Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Cle Elum Seven

Pre-Lunch Naps

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After cleaning the enclosures today, I set off on my journey to find the chimpanzees and ask to take photos of those who were willing. On a normal day, they would be scattered about between their different areas. However, today was a little different.

With the weather bouncing back and forth between light rain and sunshine, it has brought the perfect conditions for napping. Throughout the entire day, it wasn’t too difficult to find any of the chimpanzees. A majority of them were found on the top platform in the Greenhouse, the perfect napping spot.

Annie gave me a quick glance over when I walked up, before rolling over to continue her nap.
Jody grabbed some blankets to ensure maximum comfort for her lounging around.
Even Jamie took most of the day off to lounge around. Even the Boss needs at least one day off from monitoring those pesky humans.

Though it seemed there was nothing that could ever convince any of them to get out of their perfectly cozy spots, lunch arrived and they all sprang up. On today’s menu was carrots, onions, and tomatoes.

Jody savored every bite of her carrot.
Burrito had some minor difficulties juggling his food.
But once he got it, he was in Noms-ville.

Most of the chimpanzees are now tucked away for the night in their nests. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Will it be another lazy day, or one filled with adventure.

Bonus photo of Annie enjoying her slices of dinner orange.

The After-Party

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Chad and I were just watching Honey B sitting on a pile of enrichment as a dragon would perch upon piles of stolen treasure. Chad remarked “Honey B is the kind of person who would leave their Halloween decorations up for months afterwards.” He’s right.

With all of the celebrating we’ve been doing lately, we’re standing beside her decision to preserve her hoard. Heck, we’ll even help her out.

This past week, we celebrated Honey B’s first birthday as a resident of CSNW (her 31st overall). Then, we briefly paused to celebrate Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day with some vegan pizza and a group walk around Young’s Hill with the chimps. Finally, the festivities culminated in yesterday’s massive birthday bash to celebrate Negra’s 47th year on Earth (and her 12th as a fully-retired sanctuary resident).

In addition to reflecting on the twelve years since the chimps arrived, we’ve also been absolutely thrilled with the success of our virtual online event, the Queen’s Brunch, through which we will continue to provide for chimpanzees. If you’re inclined to bid on any remaining items or simply make a donation, the event is still going on! In light of everything that has gone on this year, we are blown away by how amazing our supporters have been. This most recent outpouring of contributions, along with all of the assistance we had received previously, has been incredible. Thank you.

Today’s blog features a video of Honey B looking proudly content amid the piles of craft paper, plastic toys and fleece blankets that are left over from her epic birthday party. As J.B. mentioned on Friday, Honey B was reluctant to leave her spread of enrichment items so the crew decided to put everything back as soon as they were done cleaning the floors. We continued that tradition today, and will probably continue to do so until Honey B is ready for some new experiences. For now, though, we’re enjoying the after-party as much as she is.

Happy birthday, dude.

Noisy Neighbors and Sock Puppets

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It’s a beautiful day here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. The sun is out, there is a light breeze, and the chimpanzees are spending their time with each other both inside and outside.

When they were given access to Young’s Hill, Missy raced outside with Annie close on her metaphorical tail.

Jody was actually the first one out on Young’s Hill today, and also the first one back. What she really wanted was to spy on her neighbors. Once she realized her neighbors were not in the Chute at that moment, she headed back inside.

With Missy coming in right behind her.

Burrito, on the other hand, knows that he can just wait by the window for his neighbors to make an appearance without having to go outside to check.

And when their neighbors do make an appearance, be prepared for a lot of hooting and hollering.

Jody and Foxie caught a glimpse of Willy B as he made his way into the Chute and immediately began hooting.

Though Willy B, Mave, and Honey B spent a considerable amount of time in the Chute today, they also spent a lot of time keeping busy indoors, as well.

Mave decided she wanted to make a sock puppet.

She was actually pretty happy and satisfied with her sock puppet.

Willy B spent a lot of time napping and requesting his caregivers to play chase with him. When we wasn’t doing that, he made sure his neighbors knew of his presence by displaying in the Mezzanine.

It usually starts out with him dragging his yellow bucket around to make as much noise as possible as a buildup, before it crescendos into a scream and him boxing himself in the mirror.

When the mirror wasn’t used for Willy B’s shadowing boxing practice, Honey B used it to look at herself and her caregivers through the reflection.

Glorious Sunshine!

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A little summer-like weather rolled into the sanctuary today. Many of the chimps have been spotted taking leisurely outdoor strolls to soak up some Vitamin D. On the other side of the building, the “Californians” have been spending a good deal of their time in the outdoor chute, checking in on their neighbors and getting their own doses of sunshine.

Annie lounging in the toasty greenhouse.

Burrito and Jamie taking a walk on Young’s Hill.

Mr. B, looking for a game of chase!

Missy poking her head out of the raceway that leads to Young’s Hill.

Here’s hoping that wherever you may be today, you’re able to get outside for a nice socially distant breath of fresh air!

Nobody Puts Bubba in a Corner!

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Today was a chilly autumn Sunday. Many parts of the Inland Northwest received their first snowfall last night, and much of the Cascades was covered in a dusting of white powder. Down here in the canyon, the weather was damp and cool and the skies were gray.

