot of stressful times, if I’m being honest.
But then there are the moments that bring me back to the mission of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the reason that I’m here, and probably the reason you are reading this.
Today, it was a simple moment.
I was finishing up a walk with Jamie (wearing a mismatched pair of boots, at Jamie’s request).
Burrito, Jody, Foxie, Annie, Missy, and Negra all came outside while Jamie and I walked the perimeter of the outdoor habitat. By the time I came to the end of the walk, everyone but Negra had gone into the green house.
Negra remained sitting by the “cabin” that we named after her, in a field of green, sampling the fresh grass, as content as any chimpanzee I’ve ever seen.
Thank you, Negra, for this reminder today. It’s all about these moments.
Selecting the right boot
Jamie loves to patrol her 2-acre enclosure in the company of her caregivers. But before the walk begins, she has to select the right boot for us to wear.
The View From the Bottom
In chimpanzees, personality and dominance often go hand in hand. The alphas aren’t always the biggest and strongest individuals; they’re often in charge because they want to be in charge. (Despite some of the benefits conferred, not everyone is interested in running for president.)
At CSNW, Annie is the lowest in the hierarchy. She also happens to be a little anxious. It’s impossible to know whether she’s anxious because she’s the lowest in the hierarchy, or whether she’s the lowest in the hierarchy because she’s an anxious individual. (The truth is probably some combination of those options.) Despite being the lowest in the hierarchy, Annie doesn’t have it too bad. She has to wait her turn at meals, and she defers to the more dominant chimps in passing. But she also gets away with a fair amount of sass – probably because the more dominant chimps aren’t threatened by her. She can take food straight out of Negra’s hands – assuming it’s not something Negra cared too much about – and she always lets the other chimps know when they’ve wronged her. As the years go by, we see less and less anxiety and more and more peace and contentment in her eyes.
HOOT! Sponsors: Darwin’s Natural Pet Products
I am so happy to be sharing information about HOOT! sponsors so everyone can learn the different ways that people have discovered the sanctuary and why they have decided to contribute their financial support to seven chimpanzees living in Cle Elum.
Today is the fourth in a series of blog posts celebrating sponsors of the HOOT! 2017 Spring Fling gala.
Past posts celebrated Jennifer and David Roers, Tracy Headley, and Pam Lehnert & Marc Warner.
Today, with so much gratitude, we celebrate the extreme generosity of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products.
The format for this post is a letter from Darwin’s founder Gary Tashjian:
At Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, we’ve built our business around supporting the connection between people and animals. We’ve always been inspired by the quote from Mohandas Gandhi that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
That’s why I was so excited to discover Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s booth at the University Street Fair in Seattle a few summers ago. Chimps (and all primates, for that matter) have a special relationship with humans, and the way we have allowed them to be treated is, I believe, inconsistent with our values. I was happy to find an organization here in the Northwest with people who not only felt the way that I did about this issue, but dedicated themselves to doing something about it. I knew that Darwin’s needed to support their efforts in some way.
After visiting the sanctuary and learning that the chimps’ diet consists primarily of fresh vegetables, I realized that Darwin’s had a unique opportunity to help support the sanctuary’s efforts, as we use fresh vegetables in our dog food recipes as well.
We reached out to Charlie’s Produce, who we work with to supply the vegetables that we use for our dog food, and asked them if they could help. Charlie’s was very supportive of our efforts, and together we put together a program that enabled us to provide an array of fresh vegetables to the chimps, at no cost to the Sanctuary.
We are very happy to be able to do our part to help these chimps enjoy a healthy diet, and to live out the rest of their lives in a safe and nurturing environment. Darwin’s is proud to be a supporter of the sanctuary’s efforts.
Gary Tashjian
Founder
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products
Big thanks to Gary and Darwin’s (and Charlie’s Produce) for the literal ton of produce for the chimps over the years and for being a Chimpanzee Champion Sponsor of HOOT! 2017!
Burrito sends his thanks too!
Country chimps
Chimpanzee sanctuaries naturally tend to be in rural areas. And as you might imagine, for chimpanzees who have spent the majority of their lives to date in biomedical research, finding themselves exploring their outdoor habitats in the country can bring enrichment in all manner of forms.
This morning was beautiful, the grass is a brighter shade of green with each passing day and the chimps love pouring out onto the hill after breakfast to play and investigate things. Foxie took Dora (with a windswept coif) along this morning and decided to take in the surroundings in a quiet spot while deciding where her morning adventure would begin:
Annie and Missy came tumbling up the hill together and Foxie decided to follow them further up toward the structures:
As Jamie and I were walking along the perimeter together, I noticed Foxie in the background suddenly stick Dora in her mouth and with a determined look head quickly across the hill toward the fence, on a mission.
Then I realized what her mission was probably about. “Intruder” cows who needed to be run off! (Meanwhile, Annie – in the foreground – was happily picking spring grass and could have cared less about the cows):
But fierce Foxie wasn’t having it and Jamie quickly backed her friend up to chase the cows down the hill. These sweet calves belong to our neighbor and are currently grazing a portion of our property. Can you imagine what the cows’ perspective must be when they first see the chimps? Scanning their mental repertoires of possible fellow animals and thinking, “Squirrels? No…Dogs? No…Horses? No…What???”:
Notice Annie still just going about her business 🙂 :
Annie looking after Jamie, Foxie and the cows, as they all ran by, probably trying to figure out what all the hullabaloo was about:
Ladies of leisure
After the chimps (even Negra!) spent a busy morning on Young’s Hill foraging for wild greens, exploring, playing, and guarding the perimeter against new intruders (neighbor cows), it’s been a pretty leisurely afternoon at the sanctuary. With warming temperatures, fresh air through open windows and doors, and a sun-drenched greenhouse, these ladies were soaking it all in.
Foxie:
Annie:
Missy:
