Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
There may be nothing that can truly capture the spirit of the July 30, 2011 Roslyn Olympics and the Troll Games, but here is an attempt…
In addition to ARRF Animal Rescue, thanks also to Matthew Wenz who designed the awesome Roslyn Olympics posters and to sponsors Cascade East Animal Clinic, Abbotts Printing Inc, Roslyn Downtown Association, Jeb’s Pet Supply and 93.7 KXA The Wind!
Chimpanzees naturally use tools in free-living Africa. One common example of tool use is “ant fishing” or “termite fishing” — when a chimpanzee takes a stick and dips it into an ant or termite mound to gather up some tasty insects. At CSNW, we have a simulated termite board which we fill with things captive chimpanzees enjoy, such as fruit puree or peanut butter.
As part of our sanctuary philosophy, we strive to allow for “species specific” chimpanzee behavior. This can involve providing adequate space and climbing structures for a natural behavior like brachiation, and it can also include providing enrichment that allows them to use their instinctual chimp behaviors, such as nesting or tool use.
The other day, Jackie and I presented the chimpanzees with a puzzle: how to get drinks from buckets outside the caging. They quickly grabbed hoses to use for tools, as you’ll see in the video.
Here are just a few photos from the Troll Olympics, held in Roslyn, WA today. What a great time! More photos to come.
Supporter Tamela sponsored today in honor of the caregivers of CSNW! The following is what she wrote:
Here’s a big pant hoot salute to all the wonderful caregivers and volunteers who wash, scrub, and clean for the chimpanzees. Thank you for all the mundane, exhausting, never ending, backbreaking work you do.
To honor us hard-working, dirty caregivers, she named today “Mop Head Day”. So, 18 mop heads arrived at the sanctuary the other day with tons of little toys tied to them. And in case the mop heads weren’t exciting enough on their own (though I imagine they would have been), mixed nuts were hidden inside various toys. It’s been an interesting, and very comfortable day around here at CSNW.
Thanks so much, Tamela! Pant Hoots to YOU!
Sanctuary is all about making choices. Some choose to nap, and some choose to play!
We, obviously, have some especially lovable chimps around here, but when I witness super cute games like the one in the video below, I have a hard time deciding who I love more– the chimps or the caregivers.
The chimps are excellent at keeping our priorities straight. When Negra is ready for her nightbag, she is READY for her nightbag, and will let it be known that nothing will satisfy her until she gets it. Foxie is a good “prioritizer”, too. She will often toss us a troll right as we are getting ready to lock up at the end of the day. Perfect timing! She also frequently “stalls” us when we are cleaning. And her caregivers will pretty much do anything to appease, no matter how sweaty they get!
I was looking through some photos from June. As you can imagine, all of the caregivers take a lot of photos. Most of the best ones make it to the blog, but once in a while I find some that haven’t been posted. It only took me a few minutes to find these never-before-seen gems:
Burrito:
Foxie:
Foxie making faces to herself in a mirror:
Missy under a blanket. She’s been doing a lot of Negra impersonating this summer:
