Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Honey B

Lucky Honey B

by

If you have been following the blog recently, you probably have seen the videos of Honey B and Lucky playing hooky during cleaning to spend some time together. To my recollection, I remember during the introduction process they would play with each other, but when the full integration commenced, I haven’t really seen them together. But lately, with their play sessions while playing hooky, I began to wonder if there was a friendship we were completely glossing over.

Since the day when Anna posted the video of them playing in the front rooms, I began watching them a little more closely. Here is what I have noticed:

  • Honey B and Lucky do have some pretty epic play sessions. These play sessions aren’t exclusive to just holding out when caregivers are shifting the group. (I should have noticed this when I posted the video of Honey B literally pulling Lucky into an ongoing play session she was in with Rayne.)
  • During conflicts, Honey B has been seeking Lucky out first and foremost for reassurance, which Lucky always gives her. When the conflicts are over, they reconnect and groom (or play).
  • During some downtime, they can be found grooming with each other
Lucky and Honey B grooming

On the surface, this may seem like an odd pairing. On one hand, there is Honey B. Somewhat social. Not afraid to be scrappy with anybody. Loves to play. On the other hand, there is Lucky. Mostly found by herself. Isn’t too involved during conflicts. And only plays when she feels like it (though as mentioned before, Honey B seems to be her ticket). At the same time, this pairing makes sense in a weird way. There is a meme out there that says, “Introverts don’t make friends. They get adopted by extroverts.”  I’m not saying Lucky is fully introverted or that Honey B is fully extroverted, because they’re not. On some level to me though, this seems to be what is happening.

I’m not entirely sure when this budding friendship started, or even if it will last. I am, however, a person who likes to take time to just relish the now and I am all for this friendship pair. They are, in fact, two rockin’ sisters!

Here are some bonus photos!

Annie on Young’s Hill

Annie made a stop at Jody’s burial site this morning

Foxie in the morning

Gordo during breakfast and lunch

Dora helping herself to some of Honey B’s nightbag (Only Dora is allowed to get away with this!)

Lucky in the Riverview Greenhouse

Jamie on her morning patrol (That is a Troll doll in her hand! She is playing a game of keep away with Foxie)

During their morning patrol, Jamie, Missy, and Burrito would stop to eat the greenest of grass patches

Burrito!

A patch of bamboo beginning to grow in between Young’s Hill and The Bray

Lastly, a pair of unidentified track outside the top of Young’s Hill! We are unsure of who made these tracks, but we suspect maybe a badger?

Happy Anniversary to Mave, Willy B & Honey B!

by

Today marks four years since Willy B, Mave and Honey B made their way to CSNW and a lot has happened since they arrived. The original plans for the three didn’t work out as everyone had hoped but after some time the Lucky 6 arrived and welcomed Willy B, Honey B and Mave into their family. While some are still finding their place within the group, which is completely normal, others have found their other half, like Mave did with Dora.

I wasn’t here for the introduction of two groups one of my favorite things about introductions with chimpanzees is watching them figure each other out and decide how to approach each other. I have been watching Rayne and Honey B’s relationship since I started and while some day’s it can be a little rough, they are quick to forgive and also have so many moments where I see them playing and grooming recently. One thing Honey B has picked up is Rayne’s keen fashion sense.

Honey B wearing a headband as a waistband:

They’ve not only made new friends but since their last anniversary the Bray has opened so they now have their very own outdoor habitat to explore at their leisure!

Willy B enjoyed an anniversary forage with his group

Honey B enjoying her lunch forage in the chute with the girls, she’s clearly a big fan of radicchio!

I couldn’t get them in the same frame but Mave and Dora enjoyed taking an after lunch snooze in the chute together

 

While Cy enjoyed some quiet contemplation in the greenhouse, because everyone needs a little alone time

 

Missy’s birthday is coming up soon, so don’t forget to check out her tomato themed wishlist items!

Foxie & Her Disney Princesses

by

As we have mentioned the past few days, it’s HOT, but we are almost through our excessive heat advisory! Foxie’s way to beat the heat is to eat cucumbers and play with her new Disney dolls. This morning we gave Foxie a few new dolls that were belated birthday gifts! Foxie’s eyes lit up when she saw the princesses, especially Mirabel from Encanto! Later, we handed her a Bruno doll she has never had before. Foxie was very curious about it!

