Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

comfort and joy

New Puzzles, New Challenges

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Today’s blog is all about enrichment! We are so grateful to the many supporters who helped make it possible for us to purchase new enrichment and craft new food puzzles thanks their generous support during our Comfort and Joy online auction. Some of the donated supplies are still waiting to be turned in to their final form, so stay tuned for a future blog to share more. Today’s video and blog will highlight the newly made giant holey lids courtesy of Tricia M. and new troughs thanks to Kathleen C.!

I love watching the chimps meet a new challenge, and find their own ways to accomplish the task at hand. Some puzzles require a demo by the humans, but most of the time we let the chimps try on their own first. As you’ll see in the video, Honey B has come up with a very different approach to the new troughs. Honey B’s method comes as no surprise, and she accesses the treats in record time!

Below is Lucky showing off her mostly clean trough! We put sugar free strawberry pudding in the bottom, and tossed some pomegranate arils on top which stuck to the pudding, requiring that she use the bamboo stick in her hand (or a different tool) to get the pudding and pomegranate. These troughs are the perfect depth, as the chimps cannot simply use their fingers to reach the bottom, which encourages the use of a tool and engages them with the puzzle for more time. Lucky was the first to master her method, which Willy B and Terry also utilized. Sometimes we put seeds, cereal, or other non-sticky food items in the troughs, which they can access by tipping the trough towards themselves (or using the Honey B method!).

Below is a newly made giant holey lid, ready for it’s first use by the chimpanzees! I cut several holes into the large (brand new) trash can lid, and bolted a frisbee to the middle of the lid. The frisbee can easily be rotated to cover the different holes, thus allowing one chimpanzee to control access to the other holes in the lid. Peanut butter has been smeared on the back of the lid, around each of the holes. I created this with the intention of using it as a social enrichment device with Cy’s group as they continue to undergo their reintroduction. If you’d like to learn more about social enrichment, see here! The below photo is what the puzzle looks like from the chimps’ point of view.

This photo show the back of the puzzle with smeared peanut butter, and is what the humans see after hanging up the puzzle for the chimpanzees.

Willy B was the first to try out the new puzzle today. He quickly figured out how to access the peanut butter, and moved the frisbee slightly. When a conflict started in the group which required Willy B’s attention, Rayne was quick to seize her opportunity and worked on the puzzle for quite a while. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the chimps get to experience this new food puzzle, and hope to see them move the frisbee more intentionally in the future! Thank you again to Tricia M. and Kathleen C. for your generous gifts to the chimpanzees!

Burrito and the Pig!

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Thank you to Sherry R. for donating Celestino the Squishmallow to the chimps!

Thank you to Martine S. for donating the giant stuffed pig to the chimps!

Jamie’s group received both items today and as you can see, Burrito had fun incorporating the new items into his antics. I really don’t know how he has all this energy and zest for life! What a guy!

 

Art, re-imagined

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To continue our Comfort and Joy celebrations, today  we gave the chimpanzees 2 different pieces of artwork that have been reformatted into enrichment items! First off, we gave Negra’s group a new cozy blanket with the famous Negra in the Sun painting printed on it.

I carefully hung it on the railings next to Negra’s nest in anticipation of her snuggling up in it:

Even the best laid plans go awry. After the chimpanzees entered the playroom, Burrito playfully poked the blanket until it fell down over a firehose below. Here’s Jamie foraging for cabbage next to it. You can still see the magnificent artwork that Margaret Parkinson originally painted!

During lunch, Negra did end up pulling her blanket over and using it as a seat cushion:

On the other side of the building we handed out this fantastic silky Lucky scarf (original artwork by Thyra Rutter from Arte for Elephants):

Cy commandeered the scarf for a game of tug-o-war!

Thanks go to our amazing artists Margaret and Thyra, as well as Heather S and Heather H, who purchased the items so the chimpanzees could enjoy them!

 

Rayne Gets a Gift

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Today, Rayne’s group got to enjoy the Spring Rayne scarf from our Comfort and Joy online auction! I painted the original artwork for a different auction and was inspired by the one and only Rayne chimpanzee, as well as her outdoor habitat The Bray in all its spring glory. It is neat to see the painting re-imagined as a scarf, and especially one for the chimps to enjoy! While she may look serious in the pictures, I’ll have you all know she was playing with the scarf before I could get my phone out, then it was all business for the photographer! She was wrapping it around her hands and feet playfully, and I’m sure enjoying the soft texture of the fabric. Thank you so much to Grace C. for donating this scarf for the chimpanzees!

