Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzees

Veterinary Clinic Tour

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The sanctuary’s upgraded veterinary clinic has come up quite a bit lately.

We have utilized this area frequently over the past year, and it recently gave us the ability to respond to an unexpected emergency. Thanks to its impeccable usefulness and immediate relevance, the clinic was also mentioned several times during last night’s virtual auction: HOOT! 2020. As we explained to the event’s participants, your generous contributions have built this on-site clinic for the chimpanzees and will help us to add additional equipment and vital supplies in the near future. We caregivers are all comforted to have such a modern and secure facility located just across the hallway from the chimpanzee enclosures so that any necessary procedures can be done safely and effectively.

Because we are so grateful for all of the support and we love to teach people about our work, Dr. Erin and I thought it would be fitting to take you all on a virtual tour of the veterinary clinic! In the video, Dr. Erin also explains some of our protocols and we would love to answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you once again for making all of this possible!

 

Relaxation, Recreation, Recovery

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There seemed to be a different theme to various parts of the Chimp House today. Depending on what area you happened to find yourself in, you either found chimpanzee people relaxing and taking in the nicer weather we’ve had today, thrilled with a new enrichment item, or recovering from a recent injury.

For the Girl Gang, today was all about Relaxation!

Though Foxie was playing with Orange Blossom and Blueberry Muffin, it was such a relaxing play session.

Jamie also spent most of the day relaxing, though always prepared to lift herself up if there was some supervising to do around the property.

Jody decided to spend most of the day as close to Burrito as she could. She even decided to nap in the room adjacent to his to ensure optimal closeness.

On the other side of the building, today was about Recreation!

Willy B, Honey B, and Mave received Boomer Balls as an afternoon enrichment puzzle.

Right after they finished their lunch, we brought the Boomer Balls out and showed them. They became really excited! Especially Mave! When Mave saw the basket which contained this puzzle inside, she stopped what she was doing and raced for the door. She waited patiently as we set up the Mezzanine. Once we gave her access, she bolted in and immediately claimed hers.

Any time Honey B or Willy B came even remotely close to her and her prizes, she would gather her things up, and move to a new location.

When Willy B finished his puzzle, he set off to search the entire Mezzanine for any potential missed food. Though he seemed as though he wished a magician appeared to alakazam him some more nuts, he in turn looked like a magician himself.

Finally, Recovery!

Burrito is still recovering from his difficult day.

To help lift his spirits, caregiver Kelsi brought him a whole pomegranate.

The rest of the day, Burrito was slowly becoming more like his old self again. While in his recovery room, he let out a mini-display and then demanded to be let into the other front room. We obliged with his demands since we needed to get into the room he was in to clean it. Once in that room, it was playtime for him.

Before that though, we had to get some medicine in. As shared on Facebook and Instagram, Burrito has been taking his medication in little grape juice bottles, usually with the use of a straw. He decided which straw he wants to use, usually a regular paper straw or one of the long plastic tubes. Today, the choice was mostly the long plastic tube. Initially he grabbed the straw to play tug-o-war and had no interest in taking his medication! So I made a deal with him. If he drank his medicine, we would play! After every sip was gone, he grabbed the tube and passed the end to me for tug-o-war.

When he was tired of the tube, the game still continued, but this time with a blanket.

We are all cautiously optimistic about Burrito’s recovery. The more and more we research the venom and some of the long lasting effects it can leave, the more we realize we are still not out of the woods yet in his recovery. We are, however, completely enthralled by Burrito’s resiliency. We are also completely over the moon at the amount of support Burrito has received from around the world. We have received messages far and wide on how people could help Burrito. Yesterday, we added a special page to our Virtual Hoot! 2020 site specifically to help the costs of Burrito’s recovery. We cannot thank each and everyone of you enough for all your kind words, donations, and support. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

International Primate Day 2020!

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Today is International Primate Day! The day was created in 2005 as a way to educate and raise awareness about various issues primates all around the world face, both in the wild and in captivity. As you know, all of our residents have come from the biomedical industry. Seven have called Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest home for 12 years now, while three have called it home for a year. Though we as staff consider ourselves very fortunate and lucky to be able to try to provide the best possible life for these 10 remarkable individuals, there are more who are in need of a new home.

Currently, there are chimpanzees at the Wildlife Waystation in Southern California who are awaiting new homes. For years, staff and volunteers there have provided care for all the animals who called Wildlife Waystation home. Unfortunately, the decision was made to close their doors last year. This left hundreds of animals in need of a new home. The only residents who remain are their chimpanzee residents. If you have been following our blog and/or the news, then you know we are one of the sanctuaries trying to expand in order to provide homes for some of these individuals as soon as possible.

