chimpanzee

Foxie’s 39th!

August 8, 2015 by Diana

Today we celebrated Foxie’s 39th birthday! It was a day filled with some of her favorite foods – lots and lots of fruit, fruit smoothie in shot glasses…

Foxie found a smoothie shot on the hill:

plus there were carrots, celery, more fruit, avocados, sweet potatoes, corn, and fresh-pressed carrot & apple juice!

There’s a video below, but first a few shots of the chimps enjoying the celebration in their own way:

Burrito looking for food:

Annie chillin’ in the hammock:

Negra getting that last bit of coconut from the cup:

Jody in her characteristic belly-to-the-ground position, finishing her meal:

And Missy, who was not going to let a bit of the flaked coconut that was in this piñata go to waste.

Not one…

little bit

There were several people who contributed to Foxie’s celebration, including Karen Young who provided decorations and money for food, Tracy H. who sponsored the day, Jayne R., and many people who sent Foxie Dora and troll dolls. Thanks for making her day special!

Enjoy the video!

Positive Reinforcement Training

August 6, 2015 by Elizabeth

A few months ago, we began a positive reinforcement training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees. (Read JB’s thorough description in this blog post.) Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them. By teaching them to present certain body parts for inspection, for example, we will be better able to check on and treat wounds.

We started by teaching the chimps to touch a “target.” A target can be just about any object – we use PVC pipes with colored tape on the end. When a chimp touches the target, the caregiver who’s working with them presses a clicker (click = “good job”) and then rewards the chimp with a small piece of fruit or other treat. Once a chimp has learned this “targeting” behavior, we move on to asking for different body parts. The routine is the same – when a chimp presents the body part we’ve asked for, they hear a click and get a treat.

When we started this program in April, we invited Gail Laule from Active Environments to spend several days at the sanctuary training the staff on these positive reinforcement techniques. This week, Gail has returned to check up on our progress. Here are some photos from today’s sessions.

Jamie presenting her shoulder to Diana:

Jody opening her mouth while working with me (Elizabeth):

Annie presenting her back (Anna and Negra are on the right):

Negra “targeting” with Anna:

Negra presenting her shoulder:

Participation in this program is totally optional. The great thing about PRT, though, is that the chimps want to participate. It’s a win-win. It’s enriching for them (and for their bellies!) and the cooperative behaviors they learn are going to improve their lives by allowing us to give them the best care possible.

Rituals

August 4, 2015 by J.B.

It’s 6pm. We’ve given the chimps their dinner, spot cleaned the playroom, passed out fresh blankets for nesting, and finished our long closing checklist to make the sure the chimps are safe, comfortable, and secure overnight. Each of the chimps is either finishing their after dinner food puzzle or settling into their nests for the evening. It’s time to call it a day. But we can’t leave until the boss gives us the OK and that can get complicated when your boss is a 37-year-old chimpanzee with a cowboy boot obsession.

Sure, it’s possible to just close the door and leave, but we’d be walking away from one very frustrated and potentially angry chimpanzee. Because when she goes to bed, she needs to take certain boots with her, and it’s our job to figure out which ones she is after.

Tonight, it took three staff members to model all her current favorites. We danced, did the moonwalk, and pirouetted for her. One particular pair grabbed her interest, and as I held them up near the caging, she began to groom them.

The grooming turned into tickling as I did my best attempt at chimp laughter (chimp laughter is akin to hyperventilating and can have similar consequences if humans do it too long or too enthusiastically).

You can tell when Jamie is finally satisfied. She lets our a low moan of approval and echos the nest grunts from her family as they bed down throughout the playroom. She begins to build her own nest by surrounding herself with blankets and weaving them into the caging.

Then, and only then, are we allowed to leave. But not with the boots – those stay with the boss.

Happy Birthday, Erin!

August 3, 2015 by Katelyn

We are so fortunate to have two of our amazing supporters sponsoring today’s day of sanctuary! This day was also sponsored by Erin McKenna, who has been part of the chimps lives for several years. Today happens to be Erin’s birthday and she is choosing to celebrate her special day by enriching the lives of the chimpanzees!

Erin, we hope you have a day fit for a Queen (Queen Negra, that is!). Thank you so much for all you do for the chimpanzees and for helping to ensure that all of Negra’s days are fit for the special person she is. We hope you know that you make a difference in all of the chimps’ lives and how much we (and they!) appreciate your support. Whether your celebration today includes a party, enjoying a peaceful summer day, or relaxing in a cozy nest (or all three), all of us here at the sanctuary wish you the happiest of days!

Happy Birthday, Doug!

August 3, 2015 by Katelyn

Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Natasha Yankoffski in honor of Doug Engmann! Natasha is a long-time friend and supporter of the chimpanzees who also works to help rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals. Natasha shared this lovely message about today:

“August 3rd is my boss’ birthday. He is a very kind, caring & generous individual who is very supportive of my passion for wildlife conservation. I wanted to give him a unique holiday present and what better way to honor his caring spirit than to ensure that your wonderful chimps live their days in a safe, happy & fun environment (with lots of good things to eat!).”

Natasha, thank you so much for being such a wonderful advocate for not only the chimpanzees, but all animals. We truly appreciate your desire to make a difference in the chimpanzees’ lives as you honor Doug today.

Doug, thank you for your support of wildlife conservation and the passion of those who advocate on behalf of so many special beings. We hope you have the best birthday yet and a day full of celebration and joy. You sound like a wonderfully special being yourself and all of us here at CSNW send birthday pant-hoots your way! Happy Birthday!!

Annie enjoying pea tendrils and corn on the cob (and lips 🙂 ):

We are so fortunate to have two people sponsoring this day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees so please tune in later this morning to help us celebrate with our second sponsor! The chimpanzees have the best friends!

Enjoying ice on a hot day

August 2, 2015 by Keri

Volunteer caregiver Sandra came up with the idea to fill small water balloons with water (with a few blueberries) and then freeze them as enrichment for the chimpanzees. After they were frozen, we removed the balloon portion, leaving behind balls of ice with frozen berries inside. Ice provides a lot of enrichment for the chimps. And ice with frozen blueberries inside seems to be even more enjoyable when temperatures exceed 100 degrees like they did today.