Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Cle Elum 7

Positive Reinforcement Training

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A few months ago, we began a positive reinforcement training (PRT) program with the chimpanzees. (Read JB’s thorough description in this blog post.) Our ultimate goal with this program is to give the chimps the opportunity to participate in their own medical care, and to make it a positive experience for them. By teaching them to present certain body parts for inspection, for example, we will be better able to check on and treat wounds.

We started by teaching the chimps to touch a “target.” A target can be just about any object – we use PVC pipes with colored tape on the end. When a chimp touches the target, the caregiver who’s working with them presses a clicker (click = “good job”) and then rewards the chimp with a small piece of fruit or other treat. Once a chimp has learned this “targeting” behavior, we move on to asking for different body parts. The routine is the same – when a chimp presents the body part we’ve asked for, they hear a click and get a treat.

When we started this program in April, we invited Gail Laule from Active Environments to spend several days at the sanctuary training the staff on these positive reinforcement techniques. This week, Gail has returned to check up on our progress. Here are some photos from today’s sessions.

Jamie presenting her shoulder to Diana:

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Jody opening her mouth while working with me (Elizabeth):

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Annie presenting her back (Anna and Negra are on the right):

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Negra “targeting” with Anna:

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Negra presenting her shoulder:

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Participation in this program is totally optional. The great thing about PRT, though, is that the chimps want to participate. It’s a win-win. It’s enriching for them (and for their bellies!) and the cooperative behaviors they learn are going to improve their lives by allowing us to give them the best care possible.

Jody adopts a friend for the day

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Jamie and Foxie are well known for their longtime obsessions with boots and troll dolls, respectively. But occasionally one of the other chimps will develop a fleeting infatuation with a particular piece of enrichment.

Today, Jody has not let this Dora the Explorer doll out of her sight. She was carrying it when I greeted her first thing this morning:

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And she still had it when she came in from a lunch forage on Young’s Hill.

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At one point, she accidentally left Dora in the front rooms when she went out to the greenhouse, and when she realized, she ran back inside to rescue her. This afternoon she settled down with Dora to watch the happenings on Young’s Hill.

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Testing Testing…123

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Hello to all the CSNW blog readers! My name is Anna Wallace and I’m the newest staff caregiver to join the team. I’m really excited to be going through training here and getting to know more about the Cle Elum 7! Today, as you may already know, is my first blog post. Not only is it my first blog post, but it is also my first time taking photos of these very photogenic beings. I thought I would share with you my favorites from the series of pictures I took this afternoon under Elizabeth’s watchful guidance.

Negra and her droopy lip.
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Handsome Mr. Burrito, lounging in the portrait studio.
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I hope to share many more photos and a more detailed account of my training in the weeks to come!

Taking in the view

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When the weather is just right, Negra likes to make a nest in one particular corner of the upper platform in the greenhouse. After breakfast when the other chimpanzees head out onto Young’s Hill, Negra grabs an armful of blankets and climbs up to her spot.

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Sometimes she sleeps, and sometimes she just lies there and gazes out over the valley. This is her view:

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I often wonder what the chimps think of the outside world. Most of the chimps were in their thirties when they arrived at the sanctuary seven years ago. We believe that most of them had never been outside before. After decades in cages inside windowless buildings, the first glimpse of the outdoors must have been startling and a little awe-inspiring.

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By now, Negra is accustomed to fresh air and sunshine and the wide open spaces at the sanctuary. But the view never seems to get old for her.

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Still, one does need to sleep occasionally.

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In memory of Kevin Clark

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Today’s day of sanctuary was sponsored by Shelley Winfrey in memory of her brother, Kevin Clark. Shelley shared this message about today:

“For my  brother who passed away…he would have loved the chimps!”

Shelley, we are so touched that you would think of the chimpanzees in honoring the memory of your brother. What a special thing to do. It’s a lovely thing to know that his life has made a difference in theirs. We so appreciate you keeping the chimps in your heart and our thoughts are with you today as you remember Kevin and celebrate the live he lived.

Your pal, the handsome Mr. B. (looking at camera) with Jamie:

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You are the tomato of my eye

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To say that Missy loves tomatoes is an understatement. When she sees them offered at a meal she shakes her head vigorously, hold out her hand and follows the server relentlessly. She has no problem inserting herself in front of anyone lower in the hierarchy to make sure she receives the maximum amount possible.

Missy, and all the chimpanzees, have been watching their garden grow with increasingly impatience. Missy is very focused on the cherry tomatoes planted right outside one of the playroom windows and they are just starting to ripen. And I know this because Missy wasted no time in letting me know. When she saw me today she immediately ran to the window by the tomatoes, swung back and forth from the caging in excitement, and occasionally looked over her shoulder at me and gestured toward the tomatoes.

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Then when it seemed I was a little slow to catch her drift (humans!), she threw herself onto the caging and shook it with all her might:

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Here she throws me an outstretched arm to further plead her case:

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The chimpanzees’ garden helps supplement the wonderful food donations we receive, but it also provides visual and edible enrichment for the chimpanzees. It’s a wonderful thing for them to look forward to and to be able to request something they see, freshly ripened and still warm from the sun. Thanks largely to volunteer caregiver, Denice, the chimps’ garden is really taking off. This year it’s full of onions, scallions, beets, cherry tomatoes, and carrots to name a few.

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But for Missy, her eye is on these little guys:

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Of course, it didn’t take long for boss lady, Jamie, and everyone else to catch on so staff caregiver, Anna, served up a mid-afternoon garden snack. Here Anna serves Burrito a cherry tomato as Jamie looks on:

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Burrito was very anxious for a green onion, but with Jamie lurking next to him, he was reluctant to take it before receiving the green light from her. So he sat very, very still, hair standing on end (pilo-erect) and waited patiently for her to pass by before taking it from Anna:

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Eventually, the boss gave her OK, but let him know she was watching. Here you can see her hovering over him as he munches his onion:

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Annie loves, loves, loves green onions:

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Missy:

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Jamie keeping a very close eye on Anna, making sure she is serving things correctly during her training:

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I love that the chimpanzees have so many things to look forward to with each passing season.