Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Cle Elum Seven

Fishing for Greens

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The chimpanzees’ friend and veterinarian, Dr. Erin Zamzow, arrived at the sanctuary today with two big paper bags overflowing with beautiful greens harvested by her neighbor. The timing of the delivery was perfect as we were getting ready to set up a forage on the hill for the chimps’ lunch.

If you have been following the blog for a bit, you might guess which of the chimpanzees went right for all of the greens she could find. You can see in the photos below how Jody got the nickname Farmer Jo.

We had spread the bounty of greens in different parts of the hill, along with some onions, primate chow, sweet potatoes, and a few bonus cherries (thanks to Darwin’s Natural Pet Products and Charlie’s Produce for the yummy cherries!).

The grass on the hill has taken on a life and personality of it’s own. The blades were moving in unison with the wind likes waves in a sea. We could see Jody’s shape glide through the grass in one direction only to abruptly switch direction as she spotted another stem to add to her collection.

We would catch a glimpse of her surfacing from the tall grass once in a while, her arms and mouth stuffed to their limit:

As is her habit, she returned to the greenhouse with her haul, taking her time to enjoy every delicious bite.

Happy 4th of July!

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Happy 4th of July everyone! I am sure we all think of fresh fruit, chips, hot dogs/hamburgers (veggie of course), and a crisp drink when we think about gathering with friends and family to celebrate our Independence Day. I mean what could be more 4th of July than a good old fashion BBQ?! I though I would share what was on the menu for our party.

We started our day with a nice refreshing fruit salad bowl made by our lovely volunteers:

Next we moved to the Hill forage for lunch. We cooked up some veggie dogs, Negra and Burrito almost screamed when they saw the buns, cut up some watermelon, we baked fries, sprinkled a few cherry tomatoes, shucked corn, and cut up some spears of cucumber (that we pretended were pickles)! Don’t worry we did not forget about refreshments, the chimps drank some Martinelli’s as well.

I would scream for this meal too:

I know there is a video, but I thought I would share just a few photos too!

Jamie walking on the firehose:

Annie found one of the many boats:

And Negra.

She was moving around everywhere today, it was fun to see where she would pop up:

The Greenhouse

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The Greenhouse is a space that provides many benefits to the chimps. The Greenhouse is the gateway to Young’s Hill, there are different levels of platforms for the chimps to look out or rest on, and  warm spots to sprawl out and bake in the spring/summer. The Greenhouse is also a common space where the chimps like to lounge around, have big grooming sessions, and play games with their human and non-human friends. The wide-open, but secure air space in the Greenhouse is what makes it so wonderful for the chimpanzees. The Greenhouse is so lovely that sometimes it is hard to get the chimps out of it so we can clean. Who could blame them for not wanting to leave?! I have a collection of Greenhouse photos from yesterday and today, I hope you enjoy!

Annie:

Bubba (Burrito) being goofy:

Jody snacking on foliage from the Hill:

Foxie in and out of napping on the top of the Greenhouse platform:

Negra:

Missy self grooming:

They Need Each Other

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Nothing makes me happier than when I go out to see what the chimpanzees are up to and they are happily engaged in their own activities, sometimes gracing me with a cursory glance or friendly head nod, then getting back to what they were doing. This happiness is tenfold when it’s Jamie who is hanging out with the other chimpanzees and simply doesn’t want or need my attention.

I’m not going to lie, it is pretty fantastic to be greeted enthusiastically by a chimpanzee. I’m a (mostly) social primate too, and it feels good when someone is happy to see me and wants to spend time with me. However, part of our job at the sanctuary is to create an environment where the humans are available but not essential to the social lives of the chimpanzees in our care.

J.B. explained in this blog post at the beginning of the year that Jamie is often not involved in grooming parties with the other chimpanzees because she tends to exist on the fringes of the chimpanzees social group, often preferring to receive attention from the humans. This makes a lot of sense – she spent the first nine years of her life very likely thinking she was a human, then she was put into biomedical research for a couple of decades before coming to the sanctuary. To say that her relationship with humans is complicated is an understatement.

We do grant her the time that she desires with the humans. We want to provide all of the chimpanzees with the things and experiences that make them feel secure, content, and joyful, and that’s different for each of them. We respect who they are as chimpanzees, however, and we limit the contact that we have with them. Even their best human friends are never with them without steel caging, chimp-proof glass, or electric fence between us (aside from medical procedures when they are fully sedated). This is for our safety. And it’s also to let them have their own space where they can be chimpanzees.

The humans are just a part of their lives. We come and we go. Their most important social relationships are with one another.

So, you can imagine my happiness when I came upon a grooming session between Jamie and Foxie today and they ignored me.

They can be physical with each other in ways that the humans cannot, and that’s the way it should be. They don’t need us for this. They need each other.

Video: A Day in the Life

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We were really busy last week preparing for our big event in Seattle. HOOT! 2019 was a great success, due to the staff and volunteers who put in hours and hours over the last year preparing and planning, plus the staff and volunteers who gave it their all at the event on Saturday.

But the gala is just a small part of what they do. This video is a look at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest that provides a glimpse into all that goes into a day of sanctuary.

We’re sorry we were so busy last week to not give #SanctuaryCaregiverDay its due. The sanctuary would be NOTHING without paid and volunteer caregivers. So, please watch this video and thank them for all of their hard work. We appreciate them so much!

Beauty of Sanctuary

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As a caregiver, especially if you are the one in charge of the schedule it is crucial to try to keep to it, but it’s also important to remember things don’t always go as planned. You learn to be flexible. That is kind of the beauty of a sanctuary. For example, I couldn’t get all the chimps to shift how I would have planned today. Missy stayed in the playroom, the rest of the chimps were in a front room or out in the Green House for breakfast, so I couldn’t close anything off to clean. You might see my dilemma, eventually it all worked out. However, the chimps got to make their own choice and when you think about that, it’s pretty awesome.

A few pictures of Jody looking radiant in the Green House:

Negra napping with a little smirk:

Foxie and those little toes:

Really Big News

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First of all, the HOOT! 2019 event was a great success and so, so much fun! Thanks to everyone who attended and raised their paddles for the chimpanzees!

We were able to share some very exciting news in person at the event. If you are an e-news subscriber, you got this news in your inbox this morning.

Here’s the highlight: three more chimpanzees will be coming to the sanctuary later this summer! Honey B, one of the three, is Missy’s 30-year-old daughter. Honey B was removed from Missy right after she was born in the laboratory, but now they will have a chance to get to know each other as adults.

You can watch the video (above and below) that we shared at the event right before Give a HOOT! where guests raised their paddles to give direct donations to the sanctuary. After watching the video, we raised over $100,000 for Give a HOOT! We’ll need these funds to continue the care of all of the chimpanzees, including Honey B and her friends Willie B and Mave.

If you were not able to attend, but would still like to help, you can make a celebratory donation too. We appreciate it!

We really couldn’t be more excited to be making this announcement. Thank you, blog readers, for following the sanctuary and investing in learning more about the chimpanzees. Your support means so much.