Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Take Action Tuesday: Stop Casey from continuing to house chimps

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Last week in Las Vegas, Clark County held a hearing about whether Mike Casey should be granted a permit to continue to house his exotic animals in an RV in his backyard. Casey is the person responsible for breeding and selling Travis, the chimpanzee who mauled Charla Nash in Connecticut in 2009.

Chimpanzees, as we know, should be with their mothers when they are young. Though no chimpanzee should have to live in captivity, since they can’t be returned to the wild they should live in a sanctuary where their social, psychological, and physical needs can be met. And, of course, no chimpanzee should ever be forced to perform. Casey has bred chimpanzees like Travis who have become pets or used by the entertainment industry.

Casey has a record of abuse. He has reportedly beaten his chimps with his fists, thrown hot water on them, and hit them with a rod.

Angel showing a fear grimace (a facial expression in chimpanzees that indicates fear or abuse). Angel was in a training facility and was leased out for entertainment---not unlike the lives of the chimps bred by Mike Casey.
Angel, pictured here, was at a training facility for chimps leased out for entertainment purposes—TV ads, shows, kids’ parties. (Not unlike the lives of chimps bred by Mike Casey). Here she is showing a fear grimace, simply at the sight of the camera. This facial expression for chimpanzees indicates fear or abuse. After serving several years as an “actor,” Angel was luckily rescued by the Center for Great Apes.

Chimpanzees are wild animals, and they can and will bite. It is within their nature to be violently aggressive, even toward their closest friends. As we know in the case of Travis, humans are simply not built to take the aggression that chimps can inflict on others. Housing chimpanzees so close to human homes is dangerous.

Despite these issues, Casey made his case to the Enterprise Town Advisory Board, and the permit request is moving forward to the County Commission on November 21st. Act now and suggest that the county deny his request. Ask that the chimpanzees be sent to a reputable sanctuary where they belong. You can use the sample letter below or write one of your own. Send it to County Commission District G at [email protected] and encourage your friends to write, also!

Sample letter to Clark County Commissioners:

I am greatly concerned about James “Mike” Casey’s permit application to house chimpanzees on his property. This is a danger to the nearby residents. Chimpanzees have been known to escape and attack humans, causing severe injuries. One infamous case is of Travis, one of the chimpanzees Casey bred, who was shot after he attacked his neighbor and nearly ripped her face off.

In addition to public safety concerns, the welfare of these individual chimpanzees is also at stake. Casey has a history of animal abuse. The chimpanzees are housed in small, reportedly unsanitary conditions. They should be where their physical, psychological, and social needs can be met. A reputable sanctuary would dedicate resources to ensuring quality lifetime care for these chimpanzees. It is what they deserve.

I hope the Commission will choose to make the compassionate and safe decision to deny the permit to keep these chimpanzees in a residential neighborhood. Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

**If you send an email, please don’t forget to BCC [email protected] for tracking purposes**

Mr. Shy Guy

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Earlier, Burrito was sitting at the door to Young’s Hill and appeared to be thinking about going out there but couldn’t seem to make up his mind. He and I started playing a little game of chase and tickle, but after a little while he walked into the greenhouse and sat next to Foxie. Foxie was laying on her back holding a string of troll dolls above her head. She waved them around a little bit and started playfully spinning on her back. Burrito was still quietly sitting beside her, pretending not to notice. Burrito is very shy and sometimes seems to not want you to know that he wants to hang out when I think he really does. Occasionally, he’ll approach someone (caregivers usually) and seemingly pretend to be doing something else like foraging for food, when in reality, I think he just wants to get a little closer so you will initiate a game of tickle or chase. Foxie must have been completely aware of what Burrito was doing, because she all of the sudden popped up and started poking and tickling Burrito. Pretty soon, they were wrestling and laughing uncontrollably.

Burrito is on the right, Foxie is on the left, poking Burrito’s side

He tried to steal Foxie’s string of troll dolls

but that didn’t last long

Look close at this next photo- Burrito is pinching Foxie’s ear.

Food and Friends

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Today was overcast but surprisingly warm. The chimps spent most of the morning on the hill. Missy was so happy!

missy playface log stump

 

I was watching Foxie and noticed that she did not have a troll doll with her. I thought, “that’s weird.” Then, I scanned the landscape and noticed that Jamie had a troll doll in her hand…

jamie with troll doll

 

Less than a minute later, Jamie had climbed down from the structure.

Jamie walking with troll doll in mouth

Foxie approached her, pant-grunting (a submissive behavior). Jamie immediately handed Foxie the troll doll.

troll exchange

 

Then, Foxie turned and Jamie followed her up the hill.

Jamie follow Foxie post troll exchange

This was the second troll doll exchange we’ve photographed in the last week (see Elizabeth’s post of the first exchange). Pretty fascinating!

 

For lunch, we decided spread out a forage of tomatoes, small peppers, Brussels sprouts on their stalks, lettuce and chow  all over the two-acres. Foraging for food is serious business, and it’s what free-living chimps spent a lot of their time doing in the forests.

It’s awesome to see a whole group together doing what comes naturally, like in this photo below of Burrito (bottom right), Foxie (carrying the green-haired troll on her back), Jody (to the left of Foxie), Annie (bipedal) and Missy (on the structure). In case you’re wondering, caregivers do get very good at identifying chimps from behind – each backside is unique too, after all.

troop of chimps on young's hill

 

Jamie was off on her own collecting Brussels sprouts and peppers.

bipedal Jamie

 

We scattered the food everywhere, including the top of the structures. Missy doesn’t need much motivation to climb.

missy climbing pole

 

Burrito’s motivation seemed to be to join Foxie

bipedal burrito

Burrito climbing

foxie burrito jody missy

 

Once he was up there, he took in the view. The black and orange in the background is the hill that burned during the Taylor Bridge Fire in August.

burrtio end of plank

burrito end of plank 2

 

 

Confidence

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Negra did a little bit more exploring of Young’s Hill this morning. She ventured out very confidently right when I opened the door and walked out to the nearest log structure. She sat down and seemed pretty comfortable to me, especially since I have only seen her in this spot a couple of times- the first only being last week.

