Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

forage

The Breakfast Feast

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This morning for breakfast we had a forage in the Playroom! Everyone was very excited, food grunts and squeaks filled the whole Chimp House. However, sometimes excitement can turn into displaying. Most times like today the display you will see in the video is short and there is lots of noise and screaming and then everyone goes back to what they were doing before. I thought I might break down Burrito’s body language and behaviors he exhibits in the video before he starts his displaying.  You can see that Burrito’s hair starts to get pilo (meaning his hair is standing up and making him look bigger), if you listen to the vocalization you can hear hooting (which sometimes means by the end of the hooting a big eruption will start, screaming, throwing things, etc.) Burrito then stands bipedally and rocks the barrel making noise, which then leads to him throwing the barrel, screaming, and running. This usually can get the girls screaming and mad at Burrito too. However, this is a very typical and normal behavior and today Burrito displayed, got it out of the way and everyone kept foraging!

 

 

A Fine Forage

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First things first – the Summer Biddin’ online auction is crazy! As I write this (way later than I intended to be writing a blog post), the total is up to $21,761! Thank you to everyone who has bid on items and donated to Raise the Barn. Bidding ends Monday night!

Now, for the chimp day.

We were planning for a lunch forage on the hill, and I noticed that we had a bounty of corn in the fridge, so we decided to put out whole ears still in the husk as part of the forage.

Negra was pretty much in heaven:

She also picked up some cattails for later:

Volunteer Chad did a really good job of corn distribution and everyone got in on the action.

Missy:

Foxie:

Burrito:

Jamie:

Annie eating corn in her nest:

Jody also got some corn leftovers, but she was more focused on a very novel treat that her friend Stephanie had delivered – banana blossoms!

Burrito found a blossom on the hill on his second trip to the buffet:

Apparently it was a lot of work to eat it, or he was taking a cue from Jody who often eats in a reclined position, because he finished it off lying down:

It’s very satisfying to see the chimpanzees satisfied, isn’t it?

Farmer Jo

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Jody has earned the nickname “Farmer Jo” due to her endearing habit during forages of collecting as much food as she can possibly hold and then hobbling bipedally down to the greenhouse to enjoy her spoils. She was very happy with the carrots, beets, and corn that volunteer Patti brought for lunch today.

Celebration of 10 Years!

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Can you believe it, these chimps have been at the sanctuary for 10 years. Over the years whether it was by donation, volunteering, or following the blog we have seen tremendous change in their lives and well-being. In the beginning Foxie didn’t want to have anything to do with enrichment and now Foxie has found love in her dolls. Annie was reserved and had very little confidence and now she is more independent, bold, and confident. Negra was afraid of Young’s Hill and now she adventures to forage all by herself. And not to mention how they have been aging in reverse. It has been a privilege to watch the growth in these seven amazing chimpanzees. But really Negra says it best….

In addition, here are some photos to give you a sneak preview of what tomorrows blog might look like!

Burrito taking a breather from partying:

Foxie swinging with her new France Dora:

Negra searching for some mini bananas:

Negra enjoying some forage she found in a coconut:

Jody was the first to venture out to find what was hidden on the Hill:

Jody was very committed to foraging out there:

Jody got to take full advantage while everyone was preoccupied in the Greenhouse:

Foxie also went out on her own, well France Dora accompanied her of course:

This was just the start, there are more photos to come from our BIG celebration!

Nice Day

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The chimps had a very nice day! Most of the day was spent out on the Hill or in the Green House. Everyone went straight out to Young’s Hill once it was opened, even Neggie ran out right away. Negra also lead the group out for the lunch forage today! However, it must be snake season because before anyone went outside some surveillance had to be done. Annie, who is terrified of snakes, looked out towards the Hill from in the race way, making sure her toes never touched the ground. Foxie, brave little Foxie, lead everyone out giving everyone the okay, but all the chimps made sure to keep their eye out.

Foxie:

Annie:

Negra wadging pineapple:

Miss eating chow:

Jody with a loose lip giving level 3 caregiver Jake some reassurance:

Annie bipedally walking and inspecting for snakes:

Missy, the good friend that she is, giving Annie some back up:

Foxie, Annie, & Missy going out to venture on the secure Hill:

Jody watching over everyone:

And enjoying the tall green grass:

Negra:

Missy (top), Annie (middle), Foxie (below) hanging out on the new structure:

Jamie doing her perimeter check:

Jamie and I also saw Jody and Negra along the way. They were foraging on some of the natural plants that grow on the Hill.

Jody:

Negra:

Foxie enjoying the sunshine:

Later, while cleaning was going on, we caught Jamie using a toothbrush to brush this dolls hair (It was a very sweet moment):

Days like today make my heart feel so full of joy, these chimps are simply amazing. Nothing makes you feel better than seeing happy chimps grooming and playing together all day.

 

Jody’s 43rd Birthday Celebration!

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Today is not only Mother’s Day, but it is also Jody’s birthday! We had double to celebrate! There is no better way to celebrate than to have a Green House and Young’s Hill forage, we even set out a whole coconut (I bet you can guess who ended up with it)! We love celebrating Mother’s Day, why not tell the strong women who helped shape who you are how much you love them! We do have a few mothers at our sanctuary including Jody. Jody is kind, nurturing, and always making sure that everyone is safe. For Jody’s birthday we set out lilacs because she loves to go on the Hill and find things like thistles, spruce trees, etc. Well, it turns out Missy LOVES lilacs and got most of them! Jody did get one of her favorites, which is the top of a pineapple (she was pleased)!

Missy eating all the lilacs:

Neggie had a nice relaxing day. She foraged on the Hill in the morning all by herself, attended the party, and napped for most of the day (it was pretty exhausting):

Power pose, Negra actually jump with all her might to get the enrichment, it was very exciting to watch:

Annie gathered some lilacs and then ventured out to the Hill to forage:

Burrito stayed pretty close to the birthday girls side, but found some opportunities to enjoy a drink and go on the Hill:

Foxie actually found the coconut and tried ever so quietly to sneak away:

Foxie eventually ditched the coconut and came back for it later in the afternoon, however Jamie heard Foxie trying to crack it open on the new structure and Jamie food peered her way into getting the coconut…

But Foxie did get to enjoy herself at the party:

Jamie enjoyed some cold drinks and some snacks as well:

Later when it was very warm Jamie and I took a few walks, when she got hot she would just hide in the shade:

Jody spent a lot of her day laying around, enjoying good company, and eating some of her favorite things. That sounds like a great 43rd birthday to me!

The birthday girl, Jody:

 

Cheers Jody! Happy 43rd Birthday (Missy is holding the drink):

 

Morning on the Hill

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The volunteers set out a forage on the hill this morning.

After an initial course of smoothie, vitamins, and peanuts, the chimps went outside to search for pieces of orange, plum, grapefruit, and banana as well as some primate chow.

Jamie (below and at the top of the post):

Negra:

Burrito, confronting the dilemma faced by most male chimpanzees from time immemorial – do I feed myself and otherwise engage in the basic behaviors necessary to sustain life, or I do I follow that girl in estrus wherever she goes? For the most part, he chose the latter (poor Jody), but he did manage to grab a few scraps of food along the way.

Missy:

Annie, developing a nice wadge of primate chow:

Not to be outdone, Jody made a wadge of her own:

And finally, Foxie:

Though we didn’t fill the termite mound with food this morning, Foxie nevertheless checked its contents using a tool and technique never seen before in any wild population: Strawberry Shortcake dipping.