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Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

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cows

Happy Birthday, Meredith!

September 23, 2022 by J.B.

Meredith turns 7 years old today! Many thanks to both Paulette and to Tobin for sponsoring this day in her honor.

Our post office has been out of commission for the last week, but we got Tobin’s letter for Meredith just in time.

Here is Tobin’s personal message to the birthday bovine:

Dear Meredith,

I wish you a happy 7th birthday. I am very glad you, your mother, your Aunty Betsy, and the Dude with the Hairdo are residents of the sanctuary.

As you may have noticed, there is some construction going on near your meadow. The humans are configuring the acreage where your chimpanzee neighbors live. In addition to Willy B (you know, the singer and drummer) and the seven who were living here (including Jody, who joins Willy and me in sponsoring you) when you moved here four years ago, there are eight new chimpanzees who have taken residence. Some of them haven’t been outside yet. It is hoped that they will finally step out into their new enclosure soon.

If you follow the CSNW blog, you’ll remember that one of these new chimps – CY – reacted with fright in seeing a photograph of Betsy and Nutmeg. I doubt that his reaction was anything personal – I would assume that Cy simply wasn’t familiar with cattle despite his copious reading habits.

Hopefully, once Cy starts exploring the outside and looks across the pasture and sees you and your herd, he’ll figure out that you are a perfect fit for your immediate surroundings, and appreciate having you as a next-door neighbor.

If, however, Cy barks or screeches out some harsh words in your direction, simply moo back to him, “So, have you read any good magazines lately?” That should resolve any conflict.

Meanwhile, I wish you a happy birthday.

from your Bovine Buds, Tobin, Jody, and Willy B

 

This afternoon, Diana gave the herd a little extra alfalfa to celebrate:

Here are a few other photos of the birthday girl that I’m fairly sure we haven’t posted before:

Check out that winter coat!

You can learn more about Meredith and her bovine family here. And for pictures of BABY MEREDITH (!), please visit this page from our friends at Farm Sanctuary.

And as always, you can help support the daily care of the cows and chimpanzees by ordering from our Amazon Wish List!

Filed Under: Cattle, Meredith, Sanctuary Tagged With: birthday, cattle, chimpanzee, cows, Meredith, northwest, rescue, Sanctuary

Graze Anatomy

September 12, 2022 by Anthony

Before I dive into today’s blog, I have an exciting update to share: The HOOT! 2022 online auction started today!

You can visit the online-only page to decide which amazing items to bid on. Tickets are still available for the live event which will be held on Friday, Sept. 16 at The Foundry by Herban Feast in Seattle! You can learn more about the event by clicking here and buy tickets here.

We caregivers also enjoy viewing (and occasionally bidding on) items that commemorate our favorite sanctuary residents. Although there are some great chimpanzee-themed items, I must admit that I am quite partial to the plush Cuddle Clone of the Jersey cow, Meredith.

As many of you already know, the pastures that surround the sanctuary’s Chimp House provide a home to four rescued cattle: Betsy, Honey, Meredith and Nutmeg. This little herd helps the sanctuary by consuming vegetation that could potentially fuel wildfires. In turn, we give them food, water, shelter, enrichment, veterinary care, and everything else they need to thrive. Caring for these creatures is often quite different from the work we do with chimpanzees, so I’m taking a moment to share some interesting trivia about the sanctuary’s lovable, living lawnmowers.

  • Domestic cattle (Bos taurus) are often called bovines because they belong to the subfamily Bovinae. This group also includes bison, buffalo, yaks, and other species of wild cattle. Sheep, goats and antelope are their closest living relatives and belong in the same family: Bovidae.

  • The ancestor of all living cattle is the extinct aurochs (B. primigenius). Aurochs once ranged across Eurasia and North Africa and were commonly depicted in prehistoric art (e.g. the Lascaux cave painting shown below). People across the Roman Empire commonly used them in bullfights, but they likely went extinct due to deforestation, over-hunting, and competition with domestic cattle. The last known aurochs cow lived in Poland and died in 1627.

  • Jersey cattle are specifically adapted to life on Jersey, one of the United Kingdom’s Channel Islands. The island’s human inhabitants carefully bred these cattle to yield milk with a high percentage of butterfat, and even prohibited the importation of foreign cattle in order to maintain this quality.
  • Jerseys are not the most popular dairy breed in North America. That title belongs to the black-and-white Holstein-Friesian, which are larger and produce more milk per cow.

  • Newborn cattle are called calves (e.g. newborn Nutmeg with mother Betsy, shown in the Farm Sanctuary photograph above). Immature females are called heifers and are only considered cows after birthing their first calf. Calves gestate for nine months and typically remain dependent on their mother’s milk for ten months before naturally weaning.
  • Ranchers often castrate male calves so they don’t develop into adult bulls, which are difficult to house and manage. Young castrated males are called steers until they eventually mature into fully-grown oxen. Historically, humans utilized oxen as draught animals for pulling plows and carts. Even though they are a relatively small cattle breed (females are usually around 800 pounds), Jersey bulls and oxen can grow up to 1,800 pounds.

