Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Words and Pictures

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think, perhaps, that depends on the picture. I am still learning to use the cameras to capture the chimpanzees’ lives in sanctuary. Generally, I prefer to use words to express myself especially as quite a few of my pictures turn out to be worth quite a lot less! However, I have been practicing and these two recent photos capture the dignity and serenity of the chimpanzees who are the focus of each. Even though the weather is turning, the mornings are chilly, and the wind hints at snow, the chimpanzees enjoy the opportunities of Young’s Hill to the fullest each day.

Missy keeping watch from one of the climbing structures on Young’s Hill:
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Jody pausing to look back over her shoulder during her explorations of Young’s Hill:
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“Fake Neggie”

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All of the chimps have nick-names that have caught on over the years and almost all of the caregivers use with them. Annie is “Annie Bo-Bannie,” Burrito is just “Mr. B,” Foxie is “Foxie Fox!” Jody is “Jo-Jo,” Jamie is “James,” Missy is “Miss” and Negra is “Neggie.”

Missy has a tendency to sometimes lie in the “Neggie spot” which is in front of the catwalk window, where Negra likes to sit and gaze out onto the valley below. Sometimes Missy even covers herself in a blanket, in perfect Negra style. When we go to say hi to the chimps, sometimes Missy trips us up and we mistake her for Negra at first, because of her perfect impersonation. This is what we call “Fake Neggie.”

Today, Fake Neggie was in the greenhouse on the top platform, soaking in the sun…

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and Real Neggie was in her spot on the catwalk in the playroom.

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Can I get a witness?

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If you are familiar with Jane Goodall then you might also be familiar with the idea that chimpanzees use tools. In fact, you may remember that just last month J.B. posted an excellent blog about this subject. (If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you should!) This tool use, exhibited by chimpanzees across Africa, is a skill acquired by social learning. Social learning, in simple terms, refers to the idea that we can learn by observing the example of someone else and applying this model to our own behavior. There have been many studies done with varying results that indicate that chimpanzees are competent social learners. This morning I snapped a series of photos of the observation stage between Burrito and Jamie on the treat mound. I’m excited to see Burrito put his knowledge into action although sometimes social pressure can influence decisions too and, today, neither Burrito nor I appeared to think that Jamie was interested in sharing!

Jamie using bamboo stalks to fish for applesauce in the treat mound while Burrito looks on:
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and on:
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and on:
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and on:
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Until giving up and moving on:
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All Agog

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You might notice by now that I often share blog posts about the things I have learned from my chimpanzee friends. It is my personal belief that a good caregiver is someone who, among other things, pays enough attention to the needs, wants, and moods of the individuals in their care to be able to provide the stability and flexibility that, I think, are so important to healthy and lasting relationships. It’s one of the things I value so much about the care-giving philosophy of CSNW as it allows the chimpanzees the opportunity to thrive and flourish even as living in sanctuary changes who they are and how they interact with the world. As an added benefit to this, I end up learning valuable lessons almost daily that I can (and try) to apply to the rest of my life. Today is no exception. Today I experienced the joy of allowing your companions to surprise you with their behavior rather than merely seeing what you have always expected to see. It’s awesome, and, for me, always a treat to be able to leave expectations behind. I love when the chimpanzee friends I have come to know surprise me with an unexpected request or an interaction like those I have included below and am grateful beyond measure for every chance I have to experience this.

I entered the chimp house in good spirits this morning to find Jamie in a similar state. Rather than the not unusual morning crankiness Jamie and I enjoyed a rowdy game of cowboy boot chase throughout the greenhouse, front rooms, and the playroom as a morning greeting. After chase, Jody approached me in the front rooms. She sat and looked directly up at the lights (which I had forgotten to turn on, being otherwise engaged in chase) and then looked directly at me. I looked up to see that the lights were dark and laughed saying, “I’m sorry, Jody, did you want me to turn those on for you?” When I returned from that task I found Jody sitting up on a bench delightedly inspecting the lights. Later, as I gave the chimpanzees access to Young’s Hill, I thought about how dismal the day seemed, threatening rain, windy and chilly and, to my mind, more than appropriate for the first day of autumn. To my surprise, all seven of the chimpanzees headed straight out on Young’s Hill taking advantage of the cool weather to enjoy a morning stroll!

Unfortunately, I was unable to capture these moments on film this morning but I’ve found a few pictures that I think best illustrate the feel of the morning to share with you.

Jamie wearing a boot in the playroom:
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Annie and Burrito on Young’s Hill:
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Jody looking as delighted in this picture as she did with the lights this morning:
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Young’s Hill party forage

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I mentioned earlier on the blog that today is the second anniversary of the opening of Young’s Hill. Watch the video of their first day out here and check out the previous post for some photos of the chimps on that very emotional and moving day!

Today we wanted to celebrate the anniversary in the best way we know how for chimps—a big food forage! The chimps usually are served their meals (so we know that everyone is getting appropriate portions) but a few times a week we do put out a forage for them to do what chimps would do in the wild. In order to scatter the food around and make the forages last for awhile, we usually cut up the food into small chunks so it takes some time for them to find everything.

This time, we not only included a fruit salad of some chopped peaches, raspberries, and grapes, as well as baby carrots and green onions—but we also included WHOLE apples and tomatoes. The chimps were so excited as we headed out to spread the food around! Mixing things up like that keeps the chimps super enriched and happy.

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Everyone really loved all the whole apples and tomatoes! Jody was the first to get a hand (and mouth) full!

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Jamie collected at least four apples:

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Annie:

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Burrito searching for goodies:

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And then taking a quick rest:

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Foxie:

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Missy:

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Thank you so much to everyone who helped with Young’s Hill, and to everyone who has helped the Cle Elum Seven along this amazing and considerable journey!

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Jamie helps flush the drain

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Jamie is always trying to help us get our jobs done the right way. Sometimes she helps scrub the mesh fencing for us, other times she wipes the floor down. She monitors us while we clean, almost as if she is there to make sure we are doing it right!

Yesterday I caught her doing something new: holding down one of the water spigots. I’m not really sure why she was doing it, but it went on for quite awhile! Jamie wasn’t being very environmentally friendly… but she was helping us flush the drain.

Virtual tour of the chimp house

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All the time we refer to different places in the chimp house on the blog—you’ve probably seen us write about the front rooms, the playroom, the greenhouse, and of course Young’s Hill. I can imagine that it might not make a lot of sense for the majority of our blog readers who have never seen the inside of the sanctuary!

So with this in mind I put together a virtual tour. I am a very visual person, so this sort of thing would help me out a lot and I’m hoping it helps you all too! For an idea of how the normal day goes, read this blog about the daily routine.

I also thought to include a map of the chimp house. You’ll notice a lot of letters and numbers between the rooms—these are the different chimp doors. Since we never enter the enclosures at the same time as the chimpanzees, we have another person check the doors before we unlock for cleaning. It’s nice to have a label for each door when we report our checks to the staff caregiver who is unlocking.

map of chimp area