The chimps were slow to perk up this morning and seemed a bit groggy, making me think that they might spend the whole day napping and grooming in the Playroom. I watched Burrito for a bit before breakfast; he had a difficult time keeping his eyes open as he sat on one of the benches, and it made me smile. He lazily rolled over and drifted off several times, only regaining his alertness each time he heard promising sounds from the kitchen. It felt oddly familiar.

Negra even stopped by to participate in a quick session of grooming, but Burrito only gave her a few minutes of attention before redirecting his gaze out the window and returning to his solitude.

Everything changed when we walked around the building to open the door to Young’s Hill. Burrito and the others immediately got excited. His sideburns stood on end and his demeanor changed completely.

Lately, the seasonal shift has not deterred the Seven from enjoying Young’s Hill. Instead, they seem to relish the outdoors even more now that the weather is gloomy and wet. After being here for over a decade, the Seven are true residents of the Pacific Northwest and seem to embrace the mild temperatures of spring and fall. As I recently overheard one Washingtonian say, “I’ll pass on snow and heat, but I’ll hike in the rain all day.”

In true Northwest fashion, the Seven set out into the wilderness of Young’s Hill. Burrito led the way.

We have been excited to let the chimps go outside for the past few days because we just completed a modest expansion of the Young’s Hill enclosure. J.B. led the extension of the electric fencing downhill so that the perimeter now links up to the end of the shiny new chute (and the recently-constructed wing that houses Willy B, Mave and Honey B). We will soon be updating our followers about the new three and their gradual introduction to the outdoors, but for now the Seven long-time residents are exploring the additional space and using it to get a better view of their new surroundings

Today, Missy and Burrito each spent some time in front of the steel gateway leading into the chute. Burrito displayed and Missy even attempted to open the hydraulic door to crawl inside. Both seemed to be eager to get inside the building and come face-to-face with their new neighbors. (Fortunately for us, the doors are sturdy and didn’t budge in either scenario.)

Back in the Chimp House, the new arrivals (“The Californians”?) spent most of the day playing and lounging but immediately peered out of their bedrooms each time that one of the seven walked by. Willy B seemed most interested in Jamie and her foraging skills, while Mave tried to pant at Burrito through the sealed window. Honey B was more focused on the caregivers and kept nodding at us and soliciting attention as we completed tasks nearby.

It’s always interesting to see how quickly chimpanzees can alter their mood, thereby exhibiting a completely different set of behaviors. It still amazes me to see all ten of them snoozing in various corners of the Chimp House then suddenly hear a thunderstorm of pant-hoots, drumming and screams resonating throughout the building.

Even as the mornings get colder and the chimps spend more time in their overnight nests, it’s reassuring to see that they can still make a little excitement for themselves on a gloomy autumn day.

 

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

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It’s been a few weeks since Honey B, Willy B and Mave arrived from Wildlife Waystation, but it’s only been a few days since the Cle Elum Seven got their first glimpse of their chimpanzee neighbors.

The new arrivals get to access the outdoor tunnel (left) that will soon connect to the Young’s Hill enclosure.

As a staff, we’ve already noticed and discussed interesting patterns of behavior between the two groups. For example, Jody and Willy B have been spending considerable time staring at each other through the window. The three new arrivals have remained relatively composed and seem to be calmly sizing up their new acquaintances, while the seven original residents seem to be more excited. There was a huge mess by the windows in the Playroom this morning, indicating that the chimpanzees spent a lot of time looking outside at the adjacent tunnel.

The Playroom was trashed this morning.

Today was a bit unusual because we needed to briefly close off the outdoor tunnel and Young’s Hill for two separate maintenance projects. This meant that the groups were temporarily unable to see each other. Instead, Willy B. spent some time in front of the Howdy Door and made some noise to advertise his presence. On the Playroom side, Burrito and the others put on a concert of displays, screams and hoots.

Willy B. watches the Howdy Door, listening to the chimps on the other side.
Burrito’s hair stands on end, expressing his excitement.
Missy hoots.
Burrito hoots and displays in the Playroom.

For the seven original residents, checking in on the new cohort of chimps has taken up a lot of their time and effort, but has not completely derailed their usual activities. They enjoyed a lunch forage on Young’s Hill once the maintenance was complete, and Missy dominated the field by gathering up all the celery and bringing it into the Greenhouse.

Missy finds celery.
Missy carries celery.
Missy consumes celery.
Missy thinks about celery.

Also, naps happened.

Foxie naps with a doll.
Neggie naps with breakfast and blankets.

Now that the initial shock of seeing unfamiliar chimps has passed, the Cle Elum Seven seem to be monitoring their neighbors just as they keep tabs on the surrounding pastures, the volunteers, the tomato garden, and the refrigerator. The caveat is that these three new additions to the environment are also chimps, which means they are fully capable of responding right back.

Burrito looks out of the Playroom window at the chimps in the tunnel.

Missy’s 44th Birthday

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Missy had a tomato-filled birthday yesterday! Watch the video (with Jody pop-ups) to see Missy enjoying her day.

The three new chimpanzees continue to charm us all. We’ll be sharing more stories about them in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We’re so very grateful to have had this opportunity to get to know them and to have cared for Missy and her six friends for the last eleven years. Each of these chimpanzees is so very unique and special, and it’s a joy to see them discover themselves at the sanctuary.