Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

forage

Negra, reinvented

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I’m used to telling people, Negra is more of a fair weather chimp. If there is any hint of wind or rain or if the temperature is too hot or too cold, she would most likely stay indoors. Also, if she does venture out onto Young’s Hill (the outdoor area of the chimps’ home), she usually sticks close to the building.

But, we’ve seen Negra exhibiting some “unusual behavior” this spring. She’s stayed out late, ventured to new areas on Young’s Hill (far away from the building) and is generally more independent.

So, today, the NOAA forecast called for “northwest wind around 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph” and it seems pretty accurate. But, the Negra of today, doesn’t seem to mind the gusty winds or not so perfect temperatures as she was the first one out on the hill for the lunch forage we set up.

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I love that after almost eight years in sanctuary, she is still reinventing herself!

Christmas in April

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Last year, we waited until October to plant the chimps’ potted Christmas tree. Since Jody has been steadily devouring that one, I thought we’d get this one planted sooner. Missy was the first to check it out, but only because Anna decorated it with apple slices.

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Today has been another beautiful, summer-like day. Perfect for walking around the hill with friends, both real and imaginary.

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Also perfect for enjoying breakfast and lunch forages that included chive flowers, beets and greens, and Negra’s favorite, lettuce.

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And when the food was all gone, the chimps took a moment to enjoy the amazing views from Young’s Hill.

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Queen of the Hill

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Negra has spent more time outside today than any of the other chimps. Here at CSNW, that marks the official start of spring.

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That’s because Negra is always the first to realize that the spring grass is ready to eat. A rainy March followed by a week of sun and unseasonably warm temperatures turned Young’s Hill once again into a 2-acre salad buffet. The moment Negra decides that the shoots are long enough and sweet enough to pick, she plants her butt down and eats to her heart’s content. And when the other chimps see her eating grass, they start digging in too.

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But no one loves spring grass as much as Negra.

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Of course, Missy can’t just sit around eating grass all day.

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But she took a break long enough to pick a few of the finest blades of grass on the hill.

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Missy’s Green Pepper Play

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The chimpanzees have had many bell peppers donated from a local grocery store lately, so today we did an exciting whole pepper forage on the hill!

 

Missy made a play for two of the peppers:

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Jody made an attempt to force a turnover:

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But Missy drove to the end zone:

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Once the play was complete, she checked for injuries:

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And then sat back and enjoyed her touchdown:

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This post was inspired by one of the new personalized stones that is part of the Dr. Mel Richardson Memorial Walkway!

Jordan Hill Foundation

Thanks Jordan Hill!

Serving

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I’ve been wanting to write a blog post about serving food for a while now in response to a question I am frequently asked. How do we give food to the chimpanzees if we never enter the enclosures with them or stick our fingers into the enclosures? There are a few different options, including serving the food through the openings in the caging to each of the chimps and setting up forages for the chimps to gather the food themselves.

Serving entails serving food to the chimps’ hand or mouth (or sometimes foot). We make sure to cut foods to a size that will easily fit through the squares in the caging or we can drop food into food chutes (located in the Front Rooms). Things like celery, carrots and cucumbers are easy to hand to the chimps through the openings. Roasted vegetables are softer and we use small paper plates or serving trays that can be rolled up and passed through the openings. Liquids, such as fruit smoothies, (which are served at breakfast) are poured into cups and caregivers hold the cups up to the chimps’ outstretched lips. Serving allows us to know exactly how much each chimp is getting of each food. Check out this link to see examples of meals we serve throughout the day.

The following photos were all taken during the chimps’ dinner from the top of the Greenhouse when the panels were off this past summer. As you can see in the photos, some of the chimps prefer to hang, while others prefer to sit on the ground or utilize the plastic chairs or barrels.

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Foxie usually brings a friend with her to meals (hint, look at what is in her foot).
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Burrito eating his night bag.
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Annie
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Some of the chimps prefer to stay and eat all of their food where it is served, while others tend to gather their portions and go to a different area to eat them.

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Jamie prefers to open her night bag, pour out its contents and pick through the nuts, seeds, popcorn and dried fruit.
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Here’s a closeup of Jody eating her celery.
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Foraging allows the chimps to move around and gather the food themselves, which is what they would be doing in the wild. For forages, we cut the food into smaller pieces and scatter them throughout the various enclosures after we have cleaned (the chimps are locked out of the enclosure humans are in). Once we have locked up and done our safety checks, we give the chimps access to the enclosure and they gather the food themselves. Foraging gets the chimps moving (important for chimps in captivity) and gives the chimps choices over which foods they prefer to collect and eat first. Click on the link at the beginning of the paragraph for a great video of the chimps foraging on Young’s Hill.

The Thanksgiving Celebration

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As promised, here is the video of yesterday’s party.

The anticipation of the feast is always the best part. When chimpanzees are happy, they share their happiness with everyone around them. They hug and kiss each other and join together in choruses of pant-hoots. And they share pants and grunts of excitement with their caregivers.

It’s a celebration not just of food, but of the family they have become. And we are grateful to be considered part of their family in moments like these.