Gordo

It is no secret that our humble little sanctuary has garnered a sudden influx of followers on our blog and social media in the past few months as we welcomed George. We are thrilled so many people are enthused that George has found his way into our care. Since there are so many great new followers who regularly check up on George and the rest of the chimpanzees and cattle, I would like to informally introduce ourselves to the new crowd.

First off, a little background history. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest was founded in 2003 by founder Keith LaChapelle after he read an article about the plight of chimpanzees used in biomedical research and his desire to help create a space for those who deserved a home free from fear and intrusive testing. This of course expanded beyond only chimpanzees from the labs and to all captive chimpanzees, those used in entertainment, as roadside attractions, and former pets.

In 2008, CSNW welcomed Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra, known as the Cle Elum Seven, to their new Pacific Northwest home from a laboratory/breeding facility in Pennsylvania called Buckshire. Over a decade later, in 2019, Honey B, Mave, and Willy B arrived from Wildlife Waystation, a facility in Southern California that was closed after losing their permit to keep wildlife. Two years later, as part of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance’s Chimpanzees In Need campaign to rehome the remaining 39 chimpanzees at Wildlife Waystation, CSNW rescued Cy, Dora, Gordo, Lucky, Rayne, and Terry, known as The Lucky Six. Early this year, we welcomed George, who was confiscated from West Coast Game Park Safari, a roadside zoo in Oregon. We also rescued Betsy, Honey, Meredith, and Nutmeg, four cattle used in the dairy industry and stars of a Fox Network reality show called “Utopia,” in 2018.

Every resident here, whether chimpanzee or bovine, is allowed to live their life they want given their predicament. That predicament, particularly in the chimpanzees’ case, is a harsh fact: they will never know what unadulterated freedom is. Due to their upbringing and individual past histories, they will never know what life would have been like to live in the jungles and savannas of their native African Continent. They will never know the experience of being brought up by their natural families where they would have learned the skills needed to navigate and survive life. It is this predicament that makes truly re-releasing chimps back into the wild a pretty futile attempt.

This is why we, and other accredited sanctuaries housing chimpanzees, provide as much choice as possible. Whether it’s staying inside on what we would consider a perfect day, or running around in less than optimal weather conditions like rain or snow, that choice is theirs. Though from time to time you may see individuals wear human clothing, we do not force them to. We simply provide them with an option, sometimes clothing and toys, and they are free to use or disregard as they see fit. Just a few examples (of many) include Jamie, Foxie, and George.

We aren’t certain of the origins of Jamie’s love for footwear, specifically cowboy boots, but we do allow her to indulge in this near obsession to her heart’s content by providing her several pairs for her to choose from to carry around with her and have caregivers wear during a parameter walk around Young’s Hill, one of the two 2-acre outdoor enclosures here.

When Foxie arrived at the sanctuary from the lab, she wanted nothing to do with any enrichment item, or even blankets to nest with. It wasn’t until one day a month or so after her arrival, a colorful crazy-haired Troll doll caught her eye and it’s been a love affair since. Though she has expanded and updated her dolls from Trolls to the likes of Dora the Explorer, Strawberry Shortcake, and more recently Moana and Maribel from Encanto, she treats every single one of them like one of her children she was denied to raise in the lab, even though she is aware they are inanimate objects. Though she can be sweet and nurturing with them, they are also prone to have appendages pulled off or scalped from time to time.

We recently found out George loves to engage the right hemisphere of his brain by letting his artistic creativity flow. One day we provided him with crayons with some paper and he sat there scribbling on the paper, mixing oranges with blues and greens with purples. More recently he seems to have been taking a liking to use non-toxic finger paints to express himself.

When asked why we don’t sell or auction off some of the art the chimpanzees make, the answer is complicated. Though there is nothing wrong with sanctuaries doing this to help fund the needs of the chimpanzees’, we tend to take it as an opportunistic approach. Essentially, we are conflicted on it becoming a scenario where we are influencing their choice to partake in these activities instead of allowing them to truly make it on their own. If there is an opportunity for such, say if they pass their work to us willing or leave it in the enclosure we are cleaning, then maybe. More often than not though they tend to destroy their art before it gets to that point.

To kind of sum up all of this, our philosophy is these are individuals with their own unique personalities. We allow them to express themselves and provide them choices they were denied for the majority of their lives. As caregivers, our job is to not only to provide the best possible care we can, but also advocate for them and the many others like them who have not made their way to sanctuary yet. The ultimate goal is to create a future where we are not needed any more. A future where their use as test subjects, actors, pets, or any other form of exploitation no longer exists. It’s not the greatest philosophy in terms of job security, but it is necessary. We are here for them. Not the other way around. It’s while you’ll probably read terms like “serve” instead of “feed,” “people” instead of animal” or “beast,” and others to showcase them as truly sentient beings and not any kind of lesser creature.

If you would like to help support our mission in providing top quality, there are many ways to do so. You can make a one time monetary donation, or sign up to become a Chimpanzee Pal, Bovine Buddy, or Produce Patron. As you may have seen, you can also sponsor a day of the sanctuary where a blog will be written in dedication whom or whatever you choose. Another way to help is to peruse through our different wish lists to see what the sanctuary is in need of. Beside the wish lists, another more direct way to participate in the residents’ care is to volunteer if you are local. Please be sure to read the prerequisites and requirements before filling out a volunteer application. You can also attend one of our galas or fundraising events. The are some great items that are up for auction at these events, especially HOOT!, which is hosted both in-person in Seattle and online. We are a small sanctuary and all of our operations are funded through donations.

We sincerely hope you enjoy keeping up with the chimpanzees and cattle through the blog and fall in love with them they way we all have by getting to know their own unique selves.