Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee

Celebrating Easter Chimp Style

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How did the chimpanzees celebrate the Easter holiday this year? In pure chimp fashion, of course (meaning, a lot of food, enrichment and a good ol’ fashion Easter egg hunt on Young’s Hill). Some of the party preparations included festive blankets, streamers, boxes in the shape of bunnies, books, toys, Easter baskets, bags and eggs.

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We decided to set out a breakfast forage in the Greenhouse this morning using appropriate dinnerware, including Easter cups, plates, napkins and straws. Breakfast consisted of grapefruit, muskmelon, grapes and oranges. Probably the biggest hit (next to primate chow) was the morning banana, almond milk, coconut flake smoothie topped with violet flowers.

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Setting up the streamers and the forage is a pretty exciting time and the chimps will often watch from the windows of the loft area that overlooks the Greenhouse. There’s usually a lot of food squeaks, head nodding and intense watching from the chimps, as staff and volunteers use their skills to transform an area into a party room.

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And what would Easter be without an Easter egg hunt? Young’s Hill is the perfect place for just that. We also “planted” carrots, beets, radishes and kohlrabi on the hill for the chimps to forage for lunch.

And finally, photos of the Cle Elum 7 enjoying their Easter party today.

Negra
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Jamie
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Jody
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Foxie
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Burrito
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Missy
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Annie
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Sometimes I wonder who has more fun at these parties; the humans or the chimpanzees. Often times, weeks before a holiday or birthday party, there is talk of what sorts of items (food, enrichment, decorations, etc.) that would be “chimp approved” that can be used to throw the party. Then there’s the time and energy that go into the preparation of the food, enrichment and the actual party setup (and clean up too). Every single bit of it is completely worth it, once we see how much the chimps enjoy the parties.

Parties are a way of breaking up the routine of day-to-day life and we’re more than happy to make this happen for the chimps, but we certainly do not do it alone. We want to be sure to offer a huge thank you to everyone that helps make celebrations like these so special, including Jayne Roepke, Lisa Stuverud, and Patti Sims. Thank you for all of the holiday decorations, enrichment, eggs and food. You helped make this Easter a hit!!

For Lisa Stuverud

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Today’s day of sanctuary is for Lisa Stuverud from her wonderful husband Richard, who shared this message:

I’d like to sponsor a day in the name of my wife, Lisa Stuverud. April 4th is her birthday and I know how much she loves the chimps and everyone at CSNW. Coincidentally, Lisa and her sister-in-law Linda Vizzare share the same birthday and Lisa had chosen yesterday as a sponsored day in Linda’s name. (Linda recently passed away and was a big Burrito fan especially loving his Happy Dance) I am choosing April 5th, the next best day, to support and share my wife’s love of the chimps and although in the beginning is was Jamie and her Cowboy Boots that that drew her in, it would now be difficult for her to ever pick a favorite if she was asked…I know she loves them all and has sincere admiration for all you do as “their humans”.

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Thank you both for all of your support for the Seven and us humans, Rich and Lisa! Happy Easter and Happy Birthday!

 

The Circle of Caring

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Our primary objectives as caregivers in a sanctuary is continuously improving the well being of those in our care and working to make the world a better place for all chimpanzees. We strive to provide what our tagline says: hope. love. home… sanctuary.

It doesn’t take long to realize that all of this just ends up circling back.

The chimpanzees give me hope everyday.

Sometimes the problems the world is facing seem insurmountable. Sometimes I just want to go back to sleep when I open my eyes in the morning and think of the work that lies ahead. But then there are these seven chimpanzees who lived for most of their lives with no reason for hope, yet they didn’t shut down.

Even Negra, who was ripped from her home and her family as a baby and used as a test tube for over three decades – she survived. And she can now lift her head to the sky and allow the rays of the sun to warm her face, or curl up under a blanket and sleep peacefully.

Negra eyes to sky

Negra under a blanket

Nothing gives me hope more than seeing the chimpanzees thrive at CSNW.

And then there’s love. After what humans have done to them, these chimpanzees should be angry. It would be completely justified for them to rise up Planet of the Apes style and never trust another human. Yet, surprisingly, they do show affection towards humans.

It’s easy to see that Foxie is happiest when she’s making someone else laugh or smile. She often spots me from a distance and runs over just to have a little playtime.

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Burrito too. Just this morning, in between his a.m. displaying, he was stomping his feet and running through the front rooms to get me to play chase.

Burrito play face

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All the love I try to convey to the Seven just comes right back.

 

These misfit captive chimpanzees could melt the coldest of hearts.

 

Jamie:

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That brings us to home. The sanctuary provides J.B. and me with a physical home, but, far more significantly, the chimpanzees and the people that they bring into their lives through their sheer force of charm has created a more remarkable sense of home than I’ve ever experienced.

I really just can’t get over how amazing it is to be surrounded by such caring, compassionate, funny, and all-around lovely people that make up the staff, volunteers, and supporters. And that includes a lot of people who I’ve never even met in person. The Seven are really quite good at attracting the best people to be a part of their lives.

