Missy probably has more energy than anyone I know, especially when she’s playing. But it’s fascinating to watch her play with Negra. Negra doesn’t play too often and is usually pretty subdued about it when she does, so watching Missy tone it down a notch in order to get to play with the Queen is really pretty special.
chimpanzee
Bipedal Annie
Following the video yesterday, here are some shots from this morning of Annie walking bipedally. She does this a lot on Young’s Hill. It’s obviously not the primary way of locomotion for chimpanzees, although we do see it here and there. There are a bunch of theories about why bipedal locomotion evolved – maybe based on the need to look over the tall grasses as our ancestors became less arboreal, maybe the need to carry food or babies, or, the new theory JB shared with me this morning as we were watching the chimps forage on the hill – the “this just feels icky on my hands” theory. I’ll have to look that one up, but I think it might be the one that fits Annie best?!
Cattail forage
The chimps are able to find plenty of native plants to eat on Young’s Hill but they still love cattails, which only grow by the edge of the pond on the sanctuary grounds. So once and a while we cut some down and hide them throughout their enclosure.
Burrito is still good ol’ Burrito!
Mr. B is almost always playful, but he really has been over-the-top playful lately! This video is definitely a good laugh, but my personal favorite part is the cackling you hear coming from the videographer (who shall remain nameless) when Burrito and I are playing tug-o-war.
Anniversary Wishes & Board Match
As the newest member of the team and working from home in Seattle, I don’t have the day to day interaction with the chimpanzees that the caregivers do. However, I’ve been working at the Sanctuary this week, so I had the opportunity to hang out with the chimpanzees for quite some time and got to partake in the anniversary and birthday parties this week.
Happy Birthday Negra! That was the chant heard round the chimp house on Wednesday as we celebrated her birthday. Here’s a photo of Negra from one of the celebrations the chimpanzees enjoyed. One of Negra’s favorite things are her night bags – and so we gave the chimpanzees special ones today during the day and in the photo you can see Negra running to come get hers.
As you probably know, for our four year anniversary we are raising funds to build Negra a cabin on Young’s Hill and I wanted to tell you about some exciting news! The Board and Staff of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest will match the next $4,000 in donations – of any amount! Yes, that’s right. Your gift will be doubled by the leadership of the sanctuary. You can support the campaign by clicking here. All donations of any amount are welcome – and all will be matched until we reach $4,000 in donations. And remember, for donations of $100 or more, you can have your name listed on Negra’s cabin and your $100 donation will be doubled!
If you’ve already supported the campaign with a donation, thank you. Thank you for your support of Negra – and the other chimpanzees at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Because of you she can enjoy her favorite baked foods, peanuts and lettuce in a peaceful and safe setting with the other chimpanzees that have come to be her family. And soon, she will have a comfortable and secure place to enjoy the views from Young’s Hill. Thank you!
An important message about Burrito
The Cle Elum Seven are fortunate to have a huge family of supporters from around the world. We are touched by how much you have grown to care about each of them, so we want to share with you some news about Burrito’s health.
We have recently started treating Burrito for congestive heart disease. In basic terms, his heart is not working as efficiently as it once did and as a result, his body has begun to accumulate fluids. While this sounds frightening, don’t be alarmed. Congestive heart disease is a chronic condition and with proper care it can often be managed quite successfully. We believe that we have caught it early, so that will be an advantage in his treatment.
CSNW has an amazing team of veterinarians overseeing Burrito’s care and we are working closely with other chimpanzee veterinarians with experience in treating this condition, so he is in great hands. I can assure you that at this point, Burrito is as happy and full of energy as he has ever been. We will of course do all we can to make sure he stays that way.
Below you will find a list of questions and answers to help explain things in more detail. If you have any questions that are not answered here, please feel free to leave a comment on this post or send us an email and we will do our best to answer it for you.
Thank you for being such an important part of Burrito’s family.
…
What is congestive heart disease?
