Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Enrichment

Keeping Jamie enriched

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One of the biggest challenges of this job is keeping Jamie enriched. The other chimps certainly need enrichment, too, but Jamie in particular requires a lot to keep her engaged. So I’m continually trying to find things that will be enriching for her. Kongs are a good food puzzle for the chimps because we can put nuts, peanut butter, or even mushed banana into the crevices making it tricky to get the treat out.

Recently I discovered these Kong “Genius” toys which connect together, and I thought it seemed perfect for Jamie! Thanks to Carrie M. who ordered a bunch of these Kongs for us off our Amazon wishlist recently, we were able to make several connected Kongs. Jamie of course hoarded many of them, but all the chimps were able to enjoy this puzzle. You’ll hear in the video just how happy Jamie is with all her food groans and grunts.

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Speaking of Jamie and of the wishlist, we are in desperate need of a new boot dryer! Ours broke yesterday and as you can imagine we are constantly running the dryers to get Jamie’s boots quickly dry after we wash them. Dry boots makes for a happy Jamie! Both she and I would be forever grateful to anyone that is able to purchase a new one for us. If you do grab anything from the list now or anytime in the future, send me an email at [email protected] so we can be sure to send you a thank you! (UPDATE: Thank you Patrick and Carrie for purchasing the boot dryer for us! The boss will be happy).

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What Jamie Wants

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It seems as though the weather has been constant snow for the past couple of days here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. While this certainly makes for a beautiful landscape and, of course, tasty chimpanzee treats, I do think the chimpanzees might be experiencing a little bit of chimp house fever. It’s not that they physically can’t go out; the door to Young’s Hill has been open daily. But the snow just keeps piling up and, well, what kind of choice is that?! So it falls on us, the caregivers, to come up with ever more enriching entertainment for our chimpanzee friends. Some ideas are a hit and others a miss but I have had moderate success recently.

Yesterday, I put a bucket on my head in an attempt to entertain Foxie & Burrito. Neither of them seemed very impressed but Missy suddenly jumped up from her nest in the loft and ran full speed right over to where I was standing. She vigorously head-nodded to solicit a game of chase from my bucket wearing self. I happily complied!

Today, Jamie was adamantly demanding something from the kitchen. Usually this means she’d like one of her boots, sometimes it leads to a walk around the hill and other times to a grooming session. Today, no matter what boot I held up for her inspection she seemed frustrated. Finally, I grabbed the entire bin of boots, brought it out and set it down next to the caging. Apparently this was satisfactory. I guess some days you just need all the boots for your nest.

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Snowpocalypse 2014

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Overnight it appears as though Mother Nature has suddenly come to the conclusion that winter is long overdue. Although we have had periodic snow during this winter nothing really stuck, until now. Starting today, Ellensburg and Cle Elum have joined the rest of the nation as a snow covered wilderness. As you may already know, the chimpanzees consider snow to be a delightful treat so I imagine that they are not that put out by the sudden windfall. Many of them collected a tasty, snowy snack immediately after access to Young’s Hill but not all of them braved the cold for a handful of snow. In an effort to provide access to this good fortune for all we decided on a snow forage in the playroom as extra enrichment today. I’m thinking it was a definite success!

Jamie selecting snow peas from the snow forage:
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Annie eating a handful of snow from a bucket:
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Burrito eating his snow right from the bucket:
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Missy, on the left, eating snow from the table and Jody looking over her shoulder at the camera:
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Foxie with a mouthful of snow:
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Jody eating snow from a bucket buffet:
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Negra, just passing through:
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Although everyone sampled the snow, it was Missy who seemed to enjoy the snow forage the most today. She ate mouthful after mouthful.
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And kept coming back for more!
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Jamie’s new favorite boots

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Jamie loves all her boots, but she definitely has some that are the center of her attention for awhile. I think of it like when I get a new song or album, I listen to it over and over until I’m sick of it—but I still like it and will want to listen to it again someday. Jamie’s songs on repeat right now are the boots she got from Bill last week. She can’t get enough of them! As soon as we try to wash them, she wants them back immediately, even if they are wet. And she’s asked JB to wear them around the hill, even when they are wet. Of course he is happy to oblige—anything to keep the boss in a good mood. I have a feeling these boots will be her favorite for awhile.

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Unintentional Enrichment

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Enrichment comes in many forms—food enrichment, social enrichment, object enrichment, and structural enrichment—but sometimes the most enriching things are completely unintentional. Nearly two years ago, JB took out the extremely heavy drain covers we used to have and exchanged them for lightweight covers. They are much easier to handle for the humans, but also much more likely the chimps could get it. However, the covers are durable and pose no danger to the chimps, so the risk of them grabbing it versus practically breaking our backs every time we had to lift the heavy drain cover was worth it!

