• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

  • Our Family
    • The Chimpanzees
    • The Cattle
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Visiting the Sanctuary
    • Philosophy
      • FAQs
      • Mission, Vision & Goals
      • Privacy Policy
    • The Humans
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Founder
    • Annual Reports
    • The Future of CSNW
    • CSNW In The News
  • You can help
    • Donate
      • Become a Chimpanzee Pal
      • Sponsor A Day
      • Transfer Stock
      • Be A Produce Patron
      • Be a Bovine Buddy
      • Give from your IRA
      • Personalized Stones
      • Bring Them Home Campaign
    • Leave A Legacy
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer
    • See Our Wish List
    • Events
  • Resources
    • About Chimpanzees
    • Enrichment Database
    • Advocacy
      • Apes in Entertainment
        • Trainers
        • Role of the AHA
        • Greeting Cards
      • Chimpanzees as Pets
      • Roadside Zoos
      • Chimpanzees in Biomedical Research
      • Conservation
        • African Apes
        • Orangutans
  • Shop
    • Merchandise Store
  • Contact
  • DONATE NOW

great apes

The 5 Great Apes

September 13, 2024 by Jenna

In addition to providing daily pictures/videos and updates about CSNW’s residents, our blog can also be educational. I hope the blog readers can take away something every time they read it, even if it’s just something new about one of our residents.

Can you name all 5 of the great apes? I have intentionally placed the hardest ones last, as people usually can’t name more than the first three.

Let us know how you did!

1. Gorillas

© Ann & Steve Toon/Getty

Gorillas share 98% of DNA with humans. Gorillas are the largest out of all primate species. They are classified as “critically endangered”.

2. Chimpanzees

Chimpanzees share 98.8% of DNA with humans (the closest living relative). Chimpanzees live in Africa, in both the savannah and rainforests. Chimpanzees are classified as “endangered”.

3. Orangutans

Orangutans share 97% of DNA with humans. Orangutans live in the rainforests of Asia. All orangutan species are classified as “critically endangered”.

4. Bonobos

Bonobos share 98.7% of DNA with humans (our other closest living relative). Bonobos also share 99.6% of DNA with chimpanzees. They are often referred to as “the smaller chimpanzee”. Bonobos are found in Africa, only south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Bonobos are classified as “endangered”.

5. Humans

Timeline (dating back to 65 million years ago):

 

Skeletal Comparisons:

Filed Under: Chimpanzee, Education, Education, Sanctuary Tagged With: apes, bonobos, chimpanzee, DNA, gorilla, great apes, humans, orangutans

Annie and Pretzels

January 26, 2020 by Anthony

No, this post is not about Annie eating pretzels. It’s partially about Annie Chimpanzee, as seen in these photos, but it’s also about all the enormous pretzels, vegan bratwurst, and craft beer that our staff are going to consume during tonight’s visit to a magical place: Leavenworth.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, Leavenworth is a town located north of the sanctuary in the shadow of the Cascades. It boasts a Bavarian theme and is known for its charm, cuisine, and recreation. The CSNW crew typically makes a pilgrimage there every December, but we missed our opportunity this year since Burrito’s medications had to be administered each night. Consequently, tonight’s itinerary includes our annual group trip to the fabled mountain village. We are also celebrating the addition of Chad to the team, and this will be our first outing with him as a full-time staff member. We can only hope that he proves to be as valuable to our trivia team as he is to our care staff.

Therefore, I’ll withhold my summary of today’s events since the other caregivers are rushing me to finish writing the blog and closing down the Chimp House. Instead, I’ll leave you all with a few photos of Annie, who was the first chimpanzee to venture out onto the Hill today. It was unseasonably warm and the chimps were able to tiptoe on dry ground to avoid the remaining patches of snow.

I’d write more, but an evening of alpine fun awaits.

Filed Under: Annie, Caregivers, Young's Hill Tagged With: annie chimpanzee, caregivers, chimp, chimpanzee, chimpanzee sanctuary, chimpanzees, chimps, csnw, great apes, leavenworth, primate sanctuary, Sanctuary, staff, washington state

Burrito in Monochrome

January 19, 2020 by Anthony

The chimpanzees’ world is full of color.

In the spring, the landscape blooms with eye-catching wildflowers and green foliage that seem to radiate color and warmth. Summers are characterized by deep turquoise skies. Crisp autumn days turn the surrounding meadows a shiny gold and decorate the surrounding forest with speckles of red, orange and yellow. Even now, in the deep winter, the muted skies and pale snow are overshadowed by the emerald tint of the numerous evergreen trees. Regardless of season, the busy Chimp House itself is always full of colorful blankets, enrichment, produce, tools, and even some sensible wall decor.

Despite all this light flowing around us, capturing compelling portraits of the chimps is usually difficult. For one thing, the chimps and humans are always separated by steel caging, a chimp-proof window or an electrified barrier. These structures wreak havoc on camera lenses and need to be focused out. Even when the chimpanzees are foraging or patrolling outdoors, they are often hundreds of feet away, obscured by dense foliage, or sprinting around the habitat (see: Missy). Sometimes, the bright sunlight creates harsh shadows that yield miserable photographs. Indoor lighting is also a challenge, to put it lightly, and using flash on an alert chimpanzee would be a horrible idea.

However, there is one place in the whole sanctuary where capturing portraits of the chimpanzees seems to be easier than anywhere else. Although it is formally known as Front Room 4, the staff often refer to one of the chimpanzees’ favorite locations as “The Portrait Studio” (1, 2, 3, 4). It’s popularity is likely due to the wide bench that is perfectly situated for looking down the hallway into the bustling kitchen and foyer. From the same vantage, they also can see out the window towards the garden, driveway, hay barn, neighboring cattle pasture, and even across the sanctuary to the opposite ridgeline. It’s a dream come true for nosy chimpanzees, but we caregivers appreciate the space for a different reason; the north-facing window bathes the chimpanzees in soft lighting that is well-suited for portraits.

When Burrito sat in that beam of diffuse light a couple of days ago, as he often does, I decided to snap a bunch of photos and then immediately forgot about them. Today, as I began to formulate a direction for today’s blog post, I rediscovered the series on my camera’s memory card. I then tinkered with the photographs in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, a program commonly used for organizing and manipulating images. Of all the edits I made, I realized that I liked the way Burrito looked without any color. Black-and-white suits Bubba well.

A century ago, most photography was monochrome (gray or sepia) by default. Now, omitting or removing the hue from an image is something photographers and filmmakers purposefully do in order to create a certain aesthetic. As far as our work at CSNW is concerned, I think such a practice has merit. By taking color out of the equation, I feel more attuned to how light flows into the chimpanzees’ home, across the imposing barriers that separate us from them, and onto their facial features. It showcases the depth of their physical space and reminds me that their world, which I can only explore in a superficial manner, has a similar profundity. Furthermore, anatomical structures like hairs, wrinkles, muscles, scars and callouses give character and topography to what would otherwise be registered as a homogeneous gray body. Perhaps this medium highlights some of their more peculiar nonhuman traits while simultaneously making such differences between us and them seem more trivial. Whatever is going on in our eyes and brains, I like portraying them in this way.

Below are my favorites from the series. During processing, I tried not to dramatically alter the overall lighting, hoping instead to preserve the reality of Burrito’s location and mood. What I did tinker with, however, was the relative luminance of the various hues in the photographs, thereby changing how colors contributed to the lightness and darkness in each. Using such a mixer enabled me to create distinct portraits that were taken only seconds apart. For perspective, you can look at the print on the wooden toy block in Burrito’s hand (which is actually dark green, but appears different in each edit). I think that each has its own tone, and perhaps tells a different story. I’ll let you all be the judges.

 

1. In this portrait, I brightened purple, magenta and red hues.

 

2. This portrait is composed of mostly green and cyan hues.

 

3. I brightened red and orange light in this version, dampening cooler hues.

 

4. For this edit, I allowed all hues to contribute equally to the image but altered the lighting as a whole.

 

5. The lighting in this version is mildly edited but I left the coloration intact.

Filed Under: Art, Burrito Tagged With: animal art, animal sanctuary, Animal Welfare, apes, black and white, chimp, chimpanzee, chimpanzee portrait, chimpanzees, chimps, great apes, monochrome, photography, portrait photography, primate, primate sanctuary, Primates, Sanctuary

Winter Storm

January 12, 2020 by Anthony

Winter in the Pacific Northwest can be difficult to handle.

The landscape becomes dark, cold, and icy for several months. It’s beautiful in many ways, but it’s also challenging. In order to subsist in these surroundings, our team must make the necessary preparations and maintain a positive attitude about whatever the skies throw down on us. To visualize this, imagine how caregiver Chad and volunteer Fritz looked as they returned to the Chimp House this afternoon, soaking wet and freezing after driving through the blinding snow to feed the cattle and muck the barn. Of course, they laughed about it. Those smiles, paired with the appropriate clothing and equipment, ensure that we will make it to the spring in one piece.

As sanctuary personnel, our motive is to make sure the chimpanzees experience the wonders of the winter season without being subjected to its harsh conditions. Unfortunately, some inconveniences are unavoidable (e.g., Young’s Hill is buried under a foot of snow at the moment), but the chimpanzees can still choose to go outside and harvest snow or hang out inside on the heated floors. For some, an ideal day is spent in the loft of the Playroom, nibbling on roasted vegetables while submerged in a sea of blankets. This year’s new arrivals, for example, don’t seem enthused by the snowy surroundings just yet. For others, nothing seems better than darting outside, shoveling fresh snow into their chimpy mouths, and succumbing to the imminent brain freeze. To each their own, I guess.

We’ll continue to update everyone on the humors of the chimps through this ongoing winter snowstorm. Many of you are probably anxious for news about Burrito, but he has been bright and energetic for the last few days. You would never guess that he just had a toe amputated except he is still covered in distraction tape (and missing a toe).

You can all rest assured that the chimps are cozy and occupied, and the humans are having some fun, too.

Stay warm and safe, everyone!

Filed Under: Burrito, Caregivers, Enrichment, Honey B, Sanctuary Tagged With: animal sanctuary, Animal Welfare, Burrito, chimp, chimp enrichment, chimp sanctuary, chimpanzee, chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, Cle Elum, great apes, nonprofit, northwest, pacific northwest, primate sanctuary, Sanctuary, washington state

The Tough Questions

January 5, 2020 by Anthony

The common phrase “sharing is caring” doesn’t always ring true.

Those of us who work with wildlife in any capacity have to be cautious about the ways in which we publicize our work. In the modern age of consumerism and social media, organizations need to share compelling content to generate financial support and advocate for their respective causes. Although they can inspire people to take action, pieces of visual media can easily be taken out of context and may contribute to the suffering and exploitation of nonhuman animals elsewhere. This is one of the greatest challenges facing organizations like ours as we advance further into the 21st century.

Jamie

A new piece co-authored by a diverse group of esteemed scientists and conservationists is making waves for attempting to address this issue. The commentary, published last month in the American Journal of Primatology, urges researchers to be selective and judicious when sharing images and locations of the nonhuman individuals that they study.

This piece was spurred by emerging findings that irresponsible or inaccurate representations of nonhuman primates provide fuel for the wildlife trade. For example, Dr. Anna Nekaris and the Little Fireface Project have found strong links between viral videos featuring endangered slow lorises and the popularity of that species in the global wildlife trade. Contemporary organizations around the world have also uncovered similar links between social media content and the trafficking of wild primates. Notably, images featuring celebrities posing with primates (like this one of pop star Rihanna) wrongfully propagate their perceived value as pets. It seems likely that a selfie taken by a common researcher or tourist with a wild animal would have a smaller but similar effect. With so many of these images being circulated by well-meaning individuals and organizations, it is difficult to quantify just how big of an impact they have. Given that so many of the world’s primate species are at risk of extinction due to human activity, it is critical that those who study and protect wild primates do not accidentally create additional demand for their exploitation.

Burrito (foreground), Missy (center), and Annie (rear)

For those of us who advocate and care for captive primates, however, the relationships between shared images and potential outcomes are not as clear. Within the community of North American primate sanctuaries and zoos, sharing visuals that showcase the value of our work is part of our strategic plan. For example, our team at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest inspires compassion for chimpanzees by writing and sharing daily blog posts that portray the lives of the chimpanzee residents. The goal is to highlight their emotions, intelligence, and social relationships. This collection of images and stories has, over time, amassed a tremendous community of supporters that directly benefits the chimpanzees.

However, we simultaneously take care to only share content that positively impacts primate individuals, populations, and species. Social media is truly a double-edged sword, and those who wield it carelessly may cause more harm than good. A video of Foxie playing with dolls, for example, could be woefully misunderstood if the provided contextual details are removed or ignored. An uninformed viewer may begin to wonder: Is she a trained performer? Does she have access to the outdoors? Does she have other chimps to play with? Is she privately owned and being bred for human entertainment? In the absence of critical information, such misconceptions may become widespread attitudes and beliefs.

Foxie

As a true sanctuary, we attempt to combat harmful misinformation. One of our objectives is to demonstrate that chimpanzees, as individuals and as a species, suffer immeasurably from exploitation. This claim sharply contrasts how nonhuman apes have been utilized and portrayed in recent decades. Thousands of chimps were housed in menageries, shot into outer space, dressed up as human children, infected with diseases and coerced to perform for our amusement. Thankfully, this pattern of abuse seems to be ending. With public opinion now favoring chimps, the last chimpanzee actor, an adolescent male named Eli, recently retired and will soon be transferred to an accredited facility. (Eli is the subject of an upcoming documentary.)

Even though the era of chimpanzees on the big screen seems to be over, the myth that chimpanzees belong in captivity is likely to perpetuate as long as people see chimpanzees in captivity. For example, seeing performing chimps on greeting cards, in commercials, or interacting closely with humans can shape how the public perceives them. Researchers affiliated with North American zoological parks have even found evidence that viewing images of nonhuman primates in humanized settings can influence how people interpret their conservation status, suitability as pets, and well-being. From this evident pattern emerges a multi-faceted dilemma.

The most difficult of these questions, in my opinion, is whether we can accurately tell the stories of captive chimpanzees without showing the less natural aspects of their daily lives. Should we use Photoshop to remove the electrified barriers on Young’s Hill, which are necessary to keep humans and chimpanzees safe? Should we hide that the chimpanzees prefer to nest with blankets or sleep on cement floors because that’s all they had access to during the decades that they spent in laboratories? Should we ignore that Jamie has fascinations with cowboy boots and various human accessories, likely shaped by her background as a performer? Sure, we attempt to focus or crop out the steel caging because it ruins our photographs, but should we be avoiding the same metal bars because they send the wrong message about chimps? On the other hand, if we only show photos of chimps frolicking outside in a green meadow, will people start to believe that keeping chimps in captivity is good for them? Are we on the verge of whitewashing the history of our relationship with chimpanzees?

There are no easy answers.

Burrito

Organizations are each free to respond to these new challenges in their own way. To lessen the risk of misinterpretation, we try our best to create content that prioritizes education and empathy over aesthetics and humor. We’ve found that most of our followers are invested in the chimpanzees’ well-being and, fortunately, thoroughly read and understand our captions. This gives us confidence that we can maintain transparency, and even occasionally be brutally honest, regarding the challenges of providing sanctuary care for chimpanzees. We caregivers remain impressed by how aware and understanding our supporters have been despite our sanctuary’s recent growing pains. Rather than just respond with emojis and ‘likes,’ our followers weigh in on the management of our social groups, suggest new enrichment ideas, and comment on the health of the individual chimps. This degree of engagement and awareness tells us that it is possible to share revealing content without necessarily spreading the wrong ideas.

That does not mean that we are all blameless. I recently went through my personal Facebook profile and erased many photos of me interacting with captive wildlife (including some of orphaned spider and howler monkeys using me as a climbing structure). It’s not that my actions were inherently irresponsible; in most cases, I was serving as a trained caregiver and the interactions were a necessary aspect of each individual’s rehabilitation and development. The real problem is that these photos are difficult to explain and the chances of them sending the wrong message are too high. If someone was scrolling too fast to read my captions, all they would see is a naive white backpacker holding a baby monkey. Some would even comment that they wanted me to bring one home so they could play with it. I have gladly hidden these photos  No amount of attention is worth putting an animal or human in danger.

Jamie

With this new paradigm in mind, please continue to enjoy and share our frequent and intimate portraits of the chimpanzee residents. We hope that they inspire you to care about and act on behalf of disadvantaged nonhuman primates. They need advocates, now, more than ever.

However, never forget that all chimpanzees are strong, intelligent, emotional, and adapted for their ancestral homes and complex societies. They do not belong in captivity and they do not thrive here. Sanctuaries like this one were created to mitigate the errors of the past and provide a better alternative for retired chimps, but they are not designed to exist indefinitely. All chimpanzees are unique individuals and valuable members of an endangered species that may be gone within the next century, and their exploitation takes more away from them than it gives to us.

Please share responsibly.

Missy

Filed Under: Advocacy, Apes in Entertainment, Chimp histories, Free-living chimps, News, Sanctuary Tagged With: Animal Welfare, apes in entertainment, chimpanzee actors, chimpanzees, chimps, entertainment, great apes, large apes, performing chimps, pet trade, pets, primate conservation, Primates, primatology, public perception, social media, wildlife trade, wildlife trafficking

Great Apes Giving Day – one week away!

October 7, 2015 by Diana

STD-Chimpanzee-Sanctuary-NorthWest

We could really use the help of you devoted blog readers to reach our goal of raising $5,000 for the first ever Great Apes Giving Day on October 14th.

This 24-hour online event, sponsored by the Arcus Foundation, the Greenbaum Foundation and our friends at the the Anti-American Vivisection Society, is aimed at raising awareness and funds for several North American sanctuaries caring for great apes. It’s a pretty cool idea, and we are happy to be participating!

With the friendly competition among the sanctuaries, we are a little nervous because we are one of the smallest and the newest sanctuary participating in the day, but it’s true that our loyal supporters have the biggest hearts!

There are three main ways that you can participate:

  • Make a donation. Your donation today or any day before the 14th will be counted toward our total on giving day. Or you can wait to make your donation on the 14th, which will increase our chances of winning cash prizes (golden tickets) given out each hour. Learn all about prizes and the rules for the day here. If you’d like to make a matching challenge donation to make things more exciting, let us know in the comments below, or email [email protected]. A donation of $100 pays for a month of blog posts – that’s a pretty good deal when you think about 30 days worth of videos and photos and stories of your chimpanzee family, isn’t it? Imagine if every blog reader donated $100!
  • Create your own fundraising page and fundraise for the sanctuary! It’s pretty easy to set up a page (take a look at these tips to get started), and we would be happy to help by answering questions, providing photos, and whatever else you need. Create your page today and start letting your potentials donors know about it!
  • Share the CSNW fundraising page and encourage others to donate. Spread the word via email and social media so more people know about the day and Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest’s participation in this online fundraising event!

Mark your calendars now for October 14th and check our page that day to see how close we are to our goal of raising $5,000!

Thank you, as always, for your support and dedication to Foxie, Annie, Jody, Missy, Jamie, Burrito, and Negra!

annie missy play wrestle

Filed Under: Fundraising, Sanctuary Tagged With: #GreatApesGivingDay, 2nd anniversary fundraising, arcus, chimp, chimpanzee, csnw, Fundraising, great apes, great apes giving day, northwest, Sanctuary

Dodge stands up for chimps

August 18, 2010 by Diana

If you’re a Primate Patrol member or follow the Primate Patrol page on Facebook, you know that Dodge recently altered their advertisement campaign which had included a chimpanzee named Suzie (Suzy).

Dodge took it a step further and released a powerful statement, which included these sentences:

“Dodge is firmly committed to never using great apes in our advertisements again.”

“We are not a company that hides behind issues or brushes them under the rug. We are a company that meets issues head on and moves forward. And we promise to keep doing everything in our power to be one of the most honest and forward-thinking companies out there.”

This morning, Dodge published the link to their statement on their Facebook page. They have received a bit of flack from Dodge enthusiasts who clearly do not appreciate PETA, who Dodge mentions in their statement.

If you’re a Facebook user, please counter these folks by liking the Dodge Facebook page and politely thanking Dodge for indeed being a forward-thinking company on the issue of great apes in entertainment. Corporations can never make everyone happy, but we should praise them when they make compassionate decisions.

My Dodge Neon was the vehicle that Keith and J.B. drove from Pennsylvania to Cle Elum, following the Cle Elum Seven’s journey to freedom over two years ago. So now I have two big reasons to appreciate Dodge.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: animal rights, Animal Welfare, chimp, chimpanzee, commercial, dodge, entertainmet, great apes, invisible monkey

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe To the Blog and Get Notified of New Posts First!

Archives

Calendar of Blog Posts

July 2025
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Jun    

Categories

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Footer

PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
[email protected]
509-699-0728
501c3 registered charity
EIN: 68-0552915

Official DDAF Grantee

Menu

  • The Chimpanzees
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • You can help
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Donate

Proud Member of

Connect With Us

Search

Copyright © 2024 Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. All Rights Reserved. Site by Vegan Web Design