Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Cle Elum Seven

Plans? What Plans?!

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I can’t speak for all the caregivers at CSNW, but for me lead days require mental preparation ahead of time. Some of it is getting on the shifting mentality, thinking of material for the daily blog, planning the individuals that will be involved during introductions, etc. Today was one of those days that from the moment I woke up, all of that preparation went out the window. It turns out that as caregivers there are two things we can’t control: the weather and a group of riled up chimps.

Kittitas County woke up to a significant ongoing snow shower with more than 3 inches of snow already on the ground by 7AM in Ellensburg. Cle Elum did not get the same amount of snow, but the inch or so is half melted by now. The gloominess remains. Being inside was definitely the popular choice for the chimpanzees. This meant plenty of napping in the green houses and a lot of grooming.

For introductions, my wish was to have Gordo and Terry involved with Willy B and Mave. But Gordo and his 5 friends had other plans. While trying to sort them out, a fight broke out and although everyone was OK, it derailed the sorting. The final combination ended up being Cy and Terry with Willy B and Honey B. After many displays between the guys, the introduction remained through the mesh. At the time of separating the groups, Willy B and Honey B refused to go back into the Mezzanine. It wasn’t until dinner was offered that they decided it was the right time to go back to their enclosure and reunite with Mave.

View of our Spring snowy day

Jamie in the process of drifting into a nap in the green house

Terry grooming my boots

Cy and Terry grooming each other

Rayne, Cy, Lucky and Terry grooming

Rayne, Dora, Cy and Lucky grooming

Green House Naps

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Today was a warm, sunny, and windy 56F degree weather day, perfect to enjoy from inside the green houses. All three green houses were packed with chimps napping and relaxing all afternoon. Jamie and her six friends went on multiple walks around the hill only to come back and relax again. Willy B, Mave and Honey B got access to the Courtyard where Willy B spent a big chunk of time basking under the warm sun. He did not seem to mind the Spring wind at all. The girls remained in the chute enjoying the day. Lucky, and the other five members of her group spent almost the entire day in the green house as well. With optimal napping spots up in the platforms, and raisin board enrichment as extra enticement, it was no surprise that it was just the place to be all day. Even the cattle and Barn Kitty were spotted enjoying this day in the most relaxing ways.

Gordo using a chopstick to get raisins from the raising board enrichment his group got today

Rayne napping…until she heard the “click” of the camera…sorry 🙁

Lucky resting but watching my every move from the platform in the green house

Dora napping

Jamie on the top platform of the original green house, next to a boot…of course!

The cattle in their most relaxed form courtesy of Caregiver Chad who took this photo today while on cattle care.

Even Barn Kitty was into the sun’s warmth for some nice resting time

The Secret Life of Barn Kitty

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In last Tuesday’s post (Twosday), Sofia mentioned that Barn Kitty has returned to the sanctuary.

For those of you who may not be aware, Barn Kitty (“B.K.”) is a free-ranging domestic cat that prowls the patchwork landscape surrounding the Chimp House. It’s believed he divides his time between the sanctuary property and the neighboring ranch, but we have no way of monitoring his whereabouts in real time. We don’t even know with certainty whether Barn Kitty is a true feral (born and raised apart from humans), a homeless stray, or just a particularly independent outdoor “barn cat” from next door. Sometimes, he disappears for months at a time before casually returning. He’s a mysterious lad.

I absolutely love living with cats (and can’t imagine the internet without them), but the existence of stray and feral cats is problematic for various reasons.

For one thing, the historical relationship between humans and house cats is mutually beneficial but not codependent. In many ways, this species was never fully domesticated and differs only slightly from its African wildcat ancestor. Importantly, cats all remain adept hunters and prolific breeders regardless of whether we supplement their diets or not. This self-reliance allows them to subsist indefinitely without much assistance from humans (besides the occasional voyage across an ocean or piggy-back ride across national borders).

The unfortunate loser in this transaction is biodiversity. Many native species, especially birds and small mammals, cannot reproduce fast enough to compensate for the addition of a new predator on the landscape. A 2013 study by Smithsonian researchers estimated that house cats kill billions of wild animals annually in the U.S. alone and individual cats have been observed to kill hundreds of birds and rodents in a single year. Their effect is especially devastating on islands where native species haven’t adapted defenses against land predators and there are no larger carnivores to keep the newcomers in check. This isn’t to say that domestic felines are objectively bad– ecosystems are constantly in flux and most species will do what they can to exploit available niches- but their spread has definitely had a substantial impact on fragile ecosystems during a massive extinction crisis.

