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Terry, Terry, Big and Scary

February 9, 2026 by J.B.

If you’re Rayne or Lucky, you know that Terry’s a big softy. I mean, he cries every time Willy B makes a face at him! And everyone knows he’s not much of a fighter unless he has a whole crew backing him up. Lots of bark, very little bite.

But if you are Missy or Annie, he’s got to be one of the toughest guys ever. He’s so big and fuzzy! And those chest-beat displays—who does that? A gorilla, that’s who! Who is this guy?

That’s the magic of an electric fence. You can talk a big game and never have to back it up.

Sanctuaries often maintain multiple groups of chimps living within sight of one another. This runs counter to the natural territorial behavior of free-living chimpanzees but is often made necessary by practical considerations such as limited space and the economical advantages of shared infrastructure. Our friends at Fundació MONA in Spain looked at how having close neighbors affected the chimpanzees in their care and, as you might expect, there were some downsides. Increased vigilance and self-directed behaviors during some inter-group encounters were taken as evidence of stress. And while they didn’t find the contagious aggression seen in some other studies, in which conflict in one group makes conflict in another group more likely, we can anecdotally report that is does occur here from time to time.

But, as they noted, there are also a number of advantages to these arrangements. For chimps like Terry, they can offer a way to blow off some steam without stirring the pot within his own group—and if the girls across the way happen to be impressed, all the better. For chimps like Burrito, who is coming up on Season 18 of his own reality show, it can be enriching to have a new show with an entirely different cast to watch through the window. And when the chimps across the way are getting everyone riled up, there’s an opportunity for some affiliative interactions within the group. After all, nothing bonds an in-group like an out-group.

There are days when I think Terry would readily trade Willy B to another sanctuary and never have to see his group again. But what would he do without his legions of adoring fans to the other side, to whom he must certainly be The Greatest Chimpanzee That Ever Lived?

Snow Snacks in the Rain

January 12, 2026 by J.B.

It takes a lot to keep these Pacific Northwest chimps from enjoying the outdoors. Come with us on a short walk around the 4.5 acres of habitat and let’s see what the chimps are up to this afternoon!

P.S. For all you avid blog followers: Notice anything different?

Nowhere to Hide

November 11, 2024 by J.B.

There’s a drive-up window in Burrito’s playroom where he can order up play partners any time he wants. Even if no one is in the kitchen we’ll catch a glimpse of him on the security monitor, so he knows we won’t leave him waiting long. It certainly makes getting things done difficult at times but what could be more important that keeping Bubba entertained?

As I followed him out to the hill, I was happy to see Honey B and Terry hanging out together on the Bray—and even happier to catch Terry doing not one but two of his patented gorilla displays! He was really feeling his oats this afternoon. As he should, now that he is the (temporary) dominant male in his group.

Have you checked on our Comfort & Joy Online Auction lately? You can pick up some cool stuff for yourself or bid on items that we can give to the chimps and cows, like this cool Easy Swing Cow Brush!

Reintroductions

August 12, 2024 by J.B.

We’ve spent a lot of time on this blog discussing group formation, or introductions, so you probably know by now that they are at once the greatest and most terrifying activity you can take part in as a chimpanzee caregiver. While I wouldn’t put them in the same category, reintroductions can be a bit of a roller coaster, too. Reintros occur any time a group is reformed after a period apart. This is commonly due to medical isolation of one or more members but it can also occur if a group is moved to a new facility or if an institution practices fission-fusion management, wherein individuals are routinely moved between groups (I dislike the use of the term fission-fusion in the captive context but I don’t get to make the rules). Most reintroductions are fairly easy, as the group members have already worked out their relationships. But if a group is separated immediately after a bad conflict for the purpose of treating injuries, they may need to be reintroduced more carefully—even from scratch—lest they immediately pick up where they left off. Whether or not the participants had a chance to reconcile in those cases can make a big difference.

Regardless of the reason for separation, some chimps do not reintro quietly. Males, in particular, seem to fear that everyone forgot who they were while they were gone. REMEMBER ME? THAT’S RIGHT, I AM STILL LARGE AND MAKE LOUD SOUNDS! DO NOT MISTAKE MY ABSENCE FOR WEAKNESS, FOR I HAVE REMAINED STRONG THIS WHOLE TIME AND HAVE COME TO RECLAIM MY POSITION! I pick on the males, of course, but only because their behavior is so familiar. In reality, chimps do sometimes have good reason to fear that the social order changed while they were away and they are right to test the waters when they return.

Willy B has been separated from his group a number of times over the last two years so we felt confident letting him meet the whole group at once, but given his, uh, peculiarities, you can’t help but get a few butterflies as you watch him reestablish himself.

It’s nice to see how the group tolerates him, and even comforts him when he needs it, despite his frequent awkward jerkiness. Willy B remains a special project for CSNW, one that occupies a lot of our collective brain power and dominates the discussion at most every staff meeting. What to do about Willy B? While we’re still searching for the right answer, I’m glad that his group mates are able to extend a little sympathy now and again to a guy that could really use some.

Calm Before The Storm

August 29, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Hopefully by now you were able to read yesterday’s blog about Willy B’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine that happens in the afternoons. If not, you should go read it to get a little backstory of today’s blog.

Though this afternoon routine usually consists a chaotic scene of blurs zipping across the enclosures accompanied with ear splitting screams, the moments right before Willy B’s ruckus hour are filled with laughter. In today’s video, this is usually what is happening moments before Willy B decides to get a rise out of people. In fact, you can see him gearing for that specific time referenced in yesterday’s blog at the end of the video.

Here are some bonus photos from today!

The first morning patrol of the day!

Jamie

Burrito

Missy

Speaking of Missy, every so often she gives us some reminders that she is indeed Honey B’s mother.

Here she is thwarting my attempts to close off her playroom to clean.

As you can see, she has zero intent of moving

And lastly, some photos from a couple weeks ago that I forgot to use in the blog!

Burrito and his nighttime peanut butter magazine!

Give Them a Show

February 24, 2021 by Kelsi

We often see the seven put on a show for the three and vice versa the three do big displays towards the seven. Some can be to show off or impress each other, some are to warn or threaten, and others might be because things were getting a little chummy and they wanted a reaction from someone on the other side. In the winter, we have to close the chute off at night. We tend to shift the three up into the mezzanine in the morning. That way we can clean the front rooms and chute right away so we can let the three have access to their outside enclosure as soon as possible. For the seven, we try to shift them into the front rooms or green house so we can clean the playroom first. This is my long-winded way of explaining that once we have finished cleaning the phase 1 front rooms and the playroom it is the first time the three and seven have seen each other since the day before. The playroom gives a great view of the chute. So, when the seven are shifted into their freshly clean playroom we often hear the chimps yelling or displaying at each other. It’s short lived. However, Jamie occasionally shows off a bit for Willy B and she definitely had his attention! Willy B is always stealing glances at Jamie, I mean who wouldn’t!

After her big display, it was time to settle into a good book, or two, or three!