Honey B watches the construction crew everyday as the new playrooms start to take shape.

You can read more about how you can help maintain those chimpanzees’ current care until they find new homes at The Chimpanzees in Need webpage.

You can also support us as we expand to bring some of these chimpanzees home to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We are currently preparing for our first ever online gala! Due to the current pandemic, the decision was made to hold Hoot! online this year. Be sure to visit the Hoot! 2020 site to browse some of the amazing things that will be up to bid on September 12th with more to come!

Now for the happenings of today (and yesterday)!

If you watched the video, then you know there was a lot of playing going on between Mave, Honey B, and Willy B! There were scarce moments where we couldn’t hear laughter coming from that side of the building.

Yesterday, we gave them a food puzzle that seems to becoming one of their new favorites: Firehose Cubes! We put small things into the cube for them to fish out. Some things have food in them, some don’t. One item that did have nuts in them were fanny packs. Honey B was very delicate with hers and would carefully unzip the pouches to retrieve the food inside. Willy B, on the other hand, used his canines to rip it open. We could only guess what Honey B was thinking as she watched this all unfold to one of her fanny packs.

The Seven received a breakfast forage on Young’s Hill.

Beautiful Jody was seen all over the place, picking up as many orange slices and apple slices as she could.

She had to take a break and eat some of her haul, as Jamie casually ate as she went.

Missy’s first place to forage for food was in Negra’s Cabin.

Negra was actually on a platform a little bit away.

Burrito had both hands and mouthful as he grabbed whatever was in sight.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to treat everybody with a round of paper braids!

Jody enjoying hers.

Annie seemingly inhaled hers!

Note: As I was taking these photos of everybody enjoying their paper braids, I felt this presence. Like the feeling a shark circling it’s prey. With one loud stomp of the foot, my eyes shifted a little to the right. There was a flash of fur and paper braids through a child’s slide in the Greenhouse.

The presence was getting nearer and nearer. I could almost hear the theme song to Jaws being played but in a rendition of raspberries/Bronx cheers.

Who could it be!?

Burrito!!!

He was very enthused to play, but also very occupied with his paper braids. Not knowing what he wanted to do, he decided to play toe tickle. This version was with him on his back while poking his toes through the mesh. This allowed him to play and eat his paper braids.

We also gave Willy B, Honey B, and Mave paper braids.

Honey B decided to help Mave by picking up the seeds she missed as she tore into the braids.

At lunch, Foxie decided to enjoy her beets, bell peppers and (Orange) Blossom dolls inside, while the others ate outside.

We all hope you had an amazing day and have a great evening!

 

Hype for HOOT!

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It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. At times, it’s felt more like a haunted house full of people who have all taken hallucinogenics (or something that is equally chaotic, confusing, and concerning).

Still, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate and we have much to be hopeful for. The chimps’ lives have been largely unaffected by the public health crisis and we’re working hard to keep it that way. Despite the economic uncertainty and logistical hurdles, we’ve managed to keep the residents happy and healthy, sustainably expand our staff, make upgrades to our existing property and facilities, and begin constructing new areas that will hopefully provide a home for more rescued chimpanzees.

All of this progress would be impossible without the financial support that comes from generous supporters, and we’re getting ready to host our biggest fundraising event of the year: HOOT 2020!

Unlike previous years, this edition of HOOT! will be a virtual celebration so that you can all participate from the comfort of your home (or office… we won’t tell anyone if you choose to spend your work day bidding on items). Of course, we’d love to be hosting you all in Seattle for a big ole’ shindig, but the “virtualness” of this year’s party has some benefits of its own. As always, there are some amazing items and experiences up for auction (bidding starts September 2nd!) and the itinerary also includes a happy hour and a pant-hoot contest.

The preparations have been underway for quite some time, but some aspects of the event are still developing. Burrito witnessed something that excited him today, but you’ll have to tune into the event to see what it was…

To get started, you can go to the HOOT! 2020 website hosted by Auction Frogs. Seriously, go to the website! I’m not going to post too many spoilers here, but we have a lot planned for this big event!!!

P.S. Here’s a little spoiler. Saxophone by Tobi Stone.

Burrito Takes Over The Live Stream

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Today, we let you all watch one of the most exciting events that takes place at the sanctuary every day: lunch.

For those of you who were busy during the live stream or were unable to connect via Facebook, you can watch the recording here. (Unfortunately, it’s not possible to embed Facebook videos directly into the blog post.)

