Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Cle Elum 7

Missy

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Missy came alarmingly close to never making it out of the research lab. She almost died while recovering from a hysterectomy shortly before moving to the sanctuary. Missy is so full of life these days that it’s easy to forget that if things had played out just a little differently, we never would have had the opportunity to get to know and love her. What a loss it would have been.

Missy is who we all want to be. She is fearless, cool, and adventurous. She’s strong and athletic, with a penchant for daredevilry. She has a silly sense of humor and is fiercely loyal to her friends. Though she does on occasion honor us with her attention, she usually prefers chimp company. And that’s fine with us – we’re just glad she’s in our world.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

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Today was sponsored by Dana Kennedy in honor of Jeff Kropp’s birthday weekend! Dana, thank you SO much for including the chimpanzees in your weekend of celebration and for all you do to make a lasting difference in their lives!

Jeff, we hope you have the best birthday yet! Thanks so much for sharing it with the chimps! Burrito would probably say he hopes you get to eat a lot of good food. A LOT of good food. 🙂

Positive Reinforcement Training with Negra and Anna

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A few years ago, we began a Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees here at the sanctuary. (See this post for an introduction to PRT including how it works, why we feel it’s important, and how it improves the chimps’ lives.)

All seven chimps have made incredible strides since we began the program. Some chimps were enthusiastic participants right from the start while others have chosen to take part at their own pace and in their own time.

Negra has always been a little touchy when it comes to, well, being touched. She’s still working on moving past her decades in research labs where she was poked and prodded against her will. Probably for that reason, she wasn’t always a big fan of PRT. She voluntarily participated, but she would be sure to let her caregivers know when she had reached her limit. At the very beginning of the program, she was even scared of the sound of the clicker.

As you’ll see in this video, she’s certainly come a long way…

You Better Keep Up

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This morning everyone was on the move and cattails were still very much a theme! Jody seemed to have lot of ground to make up for because this morning we could barely keep up with her. In the afternoon the chimps had a delicious lunch forage and spent the rest of the day grooming, walking (Jamie), and playing with human and non-human friends. Overall, the chimps had a nice relaxing Sunday spent with good food, people, and friends.

Negra on the Hill this morning grabbing a few things:

 

Like I said Jody was on the go all morning. However, I did find a sleepy Jo in the early morning before everyone had access to the Hill, curled up on a pile of hay soaking up some sun:

Once they had access to the Hill I couldn’t keep up. Here is a sequence of her movements this morning.

Jody was the first one on the Hill:

Everything looked good so she headed back to enjoy some chow:

Jody (climbing up) seemed to be on a mission (Annie-left, Missy-right, Foxie-behind log):

Over the bridge:

To find cattails:

Burrito always enjoys some early morning play sessions, he was running around like crazy playing chase:

Burrito didn’t really feel like going on the Hill today, so he patiently waited in the Green House for everyone to come back:

Annie also was soaking in the warm sun in the Green House:

Annie walked out bipedally to eat her chow on the Hill:

And also to get some time to herself:

 

Back to Normal

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For those of you haven’t been following the recent Jody eyelid saga, here’s a recap: Last Thursday, Jody’s eyelid was partially detached during a fight in the group at lunchtime. Our incredibly talented, dedicated, and caring vet, Dr. Erin Zamzow, reattached the eyelid with some subcuticular sutures, and Jody stayed isolated from the other chimps for another day or two to give her eye a chance to heal. On Sunday, we reunited Jody with the group, and everyone was so happy to have her back. Maybe a little too happy, because they wanted to spend a lot of time grooming her eye. We didn’t want anyone to undo Dr. Zamzow’s work, so we made the decision to re-isolate Jody the next day. She’s been getting lots of extra blankets and treats, and lots of extra attention from caregivers, but she made it clear that she wanted to rejoin her friends ASAP. This morning we got the okay from Dr. Zamzow to re-reunite Jody with the group. Happy day!

It’s been quite a stressful week for Jody, and she is ecstatic to be back where she belongs. And maybe a little exhausted from her ordeal. After lunch today she drifted off to sleep as Negra gently groomed her back.

Reunited and it Feels so Good

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This morning we got the okay to reintroduce Jody back to the group. She received a very warm welcome as you will see in the video. Jody was greeted by Jamie and Burrito when she got access to the Playroom. Jamie was very happy to see Jody was doing well, but also needed to inspect the rooms Jody had been in for the past few days. Jody wanted nothing more than to go straight out to Young’s Hill. Most morning when the chimps get access to the Hill, Jody, the mother hen that she is, likes to be first out to ensure it is safe and secure. So of course, that would be the first place to go when you are reunited back with your friends. We are very happy to see Jody is recovering so well!

Jody laying down while Burrito (middle) grooms Jo and Foxie (right) grooms Burrito:

Annie (left) and Burrito (right) grooming Jody (middle):

And well then there is Burrito:

He was some humans arriving this morning and was very excited to see them (Burrito pant hooting):

The ending of Burrito’s excited pant hoot:

Great Morning

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It was a great morning to go outside! All the chimps were out playing on the structures, walking the perimeter, foraging for foliage, or if you were Negra you were still in bed.

Missy started her morning with some tight rope walking:

And she was feeling pretty good about it:

Burrito spent a lot of his morning following Annie around:

Annie pretended not to notice Burrito, and enjoyed some slices of grapefruit:

I found Burrito under the bridge watching the ladies from below:

Annie on the platform, Missy on the fire hose, and Burrito underneath:

Once they were off the Hill, Missy (left) and Annie (right) decided to groom:

Missy laid down, and Annie kept grooming:

Foxie (front) and Jody (behind) decided to walk most of the perimeter of the Hill until they both got distracted by foliage and climbing structures:

This blanket lump is actually Negra. She was too comfy to get out of bed:

Jamie spent her morning going on a walk, and later laying on a barrel with some of her beloved boots. She had to supervise the volunteers while they cleaned: