Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Enrichment

The Baby Bartender

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Sometimes we just don’t know how the chimps are going to react to new modifications introduced into their home. If you have been following for a while, you may remember a device that was installed onto the outside of the caging. This was supposed to be used to allowed the chimps to put an extremity such as a hand or foot inside of it so the humans can take an x-ray without the use of anesthesia or any other drug. If you read that blog from six years ago(!), then you may remember initially that box was used for another purpose; a storage area known as the doll/Troll/storage cubby.

There have been modifications that have occurred since then.The most recent and ongoing is the installation more firehose lines and handlebars to help assist Negra get around with her limited mobility. Just like last time, Foxie was the one who found a different use for the new modifications around her areas.

May I introduce: The Baby Bar!

Yesterday when I was working in the kitchen, I had passed by the door that leads into the chimp area and caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. It was Foxie as she is in the above photo! What I had not noticed initially was she was carrying around a few dolls!

It was just a fun thing to see her use her imagination like this with something new. I watched as she would replace one doll for another as they were lined up. This may not have been what was going through her mind, and I can almost guarantee it wasn’t, but I was saying the Foxie was playing Baby Bartender. Waiting for caregivers pass by so she could pick the right doll for them, like a bartender. “Oh! You had a rough day at work? Orange Blossom will cure what ails ya!” “Broken heart? Here! Try a red-haired Troll!”

Foxie: The Baby Bartender! Ready to take your order!

I’ll Gladly Pay You Next Tuesday For A Pass Today

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The funny thing about life is that things can change at the drop of a hat. Today I had planned to write a blog about just some of the things caregivers see throughout the day and the thought process on how certain decisions are made. That will have to wait for another day because time really got away from me today because of some very distracting chimpanzees who want to play and groom. So hopefully these photos will do for now.

Terry and Gordo:

Gordo (right) inspects Terry (left) after a brief conflict in their group. Grooming, particularly after a fight, is important to reaffirm friendships and trust, especially between two conflicting parties. Though Terry and Gordo weren’t conflicting parties during this one, Gordo is still showing Terry that he can trust him.

Rayne:

Like Gordo, Rayne loves things to sit in/on. Boxes. Benches. Discarded chowbags. Just as long as it’s not the actual floor unless she absolutely has to. Yesterday, when I was moseying about on that side of the building, Rayne wanted to groom with me. Usually at this point she’ll look around to find the closest box or item to sit on. I was a tad bit surprised when she grabbed the heavy duty giant ball. I was even more surprised when she decided to take the most challenging, yet direct, route to get where I was sitting. Trees. Bamboo bushes. Logs. She pushed right on through!

Annie:

This is how I found Annie in the morning. Enjoying a peaceful Spring morning at the top of her Greenhouse.

Mave:

Mave. What can I say about the lovely Mavis? Actually, I can say this. As I was typing that, we heard whimpering coming from her side of the building. When I walked back there, she wanted a lot of reassurance. I asked her what she saw. She started to walk toward the chute but stopped short of going in. When I pointed to the Chute and asked her if it was out there, she began alarm calling. Caregiver Amanda and I went out and started to look around. And lo and behold, gopher snake! So, thank you, Mave, for making us aware there was an intruder inside the fence!

Lucky:

Lucky is wondering where her dinner is. Truly. This is about 2 minutes before their dinner was rolled out.

New Tower on the Bray

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In what’s become an annual tradition, CSNW Founder, Keith, brought a crew of friends out to build a new structure for the chimps. In just two days, the team was able to construct a new tower at the bottom of the Bray—close enough to the building for those chimps who don’t always like venturing farm from home, but high enough on the hill to get a great view of the valley. It was a fun weekend, and the chimps are already enjoying their new tower.

Many thanks to Keith and his crew and to all of our volunteers for enriching the chimps’ lives!

Thief: The Game

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One of my favorite times of day is when I arrive to the Chimp House in the morning. Usually I’m one of the first humans in to get a jump start on the day. It’s a pretty serene moment in time first thing in the morning. Most of the chimps are already awake, bright-eyed and bushy tail(less), while others are just waking up. It’s at this time in the morning you can catch the chimpanzees engaged in some grooming sessions, mall walking, or playing some kind of silly game.

The other day, as I walked in and turned on the security monitors, I noticed Lucky in the Oakwood Greenhouse rolling around with a sock. She seemed pretty content, then Rayne arrived. Rayne was determined to get Lucky’s sock. From there a game of theft, chase, and keep away ensued. What started with just a sock cascaded into what seemed to be a treasure trove of stolen goods. Ok. Really it was two, maybe three things, but that’s still two or three more that should be stolen, right?

Who do you think was the masterful thief of this game?

Foxie and Her Dolls

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On our recent “Ask the Caregiver” blog, someone asked about Foxie’s dolls.  Lynne K asked, “Where does Foxie keep her dolls?  Are they rotated by keepers or does she have access to all/many of them?

Great question Lynne K!

Foxie has an entire bin dedicated to her dolls.  You’ll get a look at the bin in the video posted today.  How many dolls do you think are in that bin?  I know the answer, but you have to guess before I tell you!

Everyday, before closing up for the evening, a caregiver or volunteer prepares enrichment for the next day.  We have a selection of all sorts of fun things to include, such as toy hammers and small wooden toys, slinkies, bouncy rubber balls, socks, headbands, scarves, books and magazines, cups and bowls, boots, and DOLLS!  We try to include a little something for everyone, and that includes a nice selection of Foxie’s favorite dolls!  She has them for the day, then when we clean the following day, we remove them and all of the other enrichment items and give them a good cleaning.  Once they’re dry, they go back into her bin until the next time they’re chosen.

Foxie spends a lot of solo time with her dolls.  But you’ll also find her incorporating her dolls into play with her chimpanzee friends, and her caregivers!

Please enjoy today’s video of Foxie and me playing doll LAUNCH!  And don’t forget to guess how many dolls are in Foxie’s doll bin!  You won’t win anything if you guess correctly, except bragging rights.  Ha!

A Very CSNW Christmas (Jamie’s Edition)

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Today was a Christmas to be remembered! It was such a great party for all the chimpanzees here. So much was happening we had no choice to split up the footage to make two videos. So please enjoy Jamie’s group’s Christmas celebration today, and be sure to come back tomorrow to watch the other groups’ parties! Including George’s first CSNW Christmas! I won’t say much other than he was really, really, really excited!

Jamie was also excited and partied her heart out!

And please remember to donate! We are getting so close to our $100,000 goal by tomorrow in order to unlock an additional $40,000! Every little bit helps!

Help us reach our end of the year goal here!