Despite some early technical obstacles, I was eventually able to broadcast a live feed that showed the Seven foraging on Young’s Hill, their outdoor enclosure. I then brought my phone to the Greenhouse so that the chimpanzees could join in on the chat. Burrito, of course, was interested in playing chase and seemed intrigued by the Facebook video being sent to all of you from the palm of my hand. As usual, he stole the show.

It was great to see so many viewers join in on the broadcast, despite the short notice and connection troubles. I tried to answer some questions during the stream while Diana typed out additional responses from the sanctuary’s office. I wasn’t expecting so much engagement (170+ comments in 24 minutes!), so I will do my best to address any additional inquiries throughout the day.

Thank you all for your patience, interest, and support!

Here are some still photographs to accompany the today’s events.

Annie:

Negra:

Honey B:

Burrito:

The Neighbor’s Horses:

And, finally, an intimate moment shared between Honey (one of our resident cattle) and one of the neighboring mares:

 

Celebrating Missy

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Today, we had the honor of hosting yet another birthday party for the sanctuary’s resident sparkplug: Missy Chimpanzee.

Missy spent 35 years in a cycle of exploitation before finally being transferred to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest with her companions in 2008. During those lost decades, her and hundreds of other chimpanzees were utilized as breeders and research subjects. Missy now has 45 years under her belt (which is only a couple fewer than Negra, the sanctuary’s oldest chimpanzee). Despite her age, which would lead her to be classified as “geriatric” by primatologists, Missy is known for her youthful athleticism, persistent energy, and fierce independence.

The first thing you may notice about Missy is that there’s a lot of chimp packed into that compact little body, and she often appears to be propelled by explosive bursts as she zooms around the Hill. She’s the type of action hero who would walk away from an explosion without turning to look at it. Missy is a rebel who surely has plenty of cause, but I find her most admirable quality to be the way she regards the process of senescence with cool defiance. The rest of us can only hope to delay aging and enjoy retirement with a fraction of her success. We should all throw out our self-help books, shut off our podcasts, and instead look to Dr. Missy for advice.

You can imagine how daunting it must be to throw a birthday bash for such a unique and enigmatic individual. Fortunately for Chad (the Enrichment Coordinator), Missy has not been shy about her love for the red berries of a Central American flowering vine, Solanum lycopersicum, which are widely known by their Nahuatl name: tomatoes. Missy loves all cultivars of these things unconditionally, and doesn’t seem to ever grow tired of seeing them on the serving tray. As soon as she spies us take those waxy red orbs out of the refrigerator, Missy turns into a ravenous lunatic whose sole objective is to ingest as many tomatoes as quickly as possible. Given this knowledge, Chad obviously had to organize a tomato-themed party to celebrate Missy’s 45th trip around the sun.

While the chimps waited in the cool Playroom, today’s crew spread a forage of fresh veggies and chow in the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill. The cornucopia included whole beefsteak and wedged Roma tomatoes, small piles of grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet corn on the cob, and zesty red onions. One of our volunteer caregivers also prepared Gatorade cups with orange slices to wash it all down.

When we carried this feast out to spread in the chimps’ enclosures, the Seven erupted. The chimps were so raucous with excitement that Diana and J.B. heard their hoots and screams from the other end of the property. Foxie, who is also a fan of tomatoes, screamed the loudest. Because our hands were full of vegetables and other treats, we didn’t take any photos of the chaotic moment. Fortunately, J.B. and Jamie recently posted this demonstration so that you can all imagine what a chorus of pant-hooting chimpanzees sounds like. Eventually, the craziness subsided enough for the chimps to gather around the windows as we distributed small caches of food in their outdoor enclosures.

Once the caregivers had secured the Hill and Greenhouse, we let the chimpanzees back out to begin foraging. Of course, Missy launched herself out onto the grassy hillside and immediately started gathering tomatoes. It was as if she knew the reason for the celebration, and she was clearly the guest of honor.

 

The other chimpanzees enjoyed their shares, too. Missy undoubtedly “won” the event, but nobody went without food.

Jody:

Foxie:

Annie:

Negra:

Burrito was more interested in playing, of course. This has been the norm for him this year. He eventually went outside and scrounged up some corn, but he made it clear that goofing around with a caregiver was the top priority.

At this point, you’re probably wondering where Jamie was. Did she hoard all of the corn? Well, she tried.

The magical aspect of widespread food is that it’s difficult to monopolize. In captive settings, resources are often provisioned in confined spaces that allow individuals with dominant personalities to, well, dominate. In ecological terms, this is known as contest competition and tends to reward those with brute strength and Machiavellian strategy.

