Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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george

George Makes a New Friend

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Now that George has completed his quarantine period, become familiar with the greenhouses and playrooms, and explored the two-acre outdoor habitat known as The Bray, it’s time for him to make some new friends! If you are new to the sanctuary, here’s some information that may help explain what you will see in the above video:

  • It can be difficult to integrate chimpanzees social groups because they are naturally hostile or fearful toward strangers and have the capacity for intense aggression
  • That said, sanctuaries and zoos do regularly integrate chimpanzees into groups, though not without challenges
  • We will be following a slow, methodical approach in which George repeatedly meets all of his potential group mates one-on-one over the course of months
  • These initial introductions take place in the smaller Front Rooms so that we can more easily separate them should they get into a serious fight (some fighting is to be expected)
  • Conducting them in the Front Rooms, with thick plastic sheets over the windows, also reduces the influence of the other chimps during these initial meetings
  • Dominance displays are common during introductions, as each chimpanzee tries to demonstrate their strength and agility. These displays actually help chimpanzees avoid fighting by exchanging information about the likely outcome of a physical altercation.
  • Intense play and grooming are also common as chimpanzee get to know each other.
  • We chose to begin with Cy because he has shown himself to be a gentle and caring leader who seeks to protect the underdogs in his group.
  • Though George’s meeting with Cy went well, he will face a lot of challenges over the coming months. Meeting other chimpanzees one-on-one is one thing; being fully integrated into an already established group is another. George will be vulnerable, so establishing good relationships with the others, and especially with Cy, will be critical.

George is really something. Even after living on concrete, he’s exploring his grassy two-acre outdoor enclosure almost without hesitation. And now, after living with only one female for most of his life and living alone since 2023, he’s hitting it off with the alpha male of what may someday be his new group. I know I say this about every chimp I’ve met, but I really admire him. Whether this integration is ultimately successful or not, George is most certainly going to take advantage of his second chance.

A Day on the Bray with George

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Today’s blog features a video from George’s big adventure on the Bray yesterday. He showed a ton of courage, making it all the way to the top—twice!—to visit Chad, who was keeping an eye on him. Plus, George got a surprise visit from across the way, since Negra decided to hang out in the greenhouse instead of heading inside with her group. Enjoy!
Bonus photos-
George looking majestic out on the Bray:
George stopping by the chute to visit caregiver Sabrina:
George showing off his relaxed, droopy lip:

A Sanctuary Supper

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Let’s have dinner with Negra!

Negra enjoys the simple things in life: the feeling of warm sunshine, a good blanket nest, and a simple nightbag mix. Negra prefers to enjoy her nightbag somewhere quiet, such as her nest or a corner of the green house, where she can peacefully unwrap her bag slowly, savoring each bite with calm contentment.

Spending time with Negra is a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate the small, quiet joys in life. I hope you enjoy this video!

Bonus photo series of George try to groom me while I try to get a picture of him:

 

 

 

George’s Reading Corner

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As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, George seems to really enjoy flipping through books and magazines! Yesterday, we gave him a magazine about baby animals, a few books about apes, and even lent him one of Jamie’s books about tattoos. George absolutely loved the baby animal magazine and was thrilled to see even more books waiting for him.

Each time he received a new book, he carried it into Front Room 7 to settle in and flip through the pages. He often used his feet to hold the book open, making it easier for him to turn the pages. It was a joy to watch his curiosity and enthusiasm as he explored each new read!

Getting to know George has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Each new discovery helps us learn a bit more about what he enjoys and what sparks his interest. We’re excited to continue exploring with him and uncovering even more about his likes and dislikes as we go along!

George Explores The Bray

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We have very exciting news to share…George has gotten his first experience exploring The Bray, one of our outdoor habitats! We have been preparing him for this moment for several weeks by teaching him about the electric fences that serve as the barrier of the habitat (see this post to learn more about fence training). The big day arrived, and we were all excited (and a little nervous) to see him explore this large outdoor space for the first time. See the video here!

We stationed caregivers around The Bray to monitor him as he explored, and were thrilled when he stepped out into the large, open habitat within moments of the door opening. He has amazed us with his bravery in every new experience at the sanctuary so far, and today was no exception. Not only did George step out into his new space, he truly explored it. Some captive chimpanzees, who have lived their lives in enclosures with closed tops and limited exposure to grass, can take days, weeks, months, or even years to find the confidence and comfort to be in such an open space. I have personally known chimpanzees that after many years in sanctuary still are not comfortable walking on grass, or being in open-top spaces without having the security of caging to hold onto (almost as if they are afraid they could “fall up”). To see George step out onto the boardwalk, then into the grass, was truly special. But he didn’t stop there. He climbed the first structure, all the way to the top! He took his first (of many, we hope) walks around The Bray, going to greet Caregiver Krissy who was monitoring him from outside the fences. After walking with her for awhile, he turned around, and minutes later was walking up the other side of The Bray with Caregiver Diana, all the way to the top to see Caregiver Dusty. He foraged for food we spread out on The Bray for him, food grunting as he ate his cherries (one of his favorite foods). Many of us remarked on how brave he was, to be exploring this new space with such confidence and curiosity, and to be doing so alone. Chimpanzees (much like us) often rely on their friends for reassurance to do hard things, but George conquered The Bray all on his own. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for him once he has chimpanzee friends, and we are certain he will continue to amaze us with his courage and enthusiasm in meeting every new experience offered to him.

Quiet Moments & Loud Voices

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Today was jam packed with cleaning, staff and volunteer training, George explore the green house, and a whole lot of chimpanzees vocalizing! While chimps are quiet by nature, when they decide to make noise, they really make themselves heard. Currently, the chimp house is almost silent with chimps napping or grooming each other, which is a stark contrast to this morning, but that’s chimps for you!

Despite the commotion, there were still some sweet, quiet moments worth sharing. I did manage to capture a few peaceful photos of George and Jamie, as well as a few photos of Foxie thoroughly enjoying an avocado snack with her doll from yesterday!

A photo series of the sweet, handsome, and sleepy George:

Jamie napping:

Photo series of Foxie and her doll eating avocado:

 

 

 

 

Introducing Introductions. Again!

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A few years ago, when we were embarking upon introducing Honey B, Willy B, and Mave to the Lucky Six, Anthony (who is no longer a staff member but was coincidentally here today as a volunteer, meeting George for the first time) wrote a thoughtful blog post about the complications of introductions.

Because we are planning on introducing George to members of the Lucky Six in the coming weeks, it seemed like a good time to share Anthony’s blog post again, which you can read here.

I also thought it was important to set some expectations about how we may or may not be sharing the details of these introductions.

Introductions can be a challenge for staff and chimpanzee alike. We don’t want you to expect to be kept apprised of every pair-wise introduction that George is involved in as we embark on this process. For sure, we will share – it’s in our nature to do so and this blog certainly has gotten us in the habit of providing daily information.

In order to honor this process and George’s in-limbo status (no animal welfare charges have yet been brought against George’s former owner), we will be less synchronous with our updates, and trust that you will appreciate how taxing the introduction process can be. We will of course share updates in time!