Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Lisa got some pictures of Burrito spying on her from the greenhouse into where she was standing in the front room area, and again from behind the ladder in the greenhouse. It amazes me how anyone could be quite so charming just by shyly spying on you.
If there is one thing that we have written about more frequently than anything else I think it must be Jamie’s multifaceted personality. Jamie is the boss but she’s also good friend. She takes things seriously but she can also be quite silly when the mood strikes. Sometimes she shares her things and other times she’ll take what she wants from others. She’s a complicated individual. She likes boots, enrichment projects that challenge the mind, and doing things her own way.
Being friends with Jamie Chimpanzee is an intense ride but there is never a dull moment. Jamie keeps everyone on their toes and keeps life at the sanctuary stimulating. I simply can’t imagine the diamond of her mind trapped in the confines of her previous environment and I take every chance I get to provide her with a project. Yesterday that meant that I found more challenging places to hide the playroom lettuce forage. I filled the square building blocks you see in the pictures with lettuce, closed them up tight, and hid them in the playroom. Rather than foraging for the lettuce easily available on the ground Jamie made a beeline for the greater challenge of the blocks.
Today we gave her cleaning supplies so that she could participate in her version of the front room cleaning. I was pleased to see her complete that task with vigor. Although I was unable to get a picture of Jamie cleaning up after us today you can watch video of Jamie’s cleaning style here.
But it’s not always necessary to be on the move with Jamie. Sometimes she appreciates quiet down time with friends too! Grooming is a great social outlet for chimpanzees and, on occasion, the chimpanzees will ask to be groomed by their human caregivers. We are, of course, always happy to oblige a grooming request.
Annie has come a long way since arriving at the sanctuary six years ago. Early on, Annie was nervous and on edge almost all of the time. She lacked confidence and didn’t interact much with the other chimpanzees (except for BFF Missy, of course) or with her caregivers. Fast forward six years and we have a totally different Annie on our hands. She is secure, social, and happy. Even so, being at the bottom of the dominance hierarchy is a stressful situation for anyone, and Annie still has moments of anxiety. So it’s always a pleasure to see her completely relaxed and content, as she was this morning at breakfast.
Elizabeth caught some great close ups of the chimps recently. Wouldn’t you agree?
Burrito:
Jamie:
Jody:
Negra:
It’s hard to get photos of several chimps in one frame out on the hill. Typically they are foraging or exploring on their own or in pairs, but getting four, five, or six chimps in one frame is pretty rare. It seems this morning, JB was able to capture these rare moments when all but Negra were out on the hill checking out a helicopter flying overhead. They had a good perspective from where they were, I think. And since these aren’t close ups of the chimps, it gives you a new perspective as well.
Annie, Missy, Jody, and Foxie:
Foxie, Jamie, Missy, Annie, Jody, and Burrito:
I like this series a lot because both Jamie on ground and Missy (just above Jamie) are climbing up posts simultaneously. (Foxie is up top and Annie is on the bridge).
Nestmaking is one of my favorite chimpanzee behaviors to watch. Although each chimp has his or her own style, the basics are the same. A chimp will add one blanket at a time to the nest, arranging it so that it’s perfectly placed before continuing. Precision and focus are the name of the game.
Typically, the purpose of building a nest is to have a comfortable place to rest. But sometimes, it seems that the object is the process rather than the result. Missy spent several minutes building this nest in the greenhouse this afternoon, and just a moment after she had placed the last blanket, she leaped out of it and ran off to her next adventure.
One of things that you learn pretty quickly about the unique experience of working as a chimpanzee caregiver is that flexibility is indispensable. There is a daily routine, of course, but whenever you are working with living beings with distinct personalities and preferences there is always the possibility that someone will want something else, something different from the normal. Accommodating the needs and wants of seven different chimpanzees all at the same time can be a challenge and it requires a certain adaptability!
In addition to taking the needs of the chimpanzees into consideration, environmental circumstances can also contribute to a fast paced, ever changing work setting. Sometimes weather helps to determine the course of the day or, on occasion, we find ourselves with unexpected visitors to the sanctuary. For example, today we assisted in a relocation program for a friendly neighborhood frog during afternoon cleaning.
All of which is to say that today offered us plenty of opportunity to practice creative care-giving but, as a result, provided little inspiration for a blog post. In a flash at lunchtime I decided to capture the chimpanzees as they dined in the greenhouse as the weather and lighting were quite captivating and lunch is my favorite meal of the day. Some days you just have to improvise!
Jamie eating the end of a bell pepper:
Annie pausing for a moment during her potato:
Burrito eating his potato:
Jody enjoying her potato at leisure in the front rooms:
Missy eating a bell pepper:
Foxie enjoying chow:
Negra taking her chow to go:
Later, as the afternoon became quite muggy, Katelyn served some carrot juice ice cubes as a refreshing surprise.
