Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
The chimps have been super mellow today- lots of nesting, grooming, and general quiet time. Elizabeth snapped a couple of really great pictures of Foxie and Negra resting on the catwalk in the playroom this morning. I love seeing the chimps so relaxed and peaceful.
Foxie:
Negra often lets her lips droop to one side when she’s relaxing. It’s almost like she’s so relaxed, she just lets gravity do the work.
Here’s the link to the Seattle KOMO 4 News story that aired tonight: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Chimpanzees-survive-close-call-with-Cle-Elum-wildfire-168549526.html
Eric Johnson and videographer Eric Jensen did a great job with this story and we were so glad to have them out again today.
I should admit that J.B. dreamed up and built Young’s Hill. I did encourage him… and I helped by setting a few fence posts, along with dozens of volunteers. And the sanctuary itself was started by Keith LaChappelle and a team of people who came together to make it possible.
Thanks to everyone for continuing to support the journey of the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees. Everyone who has supported us over the years is part of the sanctuary – we are thankful to you all and now also to the firefighters who did, indeed, protect the dream.
We were thrilled to see Foxie scale that post today and even more thrilled that her accomplishment made it on TV! Every day there’s some new step that the chimps take or new discovery that they make – that’s what sanctuary is all about.
Eric Jensen and Eric Johnson won an Emmy for their story about the chimps’ release onto Young’s Hill last year, and we were happy to have them back today to film a story about the Taylor Bridge Fire and our recovery. Tune in tonight at 5pm to KOMO 4 if you’re local to the Seattle area, or check KomoNews.com later this evening for the full story. We’ll post the link when we have it.
And while you’re waiting, wouldn’t you just love to know what Foxie was thinking when I snapped this picture earlier today? We often get asked to interpret what the chimps might be thinking, and that’s generally an impossible task. But whenever I see Foxie looking at her troll dolls, especially a new one, I’m struck by how intense the connection seems.
Burrito was a bit nervous going out on Young’s Hill today- most likely because before Friday, due to the Taylor Bridge Fire, the chimps hadn’t been out there in nearly three weeks. As soon as he got out there, he stood bipedally and his hair was pilo erect (standing on end), both signs that he was a bit worked up or aroused. But Foxie and Missy both reassured him that everything was safe.
Burrito trying to steal a hug from Foxie, who was walking by right after the door to the hill was opened:
who then hugged him back as a way to calm him down. If you look closely at the photo, you can see that Burrito is fear grimacing (aka- showing all of his teeth. This facial expression looks much like a human smile, but is usually a sign of fear or intense excitement).
Still a bit nervous, he approached Missy with a bent wrist. A bent wrist is a submissive gesture and often an effective way to gain reassurance from a more dominant individual. He has a large fear grimace in this photo.
Later, seeing that Burrito was still nervous, Missy approached him, breathy panted and gave him an open mouth kiss, again letting him know that all was okay.
He eventually settled down and got busy doing what he does (and loves) best- foraging for chow.
It’s been an intense few weeks since the fire, but the chimpanzees and humans at CSNW are finally starting to feel a little more upbeat. The chimps are back on the the hill, everyone is feeling playful, and we are making wacky videos.
Today I caught Burrito mid-hoot face (the facial expression that accompanies a pant hoot). I love their lips when chimps make this facial expression/vocalization.
When he spotted me taking photos, he seemed to get shy and quickly stopped.
But then as I started talking to him about how cute he was, he seemed pretty happy to show that off.
Meanwhile, the other chimps were pretty relaxed (and beautiful). Here’s Annie lounging around with a hair brush:
Jamie:
Foxie:
Negra, chewing on some gum
Last week, volunteer Connie was here when it was about 100 degrees and we were working on ways to keep the chimps hydrated. It was a bigger concern than normal since the fire had caused a not-pleasant burned rubber smell to the well water, making us turn the chimps’ drinking spigots off. Staff decided to fill up plastic bins with bottled water and a bit of gatorade, put them in front of the fencing and give the chimps big tubes to drink out of. This resulted in a bunch of tubes and other various things that the chimps (mostly Jamie) had put in the water. So, enter Connie’s brilliance. She made some holes in the lid for the bin that the tubes just fit through.
Behold:
The awful burned smell in the water is not present any longer, but we’re waiting to get an all clear after sending a sample to the health department, so I used Connie’s invention today to provide a little afternoon refreshment.
Here’s Missy drinking:
The photo below is Annie, Jody and Foxie (left to right)
Foxie (pictured below) REALLY slurps while she’s drinking, as you may recall from this video from a few months ago
