Summer has come early this year so we’ve been busy making sure everyone stays safe and comfortable. That means moving the cows to pastures with plenty of wooded areas for shade and ensuring our wildfire sprinkler system is ready for fire season. The chimps have gone into summer mode as well, taking full advantage of the outdoor habitats in the early mornings and finding shade or a quiet spot indoors to ride out the afternoon heat.
fire
Jamie Chimpanzee the Firefighter
You probably know that Jamie is a pretty awesome chimpanzee. What you may not know is how, last year, she alerted the humans to a fire that was approaching the sanctuary property. You can read about that here.
It’s fire season again here in the Northwest, and the Jolly Mountain Fire is currently burning in some forested back-country about twelve miles from the sanctuary (the sanctuary is not in danger).
That means that there are many firefighters and disaster responders in the area working hard. For the last ten days, Southwest Incident Management Team #3 was in charge of the all the many things that are part of responding to wildland fires, from community outreach to physical fire containment measures.
Alan Sinclair was leading that team and heard the story of Jamie alerting us to the fire last year. He contacted us and brought out a group of firefighters and Forest Service workers to learn more about the story and to assess the firewise measures and fire preparedness at the sanctuary.
Then, they decided to do something amazing.
They made Jamie an honorary wildland firefighter! They created and gave her a certificate:
a photo collage:
AND an official pair of wildland firefighter boots (thanks for the boots, Sharma!)!!!
Michael Thompson (who, incidentally, won over Negra big time) put together this video to tell the story:
We are all so touched that the crew chose to recognize Jamie in this way. I was thinking about how fitting this really is for Jamie to have this honor. I don’t think I have to explain how much firefighters mean to us after our experience with the Taylor Bridge Fire. That first hand experience has made us much more aware of the work that they do all over the world.
Firefighters and first responders of all kinds risk their lives to protect others. They are the ones who go towards danger rather than running away from it.
For whatever reason, this is what Jamie does too (just check out this video of her capturing a snake last week). Jamie is not the most affectionate or nurturing chimpanzee of the group of seven at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, but she is a protector, and her chimpanzee and human family are lucky to have someone so brave among us.
Thank you, Jamie, and a big thank you to all firefighters out there! Please share this post and/or the video as a thank you to those who go towards danger to protect others around them.
Highway 10 Fire
Today started out pretty normal. Us humans were busy cleaning all morning, with breaks to walk around the hill with Jamie and check in with the other chimps. We had finished cleaning the playroom and had started cleaning the front rooms. I was over by the playroom door and Jamie was craning her neck and body to see out. We know Jamie pretty well, and we knew something was up, so Anna went outside to see what Jamie might be looking at, and saw a plume of smoke a few hundred yards away.
The chimps have seen smoke from intentional fires on our property (when there’s not a burn ban!) and our neighbor’s property before, and I don’t think they’ve reacted to it, but maybe they knew this was different, having gone through the Taylor Bridge Fire in 2012.
Their alarm was warranted. The fire was close and was moving through the ground cover, burning some of the trees that had been downed in the fire four years ago.
Just like the Taylor Bridge Fire, it traveled up the hill, towards some of the properties that had been rebuilt.
They came through okay, though, thanks to the firefighters.
Thank goodness for firefighters, and thank goodness for volunteers and data collectors! Volunteer Ally and primatology student Jake jumped into action to help. We were asked to evacuate the house that J.B. and I share with our two dogs and two cats. Ally and Jake were lifesavers – helping get harnesses on the dogs and put the reluctant cats in crates, then, with caregiver Anna’s help, driving them to safety at Jake’s house.
In the meantime, J.B. got the emergency sprinkler system, which pumps water from the pond above the house:
We had brought the chimps inside the building and shut all of the windows and doors, so the window in front room four was the spot to watch from. Most of the chimps were very calm. Jody and Foxie were a bit anxious, with Jody sticking close by Burrito most of the afternoon.
In the below two photos, Burrito and Jody were lying next to each other:
Foxie kept a Dora doll close:
We gave them some extra treats today and otherwise followed the routine as much as possible. They are in bed now – Jamie with her boots, Foxie with her dolls, and Negra under a blanket.
Our dogs and cats are back home (thank you Anna, Katelyn, Ally & Jake!).
The fire seems to have sparked again well above the property as I was writing this. The helicopters were on it immediately. There are also still some smoldering spots nearby, but we feel that we and our neighbors are safe with the skilled firefighters working so hard.