Congestive heart disease is a condition in which the heart can not pump
blood efficiently enough to take care of the body’s needs. In response,
the body has difficulty expelling fluid and becomes “congested,”
particularly in the extremities.
What are the symptoms of congestive heart disease?
In chimpanzees, the most common initial symptom is swelling (edema). In
Burrito’s case, the first and at this point only sign of visible
swelling was in the scrotum. Other symptoms may include shortness of
breath, weakness, fatigue, and coughing due to fluid in the lungs.
Why do chimpanzees get heart disease?
In chimpanzees, heart disease includes both congestive heart disease and
idiopathic cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes enlarged,
fibrous, or rigid. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in
captive chimpanzees. One study found that 68% of all chimpanzees
examined during necropsy at a large laboratory in the United States
showed evidence of heart disease. No one can say definitively at this
point why the prevalence of heart disease is so great in chimpanzees,
but it is most likely influenced by a combination of genetics, diet,
inactivity, and chronic stress.
What is CSNW doing to treat Burrito’s illness?
As is the case with humans, the best treatment for heart disease
includes a combination of medication, diet, and exercise. Burrito is
currently on medications that will help to improve his heart function
and eliminate excess fluid. The chimps at CSNW have always been on a
no-salt diet due to the general risk of heart disease in chimpanzees,
and that will continue. And with the opening of Young’s Hill last fall,
Burrito’s activity levels have increased even further since his days in
a laboratory cage.
What is Burrito’s prognosis?
Burrito’s care is being discussed and overseen by many of the world’s
best great ape veterinarians. We believe that we have caught Burrito’s
illness in its early stages. This, combined with medication, proper
diet, and exercise, should allow Burrito to enjoy many more years at
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
Does Burrito’s illness cause him any pain or stress?
At this point, Burrito is not showing any signs of illness besides
swelling. In fact, he is happier and more playful now than he has been
in many months.
Party Central
We’ve been living it up here at the sanctuary today! In honor of our 4th Anniversary, today we’ve thrown 4 parties! (If you haven’t already, please check out the amazing retrospective video J.B. put together and posted earlier today– and grab some tissues!)
Party one: Pancakes made by volunteer Denice followed by a lettuce, peanut, and chow forage on Young’s Hill. Unfortunately, it’s been crazy windy all day so no one was too excited to go out to Young’s Hill though a few folks went out to get peanuts (and everyone went out later in the day). And the squeaks over the pancakes were out of this world!
Party two: New enrichment party in the greenhouse. As always, Dick and Robbi collected some great gifts for the chimps. Jamie made sure to check out each and every gift bag today.
Annie tangled herself up in a ball of yarn
Jamie checked out what everything looked like in a new set of binoculars
Party three: Margaritas in the playroom! Well, not really margaritas… it was just yellow Gatorade with lime wedges. But it looked festive!
and the chimps were happy with it!
It’s hard to see but Jody is actually licking the bottom of the glass in this photo
I love the next series of photos. Burrito went through this bag, found a toy with a mirror on it, and proceeded to “admire” how handsome he is. Can ya blame him?
Party Four: Lunch forage in the greenhouse. Mini bell peppers and grapefruit- some of Negra’s favorites!
Jamie collected as much as possible, as usual!
And Negra’s birthday would not be complete without nightbags. We did mini nightbags after every meal today. She has been in heaven! The wind has made her want to spend most of the day relaxing in her bed in the playroom (in the one spot where we can’t get photos) but I got a sweet photo of Mr. B enjoying his.
Thanks so much to everyone for making this such a great day!
***Up until about 20 minutes ago, this was going to be the end of my blog post, but as I walked outside to close off Young’s Hill and invite the chimps in for dinner, I found Negra and Foxie out there enjoying some grass. J.B. happened to be out there and reported that when Negra came outside, Foxie greeted her with a big hug and they walked up to the lower platform together. What a wonderful ending to the day! Happy Birthday, Neg!