Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

csnw

The Importance of Foraging

by

With all apologies to our east coast friends, the weather here is gorgeous! Perfect for a lunch forage on the hill today.

Volunteer Lynn decided to fancy things up by making sweet potato stuffed bell peppers, which she, Patti, and Amanda spread on the hill, along with beets and chow for the chimpanzees to find.

Before I forget – today is the last day to purchase Jody label wine from Northwest Cellars, so you should get on that now.

After making your wine purchase, enjoy the photo series below: portraits with mouths full

Though this is a fairly lighthearted photo series, foraging is serious business for chimpanzees. It’s their main job in the wild, making it pretty hard-wired, so searching for food is mentally stimulating and very enjoyable to chimpanzees in captivity.

There was one recent behavioral research study of chimpanzees in the wild that showed chimpanzees use long-term memory (as opposed to merely visual or olfactory cues) to find trees with the largest amount of fruit across fruiting seasons.

I posted a couple of additional photos from today’s forage on Jody’s and Burrito’s respective Facebook pages that illustrate how the Cle Elum Seven also use their long-term memory to check for the spots on the hill where they have previously found food. We humans are a predictable species and the chimps probably have us completely figured out.

In any case, here are a few photos of some of the chimpanzees enjoying the “fruits” of their foraging labor:

Missy:

Missy eating sweet potato

 

Jamie:

Jamie eating sweet potato

 

Jody:

Jody eat while walking

Jody eat while standing

 

I bet you can guess who:

Foxie with troll doll in mouth

Play, play, play

by

Annie and Missy are quite well-known for their excited games of chase and wrestling throughout the chimp house. Negra, however, isn’t always the most likely play partner—and when she does play, she’s got her own speed (kinda slow). This time Negra was keeping up with the experts!

This video is a little longer than some of our others but I thought you wouldn’t want to miss a second of this fun play session. Thanks again to Patty W. for sponsoring today for us and for being Negra’s Pal!

)

Today is for all the primates of CSNW!

by

Today was sponsored by Patty Wilkerson, in honor of the chimpanzees and the staff of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest! Patty wants the chimpanzees to have a party but she threw in the condition that the humans must have a party right alongside them! So we are all going to enjoy simultaneous lunch forages today!

Patty is a wonderful, long-time volunteer and friend of ours who comes all the way up from California to help out in the chimp house. As if that weren’t enough, she is always thinking of all of us here and how she can make our lives better. I think I speak for all of us when I say we (the humans) always want everything to be for the chimpanzees. But we are all so touched by your kind gift and thoughts, Patty, thank you so much!! All the primates here at CSNW are so lucky to have you!

Patty’s Pal, Negra, knows how to enjoy herself:

Negra looking at camera with night bag

Satisfaction

by

There is a look I am privileged to see on the faces of the chimpanzees living in sanctuary here and it is a look that gives me chills every time I see it. It is the look of satisfaction, which, to me, is even better than joy. Merriam Webster defines the word as follows:

sat·is·fac·tion \?sa-t?s-?fak-sh?n\

: a happy or pleased feeling because of something that you did or something that happened to you

: the act of providing what is needed or desired; the act of satisfying a need or desire

: a result that deals with a problem or complaint in an acceptable way

I can’t think of a more fitting description of the act of sanctuary. Knowing that we have provided the satisfaction of freedom of choice whether large or small is an incomparable gift. It can be an elusive look to try to capture on film though. Can you see it?

Jamie:
web_Jamie_close_up_profile_brush_hair_GH_ek_IMG_9374

Negra:
web_Negra_mardi_gras_forage_profile_sit_in_sun_look_toward_tire_chow_in_hand_GH_ls_IMG_9406

Burrito:
web_Burrito_close_up_profile_chow_in_mouth_GH_ls_IMG_9418

Missy:

web_Missy_sit_near_doorY_look_toward_YH_from_GH_ls_IMG_9580

Foxie:
web_Foxie_close_up_profile_GH_ls_IMG_9572

Jody:
web_Jody_lie_down_selfgroom_look_toward_camera_stairs_PR_ls_IMG_8898

Annie:
web_Annie_mardi_gras_forage_close_up_eat_grapefruit_look_down_GH_ls_IMG_9446

Making Sanctuary Possible

by

Here is a great photo of Jody that J.B. took:

Jody climbing

This is the Jody who spent decades in research laboratories and was used as a breeding machine, having at least eleven pregnancies beginning when she was eight years old. This is the Jody who lived in cramped quarters in a dirty basement in Pennsylvania, waiting for her sanctuary home along with Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Missy, and Negra.