Sanctuary. It’s a word that is often misused, but it truly applies to this place. And, as I’ve learned, the spirit of true sanctuary is circular. Thank you for being a part of it.

Sweet Annie:

Annie

Adventurous Missy:

Missy leaping

Jody – taken this afternoon:

Jody with eyes closed

 

 

Today in Memory of Linda Vizzare

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Lisa Stuverud has sponsored this day of sanctuary in memory of Linda Vizzare. This is the touching message that Lisa shared:

Linda is my sister-in-law and my “birthday buddy” for the last 37 years. She passed away November 20th, so April 4th is going to be my first birthday without her to celebrate with. I know she knows I miss her very much and one of the things I miss the most is how much she loved Burrito especially when he did his “happy dance” :-). During her illness we often talked about the chimpanzees, the caregivers and the blog, but mostly we drew strength from all that they have overcome to then be able to do a “happy dance”…I know she was strong and didn’t stop fighting until the very end so I hope she is now doing her own “happy dance.”

The best example of Burrito’s “dance” where he stands bipedally, clutching his thighs with his hands and moving from foot to foot is in the Emmy award winning video put together by KOMO 4 of the chimpanzees’ first moments on Young’s Hill. You can see the video here – Burrito’s dance is at 3:30.

And here are a few photos of Mr. B.

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Thank you, Lisa, for being such a good friend to the chimpanzees, for sharing this day with them, and for sharing your touching memories of your time with Linda during her illness.

The wild and the weird

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When given the opportunity, chimpanzees who have spent their entire lives in laboratory cages can learn to be chimps again.

They can learn to climb, run, leap, and swing:

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They can learn to forage for their own snacks:

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And they can learn to patrol and defend their territory :

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But it takes patience. When you’ve spent your entire life surrounded by concrete and bars, those things can end up providing a certain kind of comfort. It’s what you know. It’s all you’ve ever known.

Little by little, the chimps at CSNW have embraced new opportunities, confronted some of their fears, and found that there was a little more “wild” in them than they may have realized when they were locked up in that laboratory basement.

This year, these changes seem to be happening at an accelerated pace. Burrito has been joining Jamie on her walks around the hill, and even going it alone at times. A couple of weeks ago, Foxie was seen sitting on the shaky bridge – a huge step for someone who has always been afraid of anything not firmly bolted down.

And this morning, we saw almost the entire troop take a walk up the hill together, far away from the building, just for the fun of it.

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But along with patience, you also need understanding. Because these new experiences are adding to who they are, not replacing who they were. Foxie may be exploring new play structures, but she’s relying on Dora more than ever:

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And while Jamie may be walking miles each day around the perimeter of Young’s Hill, she is ever more adamant that we dress in cowboy boots to go along with her. Let me give you an example of how particular she has become: Jamie’s favorite boots for the last few months have been a pair of all black women’s cowboy boots. She insists that her caregivers put them on before heading out on a walk. But some of us, ahem, do not fit easily into women’s boots, no matter how hard we try. That doesn’t concern Jamie. For a while, I tried to fake like I had them on, sticking just my toes in and then pulling my jeans down over them to cover my heels sticking out. No dice. As you put them on, she stares intently to ensure that you are wearing them properly. Heels must be all the way down.

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There are times when I am reminded how crazy this all is – like when we finish up a walk and I return to the entry gate, only to have to strut my stuff across the driveway in ladies boots as the UPS driver unloads packages at the door. They must really wonder what’s going on here.

It’s crazy, but it’s who they are. You can’t erase their past, or what it’s led them to become. And why would you want to? So while we strive to provide more and more “wild” in their lives, we can never stop embracing the weird.

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Display

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As we’ve mentioned before, chimpanzees are very territorial and it’s within their nature to defend their home against strangers. In order to be intimidating, they will usually stand up on their legs, swagger, and their hair will stand on end (pilo-erect). Then, they usually bang something, vocalize, or otherwise make some sort of threatening noise. Threat displays are just that—displays. It’s all just to show how scary they could be, if you don’t watch out.

Sometimes, dominant chimpanzees want to show the others in their group that they could be pretty scary if they want to be. It helps solidify their role as the leader in the group—the intimidation aspect strengthens their control. A dominant chimpanzee will occasionally display their dominance with no provocation at all (or at least, nothing immediately observable).

Here’s a video of exactly that, a display just for the sake of displaying. It doesn’t mean that Jamie is angry or upset about anything, it’s just something she does to remind everyone (chimpanzees and humans) that she’s the boss around here.

Today is for mom Amy Simpson!

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Today is Julia Simpson’s birthday, and she chose to sponsor a day of sanctuary in honor of her mother because Julia is grateful to have Amy for a mom. How incredibly sweet is that?

Maybe this sweet?

Negra kissing Jamie’s brow

Negra kiss Jamie

 

Foxie kissing a troll doll

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Happy birthday, Julia! Thanks for all you do for the chimpanzees, and thanks to Amy for being such a great mom!