We lost power (the electric company probably shut it off due to the fire), but the chimp house’s generator kicked on immediately, not even skipping a beat.
J.B. and I are making our own dinner in the chimp house kitchen, but trying to keep things quiet so we don’t wake any of the chimpanzees as the slumber safe in their nests.
The Wildfire Sprinkler System
It’s hard to believe, but it’s already fire season here in Central Washington. The Taylor Bridge Fire, which threatened the sanctuary two years ago, was a vivid reminder that no matter how prepared you think you are for an emergency, there’s always more you can do. That’s why we’re so excited to be testing out our new emergency wildfire sprinkler system.
The system was made possible by a grant from the ASPCA and the donation of a pump by the good folks at PumpBiz. Because power is unreliable during wildfires, the pump runs on propane and draws water from a spring fed pond on the sanctuary property. Dozens of sprinklers, mounted to the posts of our security fence, drench everything within 40 feet of the chimp house.
The Taylor Bridge Fire was a very emotional experience for everyone involved, and I can’t tell you how good it feels to see this sprinkler system in action. Our thanks go out to the ASPCA and PumpBiz, as well as Keith and Nick, who did all the hard work.
Meanwhile, while we’re running around preparing for emergencies, the chimps are relaxing and enjoying the sunshine on Young’s Hill.
Foxie with a piece of grapefruit:
Jody with many pieces of grapefruit:
Foxie, Missy, and Annie:
Jamie scouting for food in the grass:
Jamie admiring the bamboo, Foxie admiring Dora:
Jamie trying to find a way in to the termite mound:
Burrito, toy in hand:
Missy foraging for wild plants on Young’s Hill:
Fire and Art
One year ago today, the sanctuary property was engulfed in flames and smoke. We thought at one point that the caregiver house that J.B. and I live in was gone (it turned out the roof and siding had caught fire, but the interior was saved). J.B. stayed with the chimps as the flames spread, and the rest of the staff watched helplessly from the road or waited anxiously for updates.
It’s not a day any of us would like to repeat, but we knew the chimpanzees were safe thanks to our own protocols and the actions of the local volunteer firefighters. We can never thank Kittitas County Fire Districts (KCFD) #1 and #7 enough for what they did for us and what they do for neighbors and strangers everyday. Read the account from the Seattle Met, or, in our own words, through our blog posts.
We’ve made even more improvements to our protocols and our equipment based on our experience last year. We are still working on our future emergency preparedness while also raising money for our general operating costs, and we have a great and fun way for you to help us get a nice grant!
The Humane Society of the United States is sponsoring a chimpanzee art contest, and our resident boot-loving artist boss of the sanctuary, Jamie, has a piece entered! Voting for Jamie’s mixed-media piece will not only give her the accolades she knows she deserves, but will also give the sanctuary a chance to win $10,000! You can vote for Jamie’s piece once per day from now until the end of the contest, which is 5:00pm ET on August 22nd.
Please vote today and every day and share with everyone you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc!
Getting green
Last summer, over half of Young’s Hill was burned in the Taylor Bridge Fire. We knew that the grass and bamboo would recover, but it was hard to imagine it ever looking the same again.
But with a little spring rain and some warm weather, the grass has come back as good as ever and we should be seeing some new bamboo shoots in the next month or two.
The chimps used to run for cover at the first drop of rain, but lately they’ve been staying outside through some of the lighter showers. This morning, Missy, Foxie, Burrito, and Annie all ate their breakfast together in the rain. Jody, however, took her bag back to the greenhouse and dried herself off.
The chimps love to eat spring grass. Most eat it a blade or two at a time, but Burrito stuffs handfuls in his mouth and eats it until his teeth turn green. For a guy that thinks about food nonstop, it must feel good to be completely surrounded by it.
Wildfire update
Just a quick update to let you know that the sanctuary is not in any danger from the wildfires currently burning across Washington State. However, the fires are creating hazardous air quality in some areas, including around the sanctuary on occasion. During these times, we have been keeping the chimpanzees indoors with the ventilation system recirculating and filtering the indoor air. Fluctuations in local weather patterns mean that the smoke conditions can change by the hour. Thankfully, the chimps are able to go outside most of the time.
Our thoughts are with the people affected by the current wildfires, including the heroic firefighters. For once, we are really looking forward to winter.