Jody had an adventurous day yesterday in the spring air and spent a lot of time today nesting and grooming her friends.

Sanctuary is so important. For Jody it might mean being able to climb once in a while and having piles of blankets to move from one area to another. Getting to know the chimpanzees and catering to their individual personalities is what Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is all about.

But in order to do that truly effectively, there’s all this other work that has to happen. The Share the Chimp Love video that we made last month shows what it takes to directly care for the chimpanzees, but it didn’t show the hours answering emails, preparing for fundraising events, construction projects, budgeting, ensuring our non-profit status and various business licenses are in order, or strategic planning for the future.

Just like the direct care of the chimpanzees, this other work is essential to their well being, and we are extremely lucky to have so many people who volunteer their time, ideas, supplies, and support in order to keep the behind-the-scenes operations running smoothly.

Recently we had two volunteers who have added a tremendous value to our operations – both of them named Sharon! Sharon Burke has helped us immensely by serving on our Finance Committee and advising us on financial tracking, reporting, and procedures. Sharon Clinton, just a week after retiring, took several days and magically transformed our filing system. I am not exaggerating when I say that our files are now a thing of beauty to behold.

Just like the generator, made possible by the NAVS Sanctuary Fund and Karen and Don Young, I never imagined myself getting excited about a filing system or financial coding, but I really am now enthusiastic about these things. I understand that they are incredibly valuable to the chimpanzees and their future. And I’m so grateful for the Sharons of the world who not only contribute to the chimps’ lives financially, but also volunteer their invaluable skills to make Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest a better organization.

Jody is counting on us to take care of her in every aspect for the rest of her life, and I know that her large community of supporters means that she in very good hands.

Mardi Gras Party

by

In the tradition of Fat Tuesday we threw a Mardi Gras party for the chimpanzees today. However, I’m quite certain their spread was much healthier than tradition might generally dictate with apples, grapefruit, and fruit smoothies on the menu. We were even lucky enough to experience a break in the winter weather to accommodate the festivities in a sunny greenhouse this morning! I believe the chimpanzees found the conditions much improved from the past couple of days and were thoroughly excited to forage in a delightfully warm greenhouse for their breakfast.

Jody munching on an apple slice:
web_Jody_mardi_gras_forage_look_toward_camera_GH_ek_IMG_9353

Negra foraging for fruit:
web_Negra_mardi_gras_forage_king_cake_GH_ek_IMG_9365

Missy enjoying some grapefruit:
web_Missy_mardi_gras_forage_close_up_eat_grapefruit_GH_ek_IMG_9383

Annie getting into the spirit of things with a colorful mouthful of crayons:
web_Annie_mardi_gras_forage_crayons_in_mouth_GH_ls_IMG_9442

Burrito foraging for chow, one of his favorites:
web_Burrito_mardi_gras_forage_on_platform_walk_toward_camera_GH_ls_IMG_9459

And, enjoying it!
web_Burrito_mardi_gras_forage_chow_in_hand_GH_ek_IMG_9369

Foxie, also enjoying a chow moment:
web_Foxie_mardi_gras_forage_chow_in_mouth_cling_on_cage_GH_ls_IMG_9407

Jamie thoroughly enjoyed her breakfast as well but was on the watch for the camera today. Here she is in her greenhouse hideout, checking to see if the coast is clear yet:
web_Jamie_mardi_gras_forage_peek_over_cargonet_GH_ls_IMG_9428

And, here is a little peek into Burrito’s good mood this morning: