csnw

The Meaning of Sanctuary

February 8, 2015 by Keri

Like many of you who read Diana’s blog yesterday, I was moved to tears thinking about all of the captive chimpanzees who have spent most or all of their lives in biomedical research and who have never known a life of sanctuary. Instead, their only perspective of life thus far is from behind metal bars, with no autonomy, no hope. And her post got me to thinking about what it means to provide sanctuary for Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra and what it possibly means to each one of them.

Webster’s dictionary defines sanctuary as “a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter” and “the protection that is provided by a safe place.” To me, that definition just doesn’t seem to convey the whole meaning of what I think the word sanctuary means.

I certainly agree that sanctuary means a “safe” place where someone is protected. But, I also think sanctuary means so much more than just that. To provide sanctuary also means to provide a place where each and every chimpanzee can feel the sun on their face and grass beneath their feet. It means providing opportunity for each of them to make choices on behalf of themselves, like whether or not to go outdoors or stay inside and nap or to play a game of chase or pass the troll with human caregivers. It also means providing a space in which there are no expectations of any of them other than for them to be themselves; essentially providing a place where they call the shots. And sanctuary means providing a home where they can feel hope, love and a place they consider their true home. This is what providing sanctuary means to me.

For Annie, sanctuary means being able to share the same space with her best friend Missy and fresh green grass.

Sanctuary for Burrito probably means access to fresh food!

Sanctuary for Foxie means she can finally care for her “babies”

For Jamie, sanctuary probably has a lot to do with walks around Young’s Hill and boots.

Sanctuary for Jody probably has something to do with foraging for plants on Young’s Hill.

For Missy, sanctuary means having the space to run, jump, swing, tight-rope walk and use every form of locomotion possible.

Peanuts, blankets and naps are what Negra seems to enjoy the most about sanctuary.

And finally, for me, sanctuary means that we humans are here for these chimpanzees, they are not here for us. I look forward to the day when all chimpanzees currently in captivity are retired to a true sanctuary.

What Hurts the Most

February 7, 2015 by Diana

I was going to just post three photos of three amazing chimpanzees today (see photos below) with short captions, but I have been thinking about this CNN article all day. When I was looking at the photos, I thought even more about it.

The article, titled, “Chimps still stuck in research labs despite promise of retirement” is about the pronouncement the NIH made in June 2013 that they were going to retire all but 50 of the chimpanzees they owned to sanctuary. So far? Six have been retired and, according to the article, 24 have died.

It’s that last fact that really gets to me. Twenty four chimpanzees, who (unbeknownst to them) were potentially granted freedom from biomedical testing, died before they could experience a sanctuary life.

As things are right now, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest could not take in retired NIH chimpanzees – Chimp Haven, a wonderful sanctuary in Louisiana, is the only sanctuary that has a contract with the government to retire NIH owned chimpanzees and therefore also the only sanctuary that receives federal funding.

But we know there are also over 400 chimpanzees who are privately “funded” by biomedical research institutions. They too deserve to know a life in a TRUE sanctuary, and they too are dying before they have that opportunity.

The NIH announcement a year and a half ago seemed to signal the beginning of the end of the use of chimpanzees in biomedical testing in the United States, but this means nothing to those individual chimpanzees who will spend the next however many days, months, or years waiting, only to die in a laboratory – never knowing there was an alternative life waiting for them.

I’m not going to pretend that I have the immediate solution to this problem. I know that many people are working on it, and it’s going to require a lot of trust, cooperation, and, especially, money. But, when I look into the eyes of the chimpanzees at CSNW who have known six and half years of a quality sanctuary life, it hurts to think of the chimpanzees out there waiting for the same chance.

We must maintain hope, however. And CSNW must work towards a future that includes retiring more chimpanzees at our sanctuary, whether from biomedical research or the pet and entertainment industries.

Their only hope lies with all of us.

Foxie

Jamie

Negra

This photo of Negra was in our last e-news communication about Share the Chimp Love)

The favorite spot

February 3, 2015 by Debbie

As I was walking around Young’s Hill with Jamie the other day, I was thinking about how she’s created a trail for herself (JB does mow the grass down during the summer, but there’s still a beaten path where Jamie walks several times a day) and it reminded me of when I visited the Louvre in Paris many years ago. One of the stairwells had worn down on one spot on each step because so many people walked that path every day. The favorite spot. I’m not really sure why I was thinking about that, but maybe because it’s just another way chimpanzees and humans are alike—we find a path we like taking, and stick with it.

The favorite spot phenomenon doesn’t just apply to pathways, but also places to rest or eat. Jamie has a few favorite spots, depending on the activity at hand. For her morning snack in the front rooms she likes to sit on her barrel in room 2, and she almost never strays from that spot for that activity. Foxie and Burrito both like to sit up on the lazy susans, and Negra will sit on a blanket just below.

Missy, Jody, and Annie all sort of move around during meals, but they do have favorite spots for resting. Annie and Missy like the catwalk by the bridge—it’s a popular spot for grooming. Negra has two favorite spots—her summer spot in front of one of the catwalk windows, and her winter spot in the middle of the loft. Jamie likes to rest in the corner of room 3 against the fencing, or near the playroom door. And Jody likes the bench in room 4—as we’ve dubbed it, “the portrait studio” because it has really great lighting. We have lots of photos of Jody lying down in this spot, both snacking on browse like cattails or bamboo, and taking a quick nap in a blanket nest.

Whatever it is that motivates us to find our favorite spots—they represent comfort and safety, which is something that is so valuable for ex-biomedical chimpanzees. This is their second chance at life, and what better way to spend their day than in the comfort of their own home.

Watch the video below to see more ways the chimpanzees find comfort in their sanctuary home, and please Share the Chimp Love!

Go Hawks!

February 1, 2015 by Keri

We’re always looking for a reason to celebrate and throw a party here at the sanctuary. What better reason for a party than to join fans in cheering on the Seattle Seahawks for Super Bowl XLIX today?

So, how exactly do we throw a Super Bowl Party for chimpanzees you may ask? Well, nothing says a party like green and blue streamers, blankets and toys. Throw in some Seahawks cups, plates, napkins, a football, 12th man socks, t-shirt and arm sleeves. And finally, to top it off (and quite possibly the best part if you ask Burrito) we set up a lunch forage in the Playroom, consisting mostly of green colored foods (lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers and potatoes) and blue drinks (watered down gatorade).

Here are photos from the set up:

Be sure to watch the video at the end of the blog to see who ended up drinking these!

And now, the chimpanzees enjoying the party.

Here’s Jamie

Missy

Missy and Jamie

Jody

Burrito (with Missy in the background)

Annie

Foxie during the party.

Foxie after the party. She may have partied a little too hard.

Negra

Who drank most of the drinks from the blue and green cups? Watch the video to find out….did you guess right?

GO HAWKS!

What to write after 2,701 posts?

January 31, 2015 by Diana

I just checked – as of this morning, we have published a total of 2,701 posts on this blog! When we started to write about the chimps, even before they arrived at the sanctuary, I wondered if we would run out of ideas at some point. Would the days become routine and after a few years, we’d be scrambling for something to share?

I laugh now at that thought. Today, I had no fewer then nine ideas for the blog, and I’m still not sure what to chose! Some are timely – our WA State Seahawks are playing in the Superbowl tomorrow, so it would be fun to share some photos of Seahawks parties, like this one of Burrito, who had the best Blue Friday with some streamers last year (video here).

and we’re going to launch a super fun Share the Chimp Love campaign in just a couple of days, and I just happened to get a photo of Negra with a “love” blanket, so I could share that photo, even though it’s not the best quality, and maybe tease that there’s special perks involved with this campaign, one of which involves Negra.

I also got some cute video of Annie and Missy playing on the catwalk earlier. I was thinking about learning how to make an animated gif file, or maybe use their play session for a vine video, but I’m running out of time – dinner is in less than half an hour.

I also thought about finding photos of the chimpanzees that have a particular “hopeful” look that I love so much and talking a bit about the State of the Sanctuary email/video we sent out to e-news subscribers a couple of days ago.

Then again, I was thinking I really wanted to do a post about Jody, because she doesn’t get quite as much attention as some of the other chimpanzees. And I just happened to get a few photos of her today.

The main reason we don’t post as much about Jody is she is more elusive. Jamie is always right there, and really the same with Foxie and Burrito – they are all so human (and/or food) oriented, that we just naturally interact with them more and therefore have move photos and videos.

Then there’s Negra, who doesn’t move around as much, has that amazing droopy lip, and is just darn photogenic. I almost forgot! that was another post idea – I have a few photos of Negra from last week that haven’t been posted yet (I think I’ll save them).

And let’s face it, Missy and Annie play so frequently, we could probably get video of them and their antics everyday.

But Jody is very independent. She does love meal time (and has an amazing “hopeful” look), but once the meal is over, she’s off doing her own thing. During the summers we sometimes “lose” her on the hill because she’ll just go off exploring alone. And she likes to be up high, making photos a bit more difficult.

She is so full of personality, just like all of the Cle Elum Seven, and I have a lot of admiration for her. She went through more than I could have endured during her time in biomedical research, but she is a survivor.

Today, after cleaning the playroom, Debbie and I thought that Jody might get to work right away taking apart the blanket forts that we put together, as she has in the past. Instead, she got some alfalfa cubes, laid down perfectly on the new bridge under one of the new playroom lights between two blankets hanging above her, and just relaxed.

So, I don’t know – what do you think I should post to the blog today?

Missy’s athletic prowess

January 27, 2015 by Debbie

Missy is a very athletic individual. She especially loves to run, and if she accompanies Jamie on a walk around the hill, she will usually pause for a minute and let Jamie get ahead—just so she can sprint to catch up. She often has a playface when running around Young’s Hill, so she clearly gets a lot of joy from it. I would imagine after decades in a lab it must feel so freeing.

In between sprints, Missy will take brief moments to look across the valley surrounding the sanctuary. Sometimes she likes to climb up to a high perch in order to take in the view. The other day I was able to get a photo of Missy on one of the high posts, but only for a minute before she scrambled down to the ground for some more running. It’s very impressive to watch her climb down one of these posts!

Annie and Jody Show Off Their Flexibility While Grooming

January 25, 2015 by Keri

Grooming is a important activity in chimpanzee societies. Not only is it useful to help chimpanzees keep themselves and other members of their group clean and free of dirt and debris, grooming also helps to build friendships and solidify bonds. The activity can also be used as a form of reconciliation after a conflict. Sometimes the chimps spend their time attending to themselves, as was the case with Jody and Annie in the following photos and video.

Annie and Jody displayed their flexibility and similar grooming techniques while sitting next to each other on one of the ledges in the Front Rooms.