I recorded several clips of happy nesting today. Like wadging, which was the subject of yesterday’s blog post, nesting is a fundamental behavior for chimpanzees both in the wild and in captivity, which is why we make sure that the chimps always have lots of materials (blankets and straw are favorites) so they can choose to create their beds no matter where they are. Watch the video below!
chimpanzee
Wadging
Whenever I try to describe wadging, I end up making it sound too clinical: Chimpanzees wadge in order to extract nutrients from fibrous foods. This is true in the sense that humans eat food in order to extract nutrients, but but it doesn’t get at the enjoyment that we feel when we eat.
I’m pretty sure that chimps get that same feeling when they wadge. One of the most mysterious aspects of it (to me anyway, maybe there’s a good explanation) is that they seem compelled to keep checking on the wadge. They hold it out on the tip of their lips for a visual inspection. They take it out and hold in their hand. They work on rolling it into the perfect ball. I don’t know what makes a wadge good or bad from a chimp’s perspective, but it seems like they are constantly evaluating them.
Young’s Hill is too dry for growing cattails, but we collect them from a nearby pond and give them to the chimps. Cattails are great for wadging, as Burrito demonstrates here:
Portraits, then and now
Humans, like chimpanzees, are very visually oriented. I think one of the most powerful ways we can show people how important sanctuary is, is by showing the “before and after” comparisons.
After decades in research, the chimps looked like ghosts of themselves. For some of them, coming to CSNW was the first time they’d ever been outside and felt fresh air and sunshine.
In just a few months, we saw dramatic changes in their appearance. Their hair and skin darkened and they began to look (and I imagine, feel) much more healthy. As our sixth anniversary approaches (next week!) I like to look back and see how far they’ve come in six years of sanctuary.
Yesterday’s post of Burrito looking especially handsome reminded me of that same spot we took many of the “before” photos in. There’s a window right by that bench, so for their first few days here, they would sit and look out the window at the surroundings of their new home. I can’t imagine what they must have been thinking—the fear of the unknown. We know that now they have nothing to be afraid of, and everything to look forward to.
I love showing people those first photos of the chimps compared to them now out on Young’s Hill, surrounded by beautiful grass, with the sun on their backs and the view of the valley below. This time, however, I want to show a more direct comparison—the chimps sitting in the same exact spot as they did the first couple days they were here. Most if not all of the “after” photos have been posted before on the blog, but I thought it’d be nice to see them all together.
Annie before:
Annie now:
Burrito before:
Burrito now:
Foxie before:
Foxie now:
Jamie before:
Jamie now:
Jody before:
Jody now:
Negra before:
Negra now:
We haven’t gotten a portrait of Missy in the same spot as the others, perhaps because she is always on the move. 🙂
Close-ups
Yesterday during the streamer maze party, I caught some close-ups of the chimps’ beautiful faces.
Jody:
Missy:
Negra:
French Dora peeking out from behind Foxie’s ear:
Streamer day
Every day we like to provide the chimpanzees with different enrichment themes to make their day interesting. We also love to throw parties for any occasion! We even have a storage bin of extra party supplies, which has collected a lot of surplus streamer rolls lately. So today we decided to call “Streamer Day,” and Elizabeth, volunteer Sandra, and I made an intricate maze of streamers in the greenhouse this morning.
You may recall this video of Burrito really enjoying the streamers for our Seahawks party—so we were hoping today’s theme would be a big hit.
I think that our streamer maze was a success overall! Missy built a pretty great nest with some of the streamers:
and even Foxie (who doesn’t usually build nests) started to make a streamer nest, too!
Some of the chimpanzees really like to wadge the streamers. I personally am not an expert on streamer taste, but perhaps each color is different—Jody was interested in tasting each flavor of this Neapolitan-esque streamer:
Jody also un-characteristically swung on a firehose up to one of the windows in the greenhouse (she’s not usually that agile).
This isn’t a great photo of Annie, but really shows how awesome our streamer maze was:
Foxie is still hanging on to French Dora, who now has also lost her shirt in addition to the pants and beret she lost yesterday.
How time flies
I was just telling JB yesterday, I can’t believe it is just two weeks away from our six year anniversary! Wow. How is it almost half-way through 2014 already? Well the saying rings true here at the sanctuary—how time flies when you’re having fun. 🙂
Perhaps it’s on my mind because we’re going to start doing 100 Happy Days next week, but I’ve been thinking about all the really great memories from the last six years! I’m curious what YOUR favorite happy moments are. Comment here with your most favorite memory (and if you have it bookmarked already, give us the link to the blog post about it, so new readers can look back with us!)
Here’s some photos I found from this month that hadn’t been posted before, of the seven amazing chimpanzees we’ve had the pleasure of caring for during the last six years.
I’m looking forward to hearing what your favorite happy moments are!
The Wildfire Sprinkler System
It’s hard to believe, but it’s already fire season here in Central Washington. The Taylor Bridge Fire, which threatened the sanctuary two years ago, was a vivid reminder that no matter how prepared you think you are for an emergency, there’s always more you can do. That’s why we’re so excited to be testing out our new emergency wildfire sprinkler system.
The system was made possible by a grant from the ASPCA and the donation of a pump by the good folks at PumpBiz. Because power is unreliable during wildfires, the pump runs on propane and draws water from a spring fed pond on the sanctuary property. Dozens of sprinklers, mounted to the posts of our security fence, drench everything within 40 feet of the chimp house.
The Taylor Bridge Fire was a very emotional experience for everyone involved, and I can’t tell you how good it feels to see this sprinkler system in action. Our thanks go out to the ASPCA and PumpBiz, as well as Keith and Nick, who did all the hard work.
Meanwhile, while we’re running around preparing for emergencies, the chimps are relaxing and enjoying the sunshine on Young’s Hill.
Foxie with a piece of grapefruit:
Jody with many pieces of grapefruit:
Foxie, Missy, and Annie:
Jamie scouting for food in the grass:
Jamie admiring the bamboo, Foxie admiring Dora:
Jamie trying to find a way in to the termite mound:
Burrito, toy in hand:
Missy foraging for wild plants on Young’s Hill:
