Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Gordo

I’ll Gladly Pay You Next Tuesday For A Pass Today

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The funny thing about life is that things can change at the drop of a hat. Today I had planned to write a blog about just some of the things caregivers see throughout the day and the thought process on how certain decisions are made. That will have to wait for another day because time really got away from me today because of some very distracting chimpanzees who want to play and groom. So hopefully these photos will do for now.

Terry and Gordo:

Gordo (right) inspects Terry (left) after a brief conflict in their group. Grooming, particularly after a fight, is important to reaffirm friendships and trust, especially between two conflicting parties. Though Terry and Gordo weren’t conflicting parties during this one, Gordo is still showing Terry that he can trust him.

Rayne:

Like Gordo, Rayne loves things to sit in/on. Boxes. Benches. Discarded chowbags. Just as long as it’s not the actual floor unless she absolutely has to. Yesterday, when I was moseying about on that side of the building, Rayne wanted to groom with me. Usually at this point she’ll look around to find the closest box or item to sit on. I was a tad bit surprised when she grabbed the heavy duty giant ball. I was even more surprised when she decided to take the most challenging, yet direct, route to get where I was sitting. Trees. Bamboo bushes. Logs. She pushed right on through!

Annie:

This is how I found Annie in the morning. Enjoying a peaceful Spring morning at the top of her Greenhouse.

Mave:

Mave. What can I say about the lovely Mavis? Actually, I can say this. As I was typing that, we heard whimpering coming from her side of the building. When I walked back there, she wanted a lot of reassurance. I asked her what she saw. She started to walk toward the chute but stopped short of going in. When I pointed to the Chute and asked her if it was out there, she began alarm calling. Caregiver Amanda and I went out and started to look around. And lo and behold, gopher snake! So, thank you, Mave, for making us aware there was an intruder inside the fence!

Lucky:

Lucky is wondering where her dinner is. Truly. This is about 2 minutes before their dinner was rolled out.

Afternoon Fun with Gordo and George

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We recently celebrated George’s first anniversary of sanctuary living! From our first blog announcing his arrival, his first ventures into the chute then the greenhouse and finally the Bray, meeting new friends for the first time (his now group-mates Cy, Terry, Rayne, Gordo, Lucky, and Dora, as well as Mave and Willy B), then living full time in his new group and navigating the social intricacies of chimpanzee life, mastering the art of nest building, his first sanctuary Christmas, and his first birthday in sanctuary, George has accomplished so much in his short time here, and there’s so much more to come!

It has been incredibly rewarding to watch him build relationships with other chimps throughout the introduction process, and even more rewarding to watch him live life within a social group. To say he and his progress have impressed us would be an understatement. Cy and Rayne have been his greatest teachers, as we had hoped an anticipated before beginning the introduction process. What was unexpected, but has been the best surprise, was his fast friendship with Gordo. In today’s video, come along for an afternoon of fun with Gordo and George!

Photogenic Chimpanzees

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When I arrived at the sanctuary this morning, I was determined to get as many photos as I could before our weekly staff meeting/training began. One, because a lot of you just love seeing photos of the chimps and their daily adventures. Two, because I wanted to prove to myself that I could get as many photos of as many chimps as I could. Granted, as some of you are aware, trying to get photos of some of them is almost impossible because either they come running up and get too close to the caging to get a photo, or they are in those few spots around the sanctuary where it is impossible to get a photo. Looking at you George, Cy, Dora, and Mave.

So please enjoy the product of this self challenge!

Burrito at breakfast:

I had to get these photos using all the sneakiness I could before he came down

Rayne during lunch today:

Gordo doing a little self-grooming:

Willy B also self-grooming:

It’s imperative to watch the neighbors when you’re done grooming

Foxie and Moana go for a walk around Young’s Hill:

Sweet Lucky:

Missy at breakfast:

Terry waiting for a caregiver grooming partner after lunch:

Just noting that I did indeed get photos of Jamie and Annie, but they were a one shot scenario where the photo didn’t come out. Honey B was busy doing Honey B things on the Bray and in the Chute. She was just to fast/busy for me to get a photo. And Negra said no in her own Negra way by burying her face in her nest when the camera was raised. I obey all of the Queen’s demands.

For me, I would consider getting photos of half the chimps today was a success. Maybe in the near future I will try again.

Big Day to GiveBig!

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Have you heard the news?

Cy looking at a magazine while George (and Lucky who is behind Cy’s magazine) interact with caregiver Katelyn and some guests.

Today is the last day for GiveBIG! GiveBIG is an annual fundraising event here in Washington State when individuals and organizations invest their community by donating to their local Washington-based nonprofit. At the time of this writing, we are currently hovering around 75% of our $50,000 goal! We are so close! But there is still time! Donors have until midnight (PST) to donate to their favorite nonprofit.

I know that $50,000 seems like an impossible task, but every little bit we receive gets us closer to our goal. Donations directly help the caregivers provide the upmost care to the chimpanzees and cattle. Your donations help pay for things such as food, puzzles, treats, care medical, new enrichment toys, parties for the chimps (George’s 1 year CSNW anniversary is coming up!), the support building for the staff to diligently work in, and so much more!

We need your support now more than ever. As mentioned before, we are going to celebrate George’s 1 year anniversary here. That entire time felt like a flurry of activity that it feels like a blur. It was almost like one day we had 15 chimps and BAM! Sixteen chimpanzees were now residing at the sanctuary. Since that time it has been such a heartwarming thrill watching George settle into no only his new home, but also new family! I still get a little teary-eyed when watching him on the Bray with Cy, Gordo, Rayne, Terry, and Lucky. Just knowing just under a year ago, George was living by himself in a concrete and chain-linked fence. Now George is thriving enjoy his time outdoors or spending it playing or being groomed by one of the other chimpanzees.

Cy and George watching their neighbors during breakfast this morning.

We are also now caring for a chimp with mobility issues. With some slight modifications to some of the enclosures, Negra has been able to move from one area to the other albeit with some issues. She’s able to move around a lot more thanks to some handlebars and firehose, but we feel there is more we can (and probably will) do to help Negra enjoy her favorites spots around the sanctuary. Not to mention the medications she is on to help her continue to enjoy her sanctuary life. Be sure to read this compelling, heartfelt blog Kelsi wrote about Negra a few weeks ago.

Negra drinking from a portable water source installed in one of her front rooms for easier water access.

Please consider donating to our GiveBIG campaign to help us reach our goal and help us provide the best care we can for 16 chimpanzees and 3 cows.

Gordo on the Bray before breakfast.
Lucky taking in this morning’s lovely weather.
Fabulous Foxie with remnants of today’s lunch
Oh! And Bruce! Help us support Brucey!

 

Rage Baiting

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Chimpanzees are prolific tool users. In the wild, chimpanzees have been documented fishing for termites, ants, and algae. Since we are kind of low on those fishing items, the fish for other things. For instance, as you’ll see in you video, Willy B likes to fish for attention from his neighbors. Though you’ll see Willy B doing most of the work, or lack thereof, we are sure he wasn’t the one who thought of this concept. The one most likely who started this activity is:

Honey B!

Though he didn’t start this behavior, I’m sure Willy B appreciates adding another chaos maker to his repertoire.