Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
We try to use this blog to share meaningful stories about the Cle Elum Seven — what they went through during their time in laboratories or how they’re experiencing sanctuary — or to talk about some interesting aspect of chimpanzee behavior. But sometimes I’m just so astounded that we get to look at these faces every day that I have to share.
Here’s Foxie enjoying the last good bits of a pomegranate peel from this morning’s breakfast.
No two souls can cheer me up quite like Annie and Missy. A couple of weeks ago, the BFFs were chasing each other around the hill, taking turns being the chaser and the chasee.
First Annie chased Missy
but she started to gain on her
as Annie passed, Missy playfully bit her shoulder
Then they played a little bit of peak-a-boo through the lexan panels of the cabin
Yesterday was volunteer Katelyn’s birthday and she decided to dedicate her day to spending time with the chimps. Being the amazing person that she is, she, instead of throwing a party for herself, threw a party for her seven chimp friends. She decided to pick up some mini pumpkins and fill them with all kinds of delicious fruits and veggies. They looked amazing!
We scattered the pumpkins both in the greenhouse and on Young’s Hill. Negra has learned a funny little trick when we do that – while everyone else is busy foraging on the hill, she collects all that she can in the greenhouse and basically gets her own forage. While she did go out on the hill a few times, she made the best profit with what was in the comfy greenhouse. But even the greenhouse was a little too chilly for Negra. She went around collecting as many as she could and made a stash in the front rooms. She would carry the pumpkin bowls in her mouth into the room, carefully set it down on the bench, and then head out for another. Smart lady!
Here she is in the front rooms with what is left of her stash:
After things settled down a bit, she was spotted sitting next to an empty pumpkin bowl, rubbing her tummy a bit, and then picking it up and diving in for more. She loves her pumpkin! Thanks so much, Katelyn!
As much as possible, we make a point of sticking to a daily routine here at the sanctuary. We think it’s important that the chimpanzees know what to expect each day and when to expect it. (I’d imagine that one of the horrors of laboratory life would be never knowing what’s going to happen to you next.) We serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time each day. The chimpanzees are asked to shift to a separate area of their enclosure if they’d like to participate in the meal. Since we never enter an enclosure with the chimps — last Tuesday’s fight serves as a great reminder why — we need them to leave an area before we can enter to clean. Once in awhile someone chooses to skip a meal and stay out (usually Missy when she’s looking to have the Playroom to herself for a little while), in which case we just put off cleaning until the next meal. The vast majority of the time, though, everyone willingly shifts for the meal and we’re able to access the area they’ve evacuated. Since this is part of our daily routine, none of the chimpanzees are ever blindsided by the consequences of their choices. If Missy chooses not to shift for a meal, she knows that she’s also choosing not to eat that meal. She also knows that another meal will be offered a few hours later. Most days, if someone stays out for breakfast, everyone will shift at lunch and we can do our Playroom cleaning then. Very occasionally, someone will stay out for both breakfast and lunch and we’re unable to clean until dinner. Whatever happens, we have to remain flexible. Chimpanzees are intelligent and willful, and when they’re given the opportunity to make their own choices — like they are in good sanctuaries — they will.
Today Missy and Annie have skipped both breakfast and lunch to hang out in the Playroom. (If Missy chooses to play hooky from a meal, Annie almost always joins her.) It’s a rainy, gray day and I can’t blame them for not wanting to stray too far from their nests. If they choose to come in for dinner, Jackie and I will clean the Playroom then. If not, we’ll try again tomorrow morning. Either way, we’re happy that Annie and Missy and the rest of the Cle Elum Seven are now able to make their own choices for the first time in their lives.
Since her injury, it’s been all about Jody on the blog this last week. We like to mix things up for you as much as possible, but I snapped a few photos of her in and out of sleep in the front rooms this morning and I couldn’t resist sharing them. She has one of the prettiest faces I’ve ever seen.
There is no doubt that Missy is the athlete of the Cle Elum Seven. Her strength, agility, and playfulness amaze and amuse us everyday. Young’s Hill is her playground. Whether she’s climbing the tall bamboo, sprinting up and down the hill, or walking “tightrope” on the fire hose, she’s always on the move.
Most of yesterday’s snow has melted, allowing the chimps to venture out onto the hill without having to walk in the cold stuff. There are still plenty of patches to eat, though, so there’s been lots of activity outside today despite the chilly temperatures. Missy has been having a great time.
She did quite a lot of tightrope walking:
She also did some sprints.
Missy is happy to play by herself, but sometimes she comes to a dead stop mid-sprint:
and looks behind her to see if anyone is chasing her.
Today she was on her own, but you can see by her playface below that she was okay with that.
Foxie rarely ventures onto Young’s Hill (or anywhere, for that matter), without a doll or two. The other day she took a troll and a Dora the Explorer doll on a walk around the hill. Having a doll in each hand slowed her down a little, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Foxie has a ritual when she receives a new doll or one she particularly likes. First, she holds it out in front of her and gazes at it adoringly.
Then she brings it in close to her chest.
In this photo you can see the bright green grass that has grown in toward the top of the hill since the Taylor Bridge wildfire burned through the grounds of the sanctuary a few months ago.