After JB put in the new covers, we took bets on when the chimps (particularly Jamie) would get it. I guessed about 20 minutes after they had access to the playroom. Diana guessed that night while the humans were away, and JB guessed within 48 hours. We were all wrong! Twenty-three months was the actual answer. We didn’t see how she got it, but when we came into the chimp area a few days ago, Jamie had removed the drain cover, finally.

After removing it, she proceeded to clean it with some scraps of paper. Annie was very interested in watching her—I’m sure they know it is something they aren’t really supposed to have. (Kind of like this time we played keep-away with a laundry basket).

You’ll notice in the video that there is quite a mess in the playroom—it was the day after the Lunar New Year party, so there was a lot to clean up. Once breakfast was brought out, Jamie dropped the drain cover and exited the playroom so we could enter to retrieve it and clean up the party. As far as I am aware she hasn’t bothered to get the drain cover since, but it certainly was enriching for her that morning.

Happy Lunar New Year!

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The CSNW party planners were at it again today, helping the chimps celebrate the first day of the Year of the Horse. Volunteers Patti and Stephanie brought decorations and food, as well as a special new toy for Burrito, and interns Larkin, Julie, and Whitney helped prepare for the party.

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The festivities began in the playroom after cleaning. Jamie went right to work opening the “firecracker” gifts, and Missy inspected the decorations.

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At lunchtime, the party moved to the greenhouse. Annie gathered snap peas from the party boxes.

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Negra filled her mouth with eggplant, then added a crayon for good measure.

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Thankfully, she saved a little for Foxie.

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Jody seemed to enjoy the lemongrass. We weren’t sure if the chimps had ever had it before.

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And Burrito was in his element. There is no purer form of happiness on this earth than Burrito with a mouthful of food. He started with the party boxes.

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Then he foraged for chow in the straw.

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He ended up with more food than he could hold on to. This made him even happier.

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For Burrito and the rest of the Seven, it doesn’t matter what holiday they are celebrating. Any day is an excuse for new toys, good food, and the company of friends. And lucky for them, our volunteers provided all three!

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Stability

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We often mention on the blog the changes that we observe in the chimpanzees and how we’ve seen them grow over the past five and a half years. There’s no doubt that they are still coming into their own, after living the majority of their lives in lab cages and having no control over their choices and no ability to predict what could happen next.

One of the tragic things about captivity is that the chimps are entirely dependent on us caregivers—we provide food, blankets, enrichment, and we shift the doors between their enclosures. For this reason, it is very important to have a routine so that the chimpanzees can have expectations, and can make decisions based on what they know will happen next. This is what is truly the epitome of being in a sanctuary.

Through these choices, we really see the chimpanzees develop their idiosyncratic likes and dislikes, and we see them grow and change over time. Foxie used to only want to play with trolls, and then some time ago she expanded to nurturing Dora dolls (though she still loves trolls). Jamie has a extreme love for boots, but recently it’s been more fashion boots that she prefers over cowgirl boots (her old favorite). Missy loves socks and slinkys, Burrito loves to have wooden toys to bite on, Annie loves to rub water on her face, Jody likes edible flowers and soapy bubbles, and Negra likes peanuts and nesting.

Having choices has allowed the chimps to relax, enjoy the sunshine, friends, good food, and space to run—and that has made them so much healthier and stronger than they ever were in the lab. See for yourself, check out the before and after photos of each of the chimps on their story pages here.

Although we see so many wonderful changes in the chimpanzees due to all the choice they have now, there are some things that never change. I was looking back through some old blog posts from this time in 2008, before the chimpanzees arrived. Diana’s first impressions of the chimps were spot-on and still six years later, they enjoy the same things she predicted they would when they came to CSNW. She talked about Jamie and choices, Negra and nesting, and Missy and Annie’s close friendship and their desire to play, play, play. These are things that the chimpanzees love to do everyday, but unlike in the lab, they are able to fully appreciate and express their preferences.

Today, the enrichment theme was “grooming day.” Jamie had lots of enrichment to choose from. Boots, scarves, emery boards, scrub brushes, trolls, pillows, blankets, paper, and even a toothbrush. Out of all of that, she chose to make a big nest out of a tube of exam table paper. (Thanks, Carol!)

Negra cuddled in a giant nest:

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Missy and Annie:

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And just for fun, Missy’s enrichment item of choice on grooming day:

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I so look forward to the changes that are to come and see how the Cle Elum Seven will continue to flourish in sanctuary , but I know I can still count on some stability in the foundation of what they each love, and will continue to enjoy more and more for the rest of their lives.