As a bonus, enjoy a photo of silly Cy!

Don’t forget that today is Giving Tuesday, an internationally recognized day of generosity. Your support will not only honor Jody, but also the direct care of chimpanzees at the sanctuary. And your gift can be doubled today, thanks to a generous donor! Click here for more.

Burrito climbs a Tree!

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This morning, while on a walk with Chad, Burrito took it upon himself to climb one of the trees at the top of Young’s Hill. We’ve seen this at least one other time before but this might be the first time we’ve been able to capture it on video. It’s a very quick video, but totally worth the watch. Go Bubba go!

In other sanctuary news, Kathleen, a wonderful and long-time CSNW supporter, generously wrote us a beautiful testimonial about her experience winning the Behind-The-Scenes Pass in an auction a few years ago. Thank you so much to Kathleen and happy bidding to everyone bidding on this year’s backstage pass!

“I was the very fortunate auction winner of the behind-the-scenes at CSNW back in 2013 (if my memory serves me correctly!). It was such an incredible experience that it is hard to describe. Even as the day unfolded before me, my experience felt like blur. An emotional system overload of wonder and joy! Keep in mind, that during my visit, the sanctuary had not expanded yet. I had the privilege of entering the home of the original Cle Elum Seven. And I met den mother Jody, making my memories all the more special to me now.

Meeting Diana and J.B. in person was such a pleasure and being able to ask them questions and learn details about the chimps, as well as their plans and dreams for the future of the sanctuary (I believe all of those dreams have since come true and perhaps they even surpassed them.), gave me insight and a new appreciation into this “little” sanctuary I supported full heartedly.

I shadowed Anna in the kitchen, the two of us working hard to prep a very large produce delivery that had just arrived when I did. It might sound silly, but there’s a lot of work and time involved in cleaning, drying, cutting all the produce to the exact size needed so the caregivers can pass each individual vegetable or piece of fruit through the squares of their mesh caging. Once the food is prepped, it is stored in their commercial sized refrigerators. I have a photo of Anna posing in front of the fully packed and ready to burst refrigerator, in a “Ta-daa” pose! But I knew it was just another day for her. For me, wow! Preparing their food, was an undescribable joy, because nothing makes me happier than watching them enjoy their meals—food grunts and squeaks soooo much better in person!!!

The other thrill was being able to recognize each chimpanzee. Even from afar. The blog had taught me well. I had the privilege of a lifetime when Jamie, after staring at my footwear and deciding black sneakers with white rubber toes were not acceptable, selected boots for me to wear on a patrol around Young’s Hill. I waddled and clopped around the outside of their perimeter with one boot on while carrying the other because that is what Jamie wanted. The boot I wore may have been four sizes too big. The best walk ever! J.B. was at my side sharing so much information my heart and my mind were having trouble keeping up with all magnificence!

I saw the one and only Queen Negra clap for her night bag…..she did this as soon as meal service began! I saw charming Burrito with a little toy wooden block in his mouth, play a cheeky game of chase with J.B. And while I was preparing food, little Foxie, who was the first one to come and check me out, came up to the glass window of their downstairs room and spied in to the kitchen and spit water on the glass. Just what I anticipated! She did not disappoint!

It is hard to recall all the details from that day, there are far too many, and as I said in the beginning, it all becomes this wondrous blur. But the one thing I will never forget is the beautiful earthy scent of the chimpanzees. They smell wild. They smell like the forest. They smell like the earth in an ever so subtle way—only if you are almost close enough. This is a once in a lifetime experience. I’m considering bidding on it again! I apologize for being greedy in advance.”

To build a nest

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Our two washing machines have a full time job here at the sanctuary. Almost every day we run both machines from the moment we arrive at the sanctuary to the moment we leave, all in the name of a good nest!

Exhibit A (a few good nests):

 

Our hardworking volunteers and staff are well-acquainted with the laundry process at the sanctuary. There’s a lot of behind the scenes laundry that goes on to make just one clean nest. Keeping the machines going and folding all those blankets can be a daunting task. As you might imagine, it’s never fun when we have a washer that goes out of commission.

Good news though, you can help support all of our nest formation efforts by contributing to our commercial washer fund during our Comfort and Joy Auction, happening now! Thank you all for helping the chimpanzees create those big beautiful fluffy nests!