After a little bit, she seemed to lose some of her confidence though and was looking for a little bit of reassurance from her friends.

And Jamie was happy to oblige

The reassurance from Jamie seemed to inspire Negra to be a little more adventurous and she went further than I’ve seen her go on the hill. She seemed very proud of herself.

Foxie mid-yawn

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I guess yesterday’s Jamie-ween party was just so exhausting, Foxie couldn’t help but take a big yawn. Here she is holding the Dora doll donated by Bailey as mentioned in yesterday’s blog.

Happy Jamie-ween!

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It is no accident that the boss’s birthday is our biggest party of the year! Jamie’s (honorary) 35th birthday party has been pretty epic! In addition to caregivers being decked out in goofy Halloween get-ups, we had tons of mini pumpkins, pomegranates (a favorite), pinatas, several new pairs of boots from friends (1 from Linda Gere, 1 from Dick and Robbi Brown, and 1 from Tamela Burgess), and a giant pumpkin carved by the super artistic volunteer Stephanie.

It may have been the boss’s day, but that doesn’t mean she’s the only one that gets presents! Foxie’s new friend Bailey Ford sent her a brand new Dora the Explorer doll, which she wrapped in a cute box covered in stickers. Jamie opened it first:

but everyone knew it was for Foxie! She quickly took her Dora out to the hill for some exploring:

Stephanie is amazing at finding pinatas and decorations, and given that it’s her (and my) favorite holiday, Jamie-ween is always over the top!

Annie with the skull pinata:

and Jamie’s birthday decor would not be complete without a boot pinata!

Juice seems to be an all-time favorite party treat around here. Burrito was a squeaking machine!

Jamie with one of her new pairs of boots

For some reason Missy didn’t end up in a lot of our photos, but we did manage to get this one close up of her munching on a pomegranate.

We put out several mini pumpkins on Young’s Hill. They were filled with a mixture of pears and blackberries. Negra was the first to rush out the door when I opened it this morning. She was so excited about the mini pumpkins!

She would grab as many as she could in her hands and mouth and carry them inside to enjoy in the greenhouse. But as soon as she was done, she was back out for more! This went on all morning long (even hours later). She may not spend a lot of time on the hill, but I think it’s safe to say that she is feeling more and more comfortable, especially with the right kind of motivator!

Jody enjoyed them too

Once their palates were set on pumpkins, there was no stopping Jody and Negra from diving into the big one! Jody munched on it for a while but once Negra was finished collecting mini pumpkins from the hill, she happily took over.

The large pumpkin has been passed around to everyone today, though. Burrito had his head in it earlier and then shared a little with Annie. I think we all know who is going to be sleeping good tonight!

Thanks so much to Robbi, Dick, Tamela, Linda, Bailey, Wanda and Stephanie for making today such an awesome celebration! Here’s to the boss!

Take Action Tuesday: Washoe and captive chimps

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Today marks five years since Washoe, the first nonhuman to use a human language, passed away in Ellensburg (just 25 minutes from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest where the Cle Elum Seven live). Like Negra, Annie, and possibly Jody, Washoe was captured from Africa. She was supposed to be used in the space program, but when that didn’t work out, she was instead the center of a language project. Now we know that captivity is never a good place for chimpanzees. When Washoe became too strong to handle, she had to live in a cage for the rest of her years. Sadly, that is the fate of any captive chimpanzee—those living as pets or used in entertainment will eventually have to be imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit because they simply are not meant to live in a human world. Biomedical chimpanzees are already in cages, some no bigger than a coat closet.

I first started working with Washoe and her family in 2005 as a college student. She taught me humility and to take everyone on their own terms, and she blurred the line between animals and humans. The way I see the world and my place in it has definitely changed forever—it was because of her that I realized how amazing these beings are and became a chimpanzee advocate. I met the Cle Elum Seven shortly after they came to CSNW in 2008, and was moved at how resilient and forgiving they were after everything they’ve been through. Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra have been an inspiration. They have been through so much, yet they still find time to laugh and play. They can finally walk outside with sun overhead and grass under their feet—something we definitely take for granted. I can’t imagine living my entire life inside bars and I am so proud of the Cle Elum Seven for how brave they have become in the last four years. I know it is our duty to give them and all other captive chimps a good life. We took them from their natural and rightful environment from the forests of Africa, stuck them in cages, bred them, and exploited them for a cheap laugh or invasive research, all without regard to how they are just like you or me. They are beings who deserve to be taken on their terms, treated as equals—not forced to perform on TV or be injected with viruses because of humans believing they are superior.

Let’s speak up for captive chimps. Let’s release them from biomedical research. Let’s get companies and productions to stop using chimpanzees in their advertisements or movies. Since we can never return them to Africa, let’s at least give them a better life in a sanctuary where they can be taken on their terms, treated not as lesser beings but where their needs are of the utmost importance.

Help 100 chimpanzees get to a sanctuary by signing this petition—we need 1,250 more signatures to reach our goal of 5000! Write a letter to this TV show that teaches kids it’s OK to have a pet chimp. And don’t forget to join our Take Action: Eyes on Apes list to stay up-to-date on issues and action alerts!