Foxie’s girl gang:

Bruno- (sadly Bruno eventually lost his head…):

Foxie crunching into her cucumber:

I think we should do some bonus photos!

Sweet Lucky. A world without Lucky would be a travesty:

Jamie:

Dora resting before breakfast:

Honey B eating chow series:

Gordo 🙂

 

National Relaxation Day

by

Today is National Relaxation Day! According to the Economic Times, National Relaxation Day is observed to “encourage individuals to slow down and unwind.” Though chimpanzee life can be very chaotic and dramatic, they all find some time throughout the day to let their hair down and relax. It’s all about balance, right?

In homage to National Relaxation Day, please enjoy some photos of the chimpanzees in relaxation mode!

Honey B taking a quick nap after her play session with Lucky.

Foxie taking a rest after breakfast.

Gordo taking a breather after returning from the Bray.

Burrito taking a break in his Greenhouse (though I am convinced he was playing because seconds later he had caregivers playing chase).

Dora enjoying the shaded part of the Chute.

And as you might have guessed, right next to her is Mave.

Willy B taking advantage of the large fan in the front room area on a hot day.

And of course, the Queen of Relaxation, Queen Negra.

We hope you are able to find some time to get your relaxation in today!

A Little Bit of Mischief

by

Sometimes a little bit of mischief is a good thing. If you are wondering which human left the contraband in Honey B’s greenhouse, look no further than the author of this blog post.

If you’d like to talk to me in person about this mistake or the many other mistakes I’ve made over the years at the sanctuary, or if you are perhaps looking to get into a little bit of mischief yourself, I invite you to join me at HOOT! in one month! You will learn so much more about the chimpanzees and bovines, and you’ll meet some terrific people, all the while eating great food and celebrating the sanctuary. We want you there! Get your tickets (in person or virtual) today!

Moments Like This

by

As caregivers, there is a lot going on all around us. We often catch quick glimpses of fun, sweet, or playful interactions between the chimps or even with caregivers. Today, I thought I would share just a few of the infinite special interactions we see throughout the day at the sanctuary or if we are lucky enough, get to be apart of.

Throughout the week, caregivers will often stumble upon a sweet grooming session, goofy play match, or someone being mischievous (aka Honey B). Last Saturday, something so funny and spectacular happened. It honestly might be one of my favorite moments with Honey B thus far, and there are a lot of favorite memories with Honey B. I was trying to to serve Willy B pudding, which was laced with meds, because well Willy B is a hard chimp to give meds to and pudding is usually a last stitch effort (a Hail Mary if you will). In attempt to increase my odds of Willy B taking his meds, I offered non-med pudding to everyone else so Willy B wouldn’t question his pudding (it worked like a charm). Sometimes if he knows we added meds to it, he will refuse. While I was offering Dora pudding, she swiped the spoon quickly and walked away. Honey B came over to me right as Dora walked away because it was her turn for pudding! I asked her if she could get the spoon from Dora because I had no other way to serve it. Honey B had no problem kindly taking the spoon from her friend Dora’s hand and returned it to me promptly so we could continue :).

There are so many amazing moments, I hope you enjoy the video 🙂

Bonus photos from Foxie’s party yesterday!

Jamie very proud of her collection of pineapples bowls:

Annie’s sweet face full of pineapple:

Missy enjoying her pineapple:

More bonus photos!

Missy watching her friends go out on Young’s Hill this morning:

Negra holding one of Foxie’s new dolls in her pelvic pocket:

Negra nesting this morning:

Foxie with her new orange blossom:

The Unification of the Stubborn Shifters

by

As longtime blog readers might know, Honey B can be a challenge for staff when we are trying to close off certain enclosures for cleaning. She likes to throw an obstinate wrench in our best-laid plans. Lucky is also one of those chimpanzees that doesn’t always see the need to cooperate with the shifting schedule from time to time. Today Lucky and Honey B joined their strong willed forces together and stayed behind in the front rooms rather than shifting with their group during morning cleaning . Much to our surprise, their “quiet alone time” morphed into a wrestle session of epic proportions. Shout out to staff caregiver Grace for grabbing all the video for today’s blog!