A second problem with domestic cats living outdoors is that they’re susceptible to a plethora of factors that can negatively impact their own welfare. In places where native predators such as coyotes and cougars exist, house cats often become a widespread and easy meal. Free-ranging cats are also at risk of accidents such as vehicle collisions and rarely have access to veterinary care when sick or injured, shortening their average lifespan. Without routine vaccinations, feral cats are also largely responsible for the spread of infectious diseases such as FIV.

Of course, a counterargument can be made that feral cats are relieved from the constraints of living in a human home and don’t suffer from the complications of a captive lifestyle: boredom, artificial diets, separation anxiety, overfeeding, etc. While many stray cats can happily return to indoor living, ferals tend to remain fearful of humans for their entire lives.

In areas where free-ranging cats have grown to be particularly bothersome, veterinary professionals will often work with wildlife agencies to curb their impacts. The simplest method of control- culling them outright- is ecologically effective but understandably controversial. Fortunately, less drastic interventions (e.g. trap-neuter-release programs) can yield long-term results while remaining palatable to the general public. The cats can keep living outdoors and hunting, but they lose the ability to reproduce and eventually disappear from the landscape.

In B.K.’s case, we decided long ago that he is welcome here at the sanctuary with one stipulation: that he doesn’t sire any more tuxedo’ed killing machines. Last year, Dr. Erin and Sofia made this official by neutering him while tending to a concerning leg injury. B.K. made a full recovery and, despite being more wary of us, seems to spend just as much time hanging around our barn as he did before. It’s not uncommon to see him lounging on a sun-drenched patch of grass or stalking mice in the nearby thickets. With reliable access to shelter, cover, food, water, and health care, one could argue that Barn Kitty is better off than most free-ranging cats

Caring for animals requires a never-ending series of compromises; the most tenable policies and effective solutions are usually those that balance compassion and logic. I like to think that we’ve found something like that for the furry enigma that we call Barn Kitty.

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P.S. Yesterday, B.K. followed me back and forth around the hay barn as I did chores, so I risked my skin to take some closeups for you all to enjoy.

  

Fall Vibes

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Fall is starting to set in real nicely here in the Pacific Northwest. Temperatures are nice and the days are sunny for the most part. We do have some rain in the forecast that is supposed to last some time. So to take advantage of this nice sunny mid-60º weather today, Jody’s group had one last forage on Young’s Hill before the rain comes in.

On today’s menu was corn, carrots, beets, and primate chow!

Annie:

Burrito:

Foxie:

Jamie:

Jody:

Missy:

Negra:

Cy’s group and Willy B’s group were also treated to a lunch of corn, carrots, and beets, along with their primate chow.

After lunch, every body spent most of the afternoon snoozing. Well, almost everybody.

Cy had to catch up on some afternoon ready:

And Mave spent her time soaking in as much sun as she could:

Burrit-O’s

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As the temperatures begin to drop, Jamie’s group have been waiting a little while before going onto Young’s Hill in the morning, but not too long. Well… Almost everybody in her group…

One of the first things we do when we arrive at the Chimp House is to do a security check to give the chimpanzees access to Young’s Hill as soon as possible. This morning, as I opened the door to the Hill, most hung back a little bit for the sun to do it’s work and warm things up a little bit. But Burrito is a different story. We have been talking about how much we all could have the level of energy he has that early in the day. Once the door was open, *zoom* he was out the door and off to the races. I grabbed the camera and ran as fast as I could. I usually can keep up with him most of the day, however, the first run in the morning is the one where he undeniably beats me.

I grabbed what photos I could while running. As you might expect, they are just a blur.

This is probably only one of the clear photos I got of him, because he was waiting for me so he can turn around and run the other way!

This set of photos are when we completed a lap around Young’s Hill, then he decided to turn around to go again.

Then once we made our way back to the starting point, we went around again. This time though, other members of his family decided to join.

Burrito, Dora the Explorer’s friend Kate, and I waiting for Jamie to catch up. (Missy had already passed us as we waited.)

Then it was off to the races again!