Relatively large outdoor spaces (e.g. Young’s Hill) allow caregivers to distribute food over wider areas, which leads each group of chimpanzees to fission into smaller parties that then race each other to gather up the best available resources. This process, which more closely parallels the behavior of free-ranging chimpanzees, is an example of scramble competition. By facilitating this pattern of behavior, we can give subordinate chimpanzees a chance to get on the scoreboard. In such an environment, crafty and efficient chimpanzees can excel while those who usually rely on intimidation must fend for themselves. Today’s case in point was Missy, who proved herself to be the queen of the scramble.

Once the others had returned to the shade of the Greenhouse, Missy ventured out into the wilderness of Young’s Hill to continue searching. It was amazing to witness her scuttling across the wooden bridges and bushwhacking through the tall prairie grass. Her extraordinary effort reaped delicious rewards.

On the other side of the building, Honey B and her companions were treated to a similar feast. Honey B is, as you may know, Missy’s daughter. They have many differences, but Honey B was quite please by the tomatoes as well.

Willy B preferred the corn, and Mave was so engrossed with her lunch that we were unable to take any photos of her.

We usually avoid making assumptions about the chimpanzees’ experiences, but I feel confident that Missy made the most of her celebration.

Missy, I look forward to seeing you scarf down ten thousand more tomatoes.

Happy 45th, kid.

Here’s to 1 Year and Many More to Come!

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It’s hard to believe only one year ago Mave, Honey B, and Willy B arrived here from Southern California. When they first arrived, they were in quarantine for 30 days before any volunteer was allowed to meet them, so my first meeting with them was delayed by a month. After meeting them, it’s truly hard for me (personally) to think back during a time where these three amazing beings have not been in my life at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. So much has happened since then. From Willy B triumphantly venturing outside for the first time, to Honey B developing her sense of style, to Mave’s adoring personality. Yes, there have been some rough and tough times since their arrival, but even with the bad, their current life and happiness is all that matters to us.

We all consider ourselves lucky to have even gotten a chance to meet these three, let alone given the opportunity to provide care for them and watch their personalities grow. It’s no wonder why past caregivers from throughout their lives, who have had the incredible luck of caring for them, still speak so highly of them.

To celebrate their one year anniversary here, we decided to throw them a celebration. Or at least tried to throw them a celebration. We tried to close off the front rooms today and individualize each one with each of their favorite things. Honey B had other plans this morning. She wouldn’t allow us to close off the areas we wanted to in order to set things up. But that’s the point of sanctuary. They ultimately get to make that choice. So first we were able to close of Front Room 5, to set up Willy B’s celebration, since I thought they would have to be set up one-by-one.

Then, by some miracle (also known as lunch), Honey B allowed us to close off the other areas for celebration set up. For lunch, they were served some of their favorites including avocados, and coconuts!

With all three of them happily eating in the Mezzanine, we quickly cleaned the other front rooms (and setup Willy B’s again), for their celebrations!

Willy B’s celebration, again, with slinkies and his leopard print blanket.
Mave’s celebration, with tons of socks, sashes, and her rocking dog.
Honey B’s celebration with tons of paper, fanny packs, headbands, and a stuffed dragon on a scooter.

We also set up an enrichment item called “Frisbee Puzzles” for each of them in their room.

You may have noticed Honey B’s rainbow sash. Initially, these were set up in Mave’s celebration area. But when they exited the Mezzanine, these sashes caught Honey B’s eye. She immediately knew what to do with them.

She wore these almost for the remainder of the day, even passing one through to mesh for to me to wear with her.

After they completed their puzzles and got a chance to sort through their old and new enrichment, it was time to relax.

Willy B kept playing with his newest slinky while laying on his blanket. He would stretch it out, and try to catch it with his mouth as it coiled back up.

Mave napped with one of Honey B’s headbands (seemed fair enough since Honey B took her sashes).

And Honey B continued to patrol her enclosures in her “Mayor” sash. She just reminded me of those old time mayors who wore sashes everywhere.

One very special day is done, signalling the start of Honey B, Willy B, and Mave’s second year here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

I want to echo Katelyn’s words in yesterday’s blog:

To those who directly cared and advocated for Willy B, Mave and Honey B during their time at Wildlife Waystation, and who continue to care for the chimpanzees still there awaiting their new sanctuary homes, thank you, we think of you every day.”

In all sincerity, thank you to everybody who has been involved in these three’s lives. To their former caregivers to all the wonderful supporters from around the world, thank you! Your love for them fuels our passion to try to provide the best care for them. Here’s to one year down and many more to come!