  • The glands on cattle noses make distinct patterns that are as unique as human fingerprints.

  • Cattle horns and hooves are bony structures encased in sheaths of keratin, the same protein that makes up human nails and hair. Hooves generally grow ⅕ -¼ of an inch each month. The hooves of domestic cattle must be trimmed periodically to prevent a variety of health issues (below).

  • The common safety practice of horn removal is called polling. The remaining knob is called a poll and any subsequent horn growths are called scurs.

  • Cattle and other ruminants have a complex, multi-chambered stomach that specializes in breaking down fibrous plant matter. They do not have four stomachs. The chambers are called the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum (diagram below)  . The rumen alone can hold up to 25 gallons of plant material. Each chamber contains a unique microbiome that is critical for proper digestion and overall health.

  • Cattle regurgitate chunks of semi-digested food called cud. They chew these again before re-ingesting them. This process is called “rumination” or “chewing the cud.” They chew in a conspicuous circular motion, grinding the forage against a leathery dental pad that they develop in place of upper incisors

  • Bovines are quite intelligent and have excellent long-term memories. Experiments show that cattle can discern between individual humans and learn to avoid humans who treat them roughly and trust humans who treat them kindly.

  • Cattle herds are complex societies that regularly split up and reunite (fission-fusion behavior). When not managed by humans, cattle form matriarchal hierarchies where bulls only associate for competition and breeding.

  • Domestic cattle can run up to 17 miles per hour (for short distances).

  • Cattle develop friendships with familiar individuals and reinforce their social bonds through grooming. Their preferred method of grooming is to lick each other with their raspy prehensile tongues (which also help them to grab food).

  • The USDA estimates the current global population of domestic cattle to be over one billion head (individuals), up 13.2 million from the previous year. These populations contribute significantly to anthropogenic climate change. The methane released from cattle ranches accounts for around 14% of global emissions.

  • Red meat consumption peaked in 1976 and has fallen dramatically since, but the average American still consumes around 57.2 pounds of beef each year. Ranching remains a key industry in the communities near the sanctuary (below). Recently, the availability of plant-based meat substitutes, the rising costs of beef production, and the recent drought in the American West may all be contributing to this decline.

Now you’re all prepared to absolutely slay a Jeopardy category on the subject of bovines. You’re welcome.

Don’t forget to check out the HOOT! page to get your bovine collectibles and contribute to their sanctuary home!

Filed Under: Cattle, Farmed Animals, Fundraising Tagged With: animal rescue, animal rights, animal sanctuary, Animal Welfare, chimp, chimpanzee, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, cows, farm animals, jersey cattle, Sanctuary

This Life of Fortune

July 29, 2022 by Diana

Two fundraising updates and a story about our bovine friends today.

First, yesterday alert blog readers took it upon themselves to start a group fundraiser for a much-desired, literally named “Big Ass Fan” evaporative cooler. Right now we have $895 pledged towards the $1,899 cost of the fan, with $1,004 left to raise. I myself have pledged $100 and have been having pleasant visions of receiving that cooler.

If you would like to participate, you can email me ([email protected]) and let me know your pledge amount. Donations towards the fan can be made online on our donation page (just specify in the gift note section it’s for the cooler), or you can mail a check to the sanctuary at PO Box 952, Cle Elum, WA 98922. You can donate now or pledge first and donate once I let you know that the total has been reached. Thank you all so much!!

Second, counting today, there are only three days left to take advantage of Early Bird pricing for the HOOT! gala! The gala is a pretty big deal in terms of fundraising but also in terms of connecting with supporters. We are hoping to see many familiar and new faces in-person in Seattle on September 16th!

For those not in this area or otherwise unable to attend the fundraising fête, you can still participate! We’ll be having an online auction open to anyone, and for those who buy a virtual VIP ticket for just $20, you will also receive a special invitation to an exclusive Zoom tour of the sanctuary to take place on Sunday, September 11th at 2pm.

A big shout-out goes to our sponsors of HOOT! 2022. Numerous individuals are now sponsors in addition to generous Gala Sponsor Concord Construction. What would we have done without them these last few years with all of the expansion!! We are so grateful to have worked and continue to work with them to expand the lives of the chimpanzees and beyond honored to have their sponsorship for the gala.

Also a big thanks to Happy Hour sponsor Martha Faulkner Real Estate. Martha was a very helpful board member for years and is an all-around animal lover, giving part of her commission to multiple animal groups through her business, hence her website: homes4petlovers.com.

If you are interesting in sponsoring as a business or an individual, you can do that directly here or if you’d like more information, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Third, it’s hot, ya’ll.

Today was my day to do “cattle care”. In the winter, that means giving our four bovine friends hay, mucking out the barn, and making sure there is an ample supply of water.

In the early summer they are able to free-feed in the pastures, helping us with fire control, so we don’t need (yet) to supplement their food. They aren’t spending as much time in the barn, so there’s less mucking to do, though we do try to pick up in areas where they congregate to keep the fly population under some control.

