It’s been a hot summer in Cle Elum, with heatwave after heatwave. Recently, volunteer caregiver Patti helped Jamie cool down.
Cle Elum
Bouncing Back
Burrito’s been through a lot lately. In early June, he fractured a canine. The injury itself didn’t seem to phase him, but in order to prevent future pain and infection, we needed to extract the tooth. In late June, we performed an exam to do some blood work, check on his heart condition, and assess how he would do under prolonged anesthesia. And in late July, we performed the extraction.
Before he came to the sanctuary from the research lab in 2008, Burrito was sedated for procedures pretty frequently. The routine nature of these “knockdowns” probably didn’t diminish the fear associated with them. Until Burrito’s tooth ordeal, we’ve been incredibly lucky that none of the chimps here have required medical intervention beyond a dose of antibiotics here or there.
When you care for former lab chimpanzees, you hope that they know they’re safe now, and that they trust the difference between their current home and their former ones. We’ve spent the last seven years working to gain these chimps’ trust, and one nagging fear is that something will happen to lose you the trust you’ve earned.
Regardless of the fact that Burrito was surrounded by friends who love him and who want the best for him, it’s likely that the two procedures he had to undergo recently brought back some scary memories from his past life. And regardless of the fact that we’ve seen firsthand how incredibly resilient and forgiving chimps can be, it’s still hard not to fear that you’re going to push things too far and damage the relationships you’ve built.
But we shouldn’t have worried. Burrito has bounced back to his sweet, goofy, mischievous, happy self. His love for the simple things in life – a ripe avocado, a good grooming session, a long and loud bout of chase with a human friend – is as strong as ever. May we all strive to be as irrepressible as this guy.
Positive Reinforcement Training
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:
Jody opening her mouth while working with me (Elizabeth):
Annie presenting her back (Anna and Negra are on the right):
Negra “targeting” with Anna:
Negra presenting her shoulder:
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.
Testing Testing…123
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.
Handsome Mr. Burrito, lounging in the portrait studio.
I hope to share many more photos and a more detailed account of my training in the weeks to come!
Taking in the view
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.
Sometimes she sleeps, and sometimes she just lies there and gazes out over the valley. This is her view:
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.
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.
Still, one does need to sleep occasionally.
The Watchdog
As the alpha, Jamie has a lot of responsibility. It’s her job to make sure all the chimps and humans at the sanctuary are following her rules. Anyone who’s ever worked in management knows that this isn’t always the most enviable position. But Jamie is diligent and dedicated to the task. She is a great overseer. One of her self-assigned job duties is to know everything that’s going on at the sanctuary at any given time. She keeps track of when people arrive and when they leave. She knows who’s authorized to be on site and who isn’t.
She spends a lot of time spying on the driveway from various vantage points within the chimp house or outside on Young’s Hill. The other day I caught her in one of the front rooms keeping an eye on a UPS delivery.
A New Friend for Burrito
This morning, new staff caregiver Anna showed up at the chimp house with a giant stuffed gorilla for the chimpanzees. Stuffed animals have a sad history at the sanctuary; the chimps tend to either ignore them or tear them limb from limb. Stuffed animals that resemble apes or monkeys, in particular, don’t often live long after the chimps get their hands on them.
So we were surprised and delighted by what transpired this morning…
