Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

confidence

Willy B, Party of One

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Through the years, we have all watched as Willy B has become more and more comfortable exploring The Bray.

Today, without the reassurance of his friends, Willy B ventured all the way to the top of The Bray!  He traveled about as far away from the building as he could get, and climbed up and down the highest structures like he’s been doing it his whole life! While sitting atop the structures, he took in his surroundings, feeling the spring sunshine on his face and the breeze in his hair.

What a lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Man about Town

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Willy B used to be very avoidant of the grass and dirt outside. Remember? Watch this video from May 8, 2020.

And look at these photos of him today!

Mave is also getting more and more adventurous outside. Today, she followed Gordo out and convinced him to give her two of the three whole red peppers he had found in the forage.

I didn’t get good photos of it, but Willy B was actually the last one on the Bray. He was out there for so  long that Mave eventually came outside and waited for him to come back inside – it reminded me of Jody doing the same for her friends when she thought it was time for them to return.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in gifts from out wish lists for Christmas in July. There are still items to purchase for the sanctuary, mostly on our Jerrols wish list, which you can find here. Buying from the Jerrol’s list also supports a family business that is local to the sanctuary!

We are very excited about all of the items we have received and you’re sure to see them popping up on the blog in the next few weeks. Thank you again!!

 

Burrito’s big week

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This has been a pretty big week for Burrito.

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Just two days ago, Katelyn wrote about how Burrito has been tagging along when Jamie and her caregivers walk around the hill. It’s a sign of his growing confidence that he’s able to venture further away form the security of the chimp house in the company of other chimps. But yesterday, Burrito decided that he doesn’t even need Jamie’s company anymore. Now he’s the one asking us to go on walks!

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All day long, he’s been trying to capture our attention with playful stomps and head bobs. As soon as we approach, he runs up the hill, waiting just long enough for us to catch up before running off again. You can even hear him laughing as he runs.

Nearly seven years after their release from the lab, and three and a half years since their first experience outdoors, we are still witnessing the chimps grow physically and emotionally.

Burrito even played a lead role in a brief patrol today. This afternoon, an unusual bird call could be heard coming from the woods nearby. Jody was the first to check it out, as she often is. Burrito then walked to the top of the hill to join her.

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At first, Foxie watched from a distance.

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As did Annie.

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But soon a group gathered at the top of the hill, and after a brief investigation, they determined that is was nothing to worry about.

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So Burrito went right back to his new routine.

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I sure hope this continues. I love to see him freely exploring the hill and taking advantage of all of the space that’s available to him. And I’m thrilled that he’s getting so much exercise. But if I’m being honest, there’s one other thing that I’m happy about, for purely selfish reasons:

He doesn’t make us wear cowboy boots.

 

Annie

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Annie and Missy have been best friends for years.

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In fact, their friendship was evident during our very first visit to meet them in the laboratory. But the relationship wasn’t always equal. Missy has very clearly always loved Annie, but for Annie, it was more than love. For a time, she was completely dependent on Missy. She would become visibly anxious if Missy even started to play with another chimp. And when Young’s Hill was built, it made it possible for Missy to go off on her own and not even be within Annie’s sight. When that happened, Annie would sit at the bottom of the hill, rocking, and waiting for her friend to return safely.

Thankfully, Annie has grown more confident since then. These days, she seems totally content to sit on the hill by herself while Missy is off patrolling with Jamie.

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It seems that Annie has learned to navigate the world on her own, even if it’s only for ten minutes at a time.

Out on the Hill

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A few weeks ago, we captured some footage of Burrito foraging on Young’s Hill with the GoPro camera. The GoPro is great because it shows us the world from the chimps’ perspective, without the bars or fencing in the way. But the best part is the sound that it captures – make sure to turn up your volume so you can hear Burrito’s low moans and food squeaks. This is the sound of a happy man.

You might notice that Burrito seems a bit more relaxed outside than he did earlier this year. He’s a little less pilo erect (hair standing on end) and he seeks reassurance less often. But you’ll still see him doing both – he’s come a long way, but he’s still pretty cautious when he’s on the hill. You’ll see in this video is that he avoids taking the apple that is sitting right in front of the camera. Whole fruits are Jamie’s favorite thing, so he was probably wise to avoid it with her standing close by.

At the end of the video is a short clip from earlier this week that I filmed with my phone. Jamie and Burrito decided to follow us as we walked around the enclosure. This gives you a good idea of what the view looks like from the top of the hill. If you look carefully, you can see the chimp building at the bottom of the hill. Imagine how scary it must be for Burrito to travel so far from the place he feels most comfortable. He seems to feel better if he can tag along with someone else, even if it’s the girl that bosses him around.

The New Annie

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Diana and Elizabeth have both noted on this blog that Annie seems to be getting more confident. She’s taking food in front of the more dominant chimps – sometimes from more the dominant chimps. And she has begun interacting with chimps other than Missy.

What really amazes me is her newest choice of playmates. In the past, Annie would occasionally attempt to join in on games that other chimps were playing, and it almost always ended badly. It’s like she didn’t know how to read the cues that playmates trade throughout a game. The other chimps would be playing a quiet game of tickle, and Annie would come running in with a slap to the head or a full-on tackle. Someone would get upset and a fight would break out, ending with Annie splayed on the ground in a full-blown, chimp style panic attack. This was especially true when she tried to play with Foxie.

That was the old Annie. The new Annie has realized that there is a world out there beyond Missy. And she seems to be figuring out how to get along with everyone else. Her newest playmate? Foxie. Go figure.