Volunteer caregiver Becca brought out the mister today, and it was a hit (though Jody wasn’t sure at first).
csnw
Dining al fresco
It was so beautiful today I almost hyperventilated. That said, it was by far the hottest day we’ve had this year with a sudden temperature rise to the upper 80’s so the chimps and the humans are still adjusting and taking things slow and easy. Well, the chimps are anyway!
Keri and I thought it would be a great day for a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. The chimps have continued to enjoy the current local bounty of lilacs so we’ve been adding those to forages as well. (Foxie has decided this year that she LOVES them!! She wants absolutely nothing to do with the leave or stems, but happily munches the flowers).
At first everyone was a little reluctant to run out into the sun, but once they realized lunch al fresco was awaiting them, they all ran out together. Burrito, Foxie (that foot!) and Annie:
Annie foraging bipedally and Negra in the foreground:
Negra:
Foxie (with Dora in her mouth):
Burrito:
Jody:
Missy:
Jamie:
Sometimes life is astoundingly beautiful.
Feeling Silly
One of the worst parts of this job is having to watch the chimps be so dang happy all the time.
Missy making choices
Last night, Dr. Steve Ross from Lincoln Park Zoo spoke at nearby Central Washington University. He was invited by the Primate Awareness Network, which is a CWU student organization affiliated with the Primate Behavior and Ecology (PBE) program.
This is a really unique program, so I’m going to take a moment to give it some advertising. It’s the only program that I’m aware of in the country that offers an undergraduate degree in Primate Behavior. A master’s degree is also offered, and now there’s yet a third option for those who are seeking formal education in primate care – a certificate program that provides students with all skills and experiences listed by the International Primatological Society for Animal Technician, and some skills and experiences listed for Senior Animal Technician.
All of the staff who work at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest have been trained at some level at CWU. J.B. and I met there when we were enrolled in the graduate level program many, many years ago when there were still chimpanzees on campus (the last of the group of five chimpanzees who were part of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at CWU, Tatu and Loulis, now live with other chimpanzees at the Fauna Foundation, Canada’s only chimpanzee sanctuary).
Our sanctuary now works closely with the PBE program, offering intern credit for students who volunteer at the sanctuary. This gives students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience caring for primates while learning about their behavior. J.B. is an adjunct professor within the anthropology department and teaches a course on primate care.
Dr. Ross’s talk last night was about applied animal welfare, in other words, using behavioral research and data collection to gain information about primates that can be directly used to inform captive management decisions to improve individual welfare.
Dr. Ross stressed the importance of recognizing individual differences and letting the individuals tell you what they need and want based on their behavior.
And that brings me to my very informal observation of one of the individuals at CSNW today: Missy
As Jamie and Burrito were leading me on a walk around the 2-acre hill enclosure (me on the outside of the electric fence, of course), and Negra was taking a nap in the very warm greenhouse, Missy was out and about on her own mission to find and eat wild plants. She traversed across the hill, stopping occasionally to sample a bit of greenery.
It might be said that Missy has a bit more “wild and free” in her than some of the other chimpanzees. She is comfortable exploring on her own within the landscape of her little piece of nature, while some of the other chimpanzees seem to prefer to the company of others, or, like Negra, choose to venture out only when they are motivated to find a very particular plant during a very particular season.
Choice. This, above all else, is what increases primate welfare the most. When you think about it, much of what we share on the blog are the choices that the chimpanzees are freely making on a daily basis.
Fine Dining
There’s nothing quite like savoring a raw onion on a spring afternoon with the birds chirping in the background.
Hoot!
It’s finally here! Our biggest fundraiser of the year, our annual Hoot! Gala and Spring Fling celebration! And while the humans are on their way to one of the most unique and exciting parties in the city, they aren’t the only people partying. The chimps are having their own celebration with a dinner of field roast and roasted sweet potato on a bed of lettuce and cabbage, sparkling cider, and a huge forage with sweet onions, corn on the cob, and fresh coconuts:
On this one day of the year, we have to get the chimps settled in earlier than usual so that staff working in the chimp house have time to get spiffed up and head to the gala. Routine and the comfort and security of knowing what to expect are important to the chimps and we don’t want to veer from that more than necessary or have them getting bored with a little more time on their hands, so a sure fire way to keep everyone active, happy and engaged is to set out an exciting forage cut into teeny, tiny pieces.
Annie sitting in a field of forage:
Burrito was beside himself, as usual when there’s food involved (that’s Jody behind him):
Jamie likes to drag a table around with her during forages for easier collection:
She decided to eat the field roast first and save the rest for later:
While Jamie was occupied elsewhere, Burrito bravely decided to steal her leftover dinner “boats.” I braced myself for Jamie to scream at the top of her lungs (her tactic when someone is touching – or even thinking about touching – something she doesn’t want them to), but she must have decided she found something else worth her attention and Burrito scooped them up without issue and food squeaked to celebrate:
Annie mid food grunt (you can just make out Negra’s ear as she sits in the sunny window below Annie enjoying her dinner with a view):
Jody, ever the adventurous foodie, was collecting corn cobs:
Foxie and Missy were ladies of the loft for this one and out of sight of the camera.
Anna, myself and volunteer, Helen, put the chimps’ dinner out a couple hours ago and Jamie is still foraging!
The chimps are completely silent as I write this so I just went to check on everyone. And who did I find, but this guy, fighting off a food coma in the last sun puddle of the day:
Somehow he mustered enough energy to still be an adorable goof:
But it was so hard:
There are some crazy amazing items of this guy (and more!) up for auction tonight. To all of you who have helped sponsor this amazing celebration, volunteers who have helped plan this party of all parties, to all those working to make it special for our guests, those who are attending the gala and making it so much fun, those who will be raising your paddles high or who have been pre-bidding online, and those of you cheering us on from home, there aren’t enough words of thanks to each of you for making everything that you do, possible. You make this sanctuary for these seven amazing chimpanzees a home. A home filled with love, comfort, joy, adventure and healing. And we hope a home for others, who are awaiting their day in their own sun puddles.
Hoots of love and gratitude from all of us to all of you! Have a fantastic evening and check in tomorrow for our celebration of Jody’s birthday and Mother’s Day! Yep, that’s how we roll in the chimp house…party, after party. Hopefully, Burrito is revived by then…
Trying Something New
Almost six years after Young’s Hill opened, there are still parts of the two-acre outdoor habitat that Negra hasn’t explored. She seems to feel safer and more comfortable with a roof over her head. When she does go outside, she tends to stick close to the building in case she gets spooked and needs to run back inside quickly.
You can imagine our surprise and joy this afternoon as we watched Negra venture clear up to the top of Young’s Hill and plant herself calmly on a mound of wild greens. She had never been on this part of the hill before but she didn’t seem to be worried about that. The whole sanctuary held its breath as we stopped and watched in awe. She looked so small up there.
After awhile she crossed a log bridge and continued her exploration.
She stopped in to sample the grass growing under Twister.
You can just see Negra under the structure on the left, with Foxie on the right.
Eventually it was time to make her way back down the hill, but she was in no hurry.