With the addition of the large pasture on the property above the original sanctuary property this year, you just never know where you are going to find the cows.

Today, I couldn’t find them at all.

They weren’t at the barn, where I stopped to make sure the water trough was full.

And they weren’t in the pasture by the pond, where I have been finding them on most Fridays since they’ve been given access over a month ago.

I followed their well-worn path down towards the spring, and found them doing exactly what they should be doing in 100+ degree weather, hanging out in the shade, ready to stare me down.

But wait, where was Betsy?

Seriously, where was Betsy? I called her name. No response. I called louder. Still nothing.

Despite my best efforts at self-mind-control, I can be prone towards thinking the worst and I was starting to get nervous. Betsy is not usually away from her herd.

I walked further down the path adjacent to the spring. Ahhhh. There she was.

In the patch of lush greenery at the edge of the spring.

She too was keeping cool right near the water.

On my way back across the property, I spied another mom laying low in some shade.

It makes me so happy that Betsy, Meredith, Honey, and Nutmeg can, like momma deer, follow their instincts and choose the smartest spot to be on the property.

They are no longer beholden to the humans making all decisions for them or viewing them as a means to their own ends. They are residents of this land. Not as unlikely as the chimpanzee residents across the way, but, like the chimps, while not free, definitely freer than many of their species who have been forced into a life of servitude.

By luck or by fate (if you believe in that kind of thing), we get to be a part of their lives.

Celebrate this gift with us by participating in HOOT!, online or in-person. We have a lot to celebrate!

Filed Under: Betsy, Chimpanzee, Construction, Farmed Animals, Fundraising, Honey (Cow), Meredith, Nutmeg, Sanctuary, Thanks Tagged With: captivity, cattle, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, cows, freedom, Fundraising, hoot, rescue, Sanctuary

Snippets

September 24, 2021 by J.B.

Here are a few moments that I captured on my phone throughout the past week.

People often ask if it’s difficult to care for chimpanzees without being able to touch them outside of the very limited contact we have through the mesh. Perhaps it’s a function of the institutional cultures in which we were trained, but it’s not something I really think about. Nor do I care much about it when it does cross my mind. They have their world, we have ours, and there are clearly-defined, logical rules for the areas where those two worlds meet for the sake of everyone’s safety. The way we interact with the chimps in our care becomes natural and comfortable for both them and us, and pushing those boundaries does nothing but put our own desires above their best interests.

That being said, there’s not a person on earth that’s seen Mave in action and not wanted to be enveloped in her soft, fuzzy embrace.

So sue me.

Filed Under: Cattle, Dora, Honey B, Introductions, Jamie, Lucky, Mave, Rayne Tagged With: caregiver, cattle, chimpanzee, cows, diana, dora, Honey B, introductions, intros, Jamie, Lucky, Mave, northwest, Play, Rayne, rescue, Sanctuary

The 3rd Annual Running of the Cows (and One Steer)

May 7, 2021 by J.B.

I hope you experience the same vicarious joy that I do when watching the cows race to their spring pastures each year.

Filed Under: Cattle, Farmed Animals, Latest Videos, Sanctuary Tagged With: cattle, chimpanzee, cows, grass, northwest, pasture, rescue, Sanctuary

Up-Close – Really Up-Close – Chewing

May 1, 2021 by Diana

Who is your favorite chewer from the video? And why is it that non-humans animals chewing is charming, but hearing the same from our own species drives some of us up the wall?

Filed Under: Cattle, Farmed Animals, Food, Honey B, Latest Videos, Sanctuary, Willy B Tagged With: animal protection, Animal Welfare, chew, chewing, chimp rescue, chimpanzee rescue, chimpanzee retirement, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, cows, primate rescue, rescue

50 Shades of Hay

April 26, 2021 by Anthony

A friend of me recently told me that they find observing cattle to be emotionally grounding. For sure, a serenely grazing cow radiates peace.

It’s difficult to tell when cattle are truly happy since they express their emotions in a way that seems alien to most humans. Still, there is a notable contrast between a calm bovine and an excited or anxious one. We who work with these creatures learn to differentiate between these various behavioral states and use this wisdom to safely provide optimal care.

In a more spiritual sense, I also love to watch the Moo Crew peacefully munch on a bale of grass hay, browse through the willows along the creek, or mow down an overgrown pasture like a band of professional landscapers. They bring me joy.

Today, we’re sharing the Jerseys and their zen-like bliss with you all. Please feel free to hop in your Gator, grab a bale of your own, and join in.

Filed Under: Cattle, Food, Sanctuary Tagged With: animal rescue, animal rights, animal sanctuary, Animal Welfare, cattle, chimp, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, chimpanzees, Cle Elum, cow sanctuary, cows, Enrichment, jersey cattle, jersey cows, northwest, Sanctuary

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PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
[email protected]
509-699-0728
501c3 registered charity
EIN: 68-0552915

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