Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

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The VIP Lounge

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The chimpanzees spend more time resting and socializing in the heated indoor areas as the weather gets wetter and colder.

We’ve recently been focusing much of our content on the chimps’ outdoor enclosures, especially Young’s Hill and The Bray. Large outdoor habitats are irreplaceable because they provide chimpanzees with unique opportunities to engage in “natural” behaviors such as climbing, foraging, and patrolling as a group. The greenhouse-type enclosures, including the new Riverview and Oakwood Greenhouses, also have certain characteristics that the chimps can take full advantage of at their leisure.

Even so, chimpanzees living in sanctuary also need clean, climate-controlled, enriched indoor spaces. These are locations where they can be cozy, entertained and secure, regardless of the conditions outside. It would be easy to look at the artificial interiors and think that these enclosures are inferior to the outdoor ones, but the chimpanzees don’t seem to think so. Instead, the residents seem to utilize the various spaces differently so that together they provide one expansive, complex, multi-functional home.

Sofia highlighted the indoor front rooms in her September post “Back to Front Room 7” and Anna wrote about them again in last week’s post “Small space, big fun“. I thought it might be fun to share some additional video clips of the chimpanzees enjoying that same space today!

Out of the Fog

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When I set out on my perimeter walk this morning, the sanctuary was blanketed in a dense fog.

Climbing the 80 or so feet in elevation to the top of Young’s Hill was all it took to escape into the first rays of morning sunlight.

This morning’s walk was particularly enjoyable because I got to imagine myself walking through the expanded outdoor habitats, which are just now beginning to take shape. The first of the massive steel corner posts were set this week by our friends at Sage Mechanical.

When we started building Young’s Hill back in 2010, we were working under a number of constraints, the most significant of which being that we didn’t own any of the vacant land beyond the pasture above the chimp house. In order to avoid any problems with future neighbors, we kept the fence line far away from the property boundaries. Since then, however, we’ve bought up all of the adjoining land and that has allowed us to push the fence line out as far as topography and underground utility easements will permit.

While most of the area we’re expanding into is also pasture, we were able to cut a little slice into the woods so that the chimps can enjoy the shade of a few tall pines, in addition to the less mature trees that we will be planting.

Those trees that had to be cleared for the fence line will become part of the numerous climbing structures we plan to build next spring.

Plans are also moving ahead for the large, fully-enclosed outdoor area on the west side of the building, which should get underway as soon as weather allows early next year. Meanwhile, the chimps continue to enjoy the greenhouses. Honey B actually let me close off the mezzanine for cleaning so that she could spend time out there (after only a short protest).

Mave was keen on getting Willy B to groom with her. Her invitation? Looking his way and shaking a large bamboo plant vigorously.

He finally obliged.

Rayne was keeping an eye on things from across the hall.

When you hear someone blowing raspberries in her group, it’s usually Terry. But this morning it was Cy, telling me to put the stupid camera down and play chase.

Throughout the morning, we have to shift the chimps around their various enclosures so that we can clean, and each time we do so we have to perform a series of safety checks that involves finding each of the chimpanzees. This morning, Cy was making that difficult. When this happens, we check the security cameras. He was just above us and out of view, engaged in his favorite activity – reading magazines.

Each time the chimps shifted to a new area, Cy would bring his reading material and find a new place to camp out.

By mid-morning, the fog had lifted completely and Jamie and Burrito set out to survey the upcoming changes to their sanctuary home.

I keep trying to tell Jamie that those trees will be hers. So far, she seems far more interested in the equipment. Which reminds of the time she wanted me to chase her with a chainsaw. Not safe, Jamie. Not safe.

Greenhouse Days

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Running a chimpanzee sanctuary in snow country does have its downsides but you can’t beat the cost- and calorie-free enrichment that snow provides. This was the first snowfall for Lucky’s group and they certainly enjoyed their tub of the white stuff in the recently buttoned up greenhouse. It was great to see them peacefully enjoying their warm, sunny space.

Into the great wide open

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In the comments section of a previous post, Michelle asked, “I’m interested in learning what their possible reactions might be to the wide open outdoor spaces that they will encounter, are you anticipating any anxiety from them and how will you deal with it?  I’ve read how many of the chimps released in Florida at the sanctuary there have some pretty stressful reactions to natural spaces, any ideas you can share with us on how it might go?”

As Debbie mentioned in her response, we do anticipate that some of the chimps will initially be hesitant to walk out into the wide open space of Young’s Hill. To help them overcome their fears, we built a fire hose hand rail so that they might feel anchored to something familiar as they venture out. We also built a walkway made of logs for those who might be anxious about grass underfoot. Both of these structures lead to a nearby platform, which resembles the platform in their current outdoor enclosure.

We hope that these things will make it easier for the chimps to take those first steps out into the unknown, but of course, they will do things at their own pace. Some will head out as soon as we open the door, while others may need some time. And some may just need the right incentive, like a field full of frozen watermelons (I’m looking at you, Burrito)….