Keep in mind, Young’s Hill is indeed a hill and most of the run is up. I say this as an excuse for my huffing and puffing, trying to catch my breath throughout the day. How he has this amount of energy in the morning? It’s almost as if he eats a bowl of Cheerios (or Burrit-O’s that I assume are more energy-packed) before we arrive to ensure he is ready to go once we walk through the door.

(Photo courtesy of Sam)

Some bonus photos from today!

Cy playing chase in his Greenhouse. He moves incredibly fast for such a big guy!
Lucky lounging on the firehose!
Jody enjoying her dinner leek! Don’t mind the corn kernels Jamie “accidentally” dropped on her head.

And a huge thank you who have supported us during Giving Day for Apes! There is still a few hours left you you wish and can support us to reach our goal! Because of you support, not just during Giving Day for Apes, but also on a regular basis, you help us try to provide the best life we can for the 20 individuals in our care. Thank you so much!

CSNW (Lip)SmackDown

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As mentioned last week, chimpanzees produce several different noises while they’re grooming. Lip smacking, blowing raspberries, and teeth clacking, are among some of the sounds produced. The meeting between Cy and Willy B was perfect example of teeth clacking.

For this week, I decide to let you hear some of the other noises in the form of a Guess Who game!

Below are two other residents here producing some grooming noise. Can you guess who they are?

Guess Who Part 1

Guess Who Part 2

I will give you some time to take a guess. In the meantime, some other little updates from today!

It was a fairly quiet day today, overall. We did continue with the introduction process between Willy B’s Group and Cy’s Group.

The first meeting today was between Willy B and Terry! Just like last time, when Willy B and Terry realized it was their time to hang out with each other today, they were excited to say the least. There was no initial display that we might expect between two adult males. It was instant grooming, playing, and laughter between the two.

Next was Terry and Honey B! As you may have read about their last meeting, things didn’t go as planned. We are taking it very slow in allowing these two to get to know each other. Today, they just met each other through the caging and did not share the same space. Though Honey B was a little apprehensive of first, her confidence grew. When it did, she almost beckoned Terry to meet her at the caging. He obliged, which resulted in a long grooming session, and a longer play session between the two. We will continue to provide them opportunities to interact with each other through the caging before they both are comfortable enough to play with each other in the same space.

Have you locked in your guesses yet!?

If not, I will give you a little more time. Here are some photos I was able to capture today (and one from last week). Is there a clue with in the photos of who they are? Maybe? Maybe not?

Gordo in a box!

 

Lucky and Rayne hanging out with each other on a front room bench!

 

Nutmeg in the creek! (He’s a wild steer now. You can’t change his mind.)

 

Willy B with one of the new Giant Kongs last week!

Ok! Without any further delay… *drum roll*

The first video is Terry!

And last but certainly not least, the second video is Honey B!

How many grooming noises did you hear in those videos and what kinds?

Thank you for playing along everybody!

Negra and The Uninvited Lunch Guest

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Today, staff put out a lunch forage of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce for the Seven on Young’s Hill. After staff vacated the hill and security checks were performed, the hill was ready for the Seven. As the door opened and the chimpanzees began to scatter every which way, there was an alarm.

Negra had spotted something. As she began to alarm call and asking for reassurance from anybody close enough, the others were set to find the source of her alarm: a coyote on the other side of the fence in the adjacent pasture.

Jody kept Negra company as they watched the coyote scamper away into the tree line after realizing she/he was spotted.

Once the uninvited guest was gone, lunch could continue.

Though Negra took it upon herself to be on the lookout for the coyote or any other uninvited lunch guests.

While Negra kept the lookout, the others foraged as usual.

Jamie:

Foxie:

Missy:

Jody:

Annie:

Burrito:

As they returned to the Greenhouse with their hauls, they all ate their lunch in the most relaxing positions.

Burrito
Foxie
Annie
Jody

And if you are able to, please help support us in this year’s Give Big Washington campaign. The Give Big campaign ends May 5th. We do have a pretty ambitious goal this year, but it’s because we have a lot of ambition and enthusiasm to continue to provide care for our 14 current residents, as well as welcome 6 more home later this year. All of your support, whether through donations, campaigns, fundraisers, the Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy programs, Sponsor-A-Day program, being a Produce Patron, or becoming a part of the sanctuary with a Personalized Stone, helps us to ensure days like today can continue to happen, as well as help us prepare for the Lucky Six when they arrive. Any thing helps! Truly, thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!