Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today’s enrichment theme is Rainforest Day, and we did our best to turn the sanctuary into a tropical paradise. Volunteer caregiver Becca arrived this morning with her arms full – she brought a giant roll of green paper for a canopy and many rolls of streamers.
The chimpanzees enjoyed a breakfast forage in the greenhouse. They searched the forest for apples, oranges, peanuts, and primate chow.
Missy:
Jamie:
Negra:
Foxie:
Burrito:
Annie, stockpiling some chow:
Sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly what Jamie wants and other times she makes herself quite clear. Many of you who follow the blog know by now that Jamie loves her boots. She especially loves having her caregivers put them on and join her on a walk around Young’s Hill (humans on one side of the electric fences and Jamie on the other side).
But how exactly does she let us know that she wants to go for a walk? And how does she let us know which boot or boots to wear? Sometimes we pick the right boot on the first try. Other times it takes a while to pick the right one. That was the case today. It took a good ten minutes to pick what turned out to be the right combination of boots to wear around Young’s Hill.
I love that final look on her face when we finally figured it out!
Recently we got some toy sinks in the mail, and I knew right away Jamie would be interested. Sure enough, we filled up the sink with some soapy water, along with some dishes and scrub brushes, and she began her inspection.
First, she tried to take the thing apart. When that proved to be more work than she expected, she went to using the brush to dip into the bubbly water and wipe on her tongue. Mmm, tasty soapy water! (We use all plant-based, non-toxic soap, so it’s okay if the chimps decide to eat it).
Once she had explored the sink thoroughly, she grabbed a pencil and picked up the assembly instruction sheet we left behind.
Spring has definitely sprung early at the sanctuary. The first bluebird couple has returned and the vivid blue skies seem to be reflected in their brilliant plumage.
And then there’s Burrito. He’s been regularly joining in on walks around Young’s Hill with Jamie and the caregivers. (You never know when you might need a toothbrush when you’re out on an adventure):
This may not seem like such a big deal, but it’s taken Burrito a couple of years to feel as comfortable walking the perimeter as he appears to be this year. Initially his walks were rather serious endeavors, filled with fear grimaces and anxious looks back toward the safety of the greenhouse. And last year he seemed to prefer to stick closer to the greenhouse and lower hill for food forages instead. But this year, he is not only anxious to come along, he play stomps (chimpanzees often stomp their feet to indicate they want to play), laughs and runs most of the way! It’s an incredible joy to see him so much more at ease and joyful on the hill.
Jamie leading the way and Burrito following:
Here’s Burrito mid-head nod and play stomp and Jamie with her “put that stupid camera down and come on” look:
Jamie looking down from the top of Young’s Hill at the view of the valley and the Yakima River:
At this point, Jamie decided to take a short cut and head down through the middle of the bamboo to explore on her own. This would typically be when Burrito would closely follow her every step so as not to be left behind. But now he has developed this adorable little goat-like kick with his legs (which I unfortunately haven’t been able to capture yet) and takes off in a game of chase, running the rest of the way with the humans:
There are plenty of stops along the way for more play stomping and laughing (and picking up one’s toothbrush):
When we’ve reached the end of the loop around Young’s Hill, the chimpanzees and humans have to briefly part ways. The chimpanzees’ path takes them back toward the greenhouse and the humans’ path takes us a longer route continuing around the outside of the electric fence which encircles not only Young’s Hill, but the chimp house as well. The chimps know we will either meet them back inside or back at the gate to Young’s Hill if they want to go for another loop. Heading off on our separate paths, I looked back to see Jamie looking up at the blue sky where three hawks were flying overhead and Burrito play stomping his way through the spring grass.
As I walked around to meet them on the other side, I was struck by a wave of gratitude for all those who made it possible for the chimpanzees to have Young’s Hill. That the chimpanzees have not only a life in sanctuary, but an incredibly beautiful 2-acre outdoor enclosure to enjoy at their own pace with views of the valley, river, countless trees, and a variety of neighborhood wildlife all set under open skies against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. And I couldn’t help but smile. For all of us.
Jamie got a new pair of boots today. She has a pretty consistent new-boot ritual that I love watching. After we give her the boots, she walks around and gathers blankets and other materials for a nest. She sets the boots aside momentarily while she gets her nest situated.
Once everything is in its place, she can devote the necessary time to inspecting the boots closely.
A lot of time, energy and thought go into building and maintaining friendships. Usually, there is an undeniable connection when first meeting one another; a sort of intrigue about what the other is all about. As time goes on and more energy is put into the relationship, more and more details of each individual are realized and a deeper connection forms. And the bond grows stronger, as one another figures out what makes the other tick. These lasting friendships help shape our lives.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be able to build friendships with the Cle Elum 7. Some of the friendships are low key, like with Annie, Jody, and Negra. Usually a morning greeting (consisting mostly of some head nodding and an arm extended toward the chimps) will suffice. One friendship demands more play time than the others, including chase and tug-of-war. This is often the case with Burrito. Foxie expects me to take care of her troll and dora dolls when she passes them through the cage to me. There is also the expectation that I will pass them back to her too. Quiet grooming sessions with Missy help maintain our friendship. Without a doubt, there is one friendship that takes the most time, effort and thought. Jamie demands me to be her friend; demands me to put on that boot (or boots) and take countless walks around Young’s Hill with her. She also demands that I sit with her afterwards with the boot so she can groom it.
As a caregiver, I want what is best for each of these chimpanzees. I don’t mind the expectations, demands or work that these friendships take. I truly love to see them happy and I want what is best for them, as I would for any friend. Just a few days ago, I couldn’t help but notice the sweet smell of violets in the air as I was working in my yard. Instantly, the chimpanzees popped into my head; flowers are great enrichment for them. These chimpanzees like to eat lilacs, nasturtiums, grape leaves and violets to name a few. So, I picked what violet flowers we had and put them out as part of a forage this morning along with lettuce and today’s enrichment, which was enrichment-in-boxes day. Thinking that the flowers are the first flowers of the season, I thought the chimps would be excited.
I guess I was right, if you count them eating all of the lettuce first, followed by going through all of the boxes of enrichment, then going out into the greenhouse and then spending time on Young’s Hill before coming back in to snack on a few flowers. At least they liked two out of the three!
Here’s a photo of the lettuce and violet forage.
Negra was most interested in the lettuce, while Annie checked out the contents of the box.
Missy was more interested in the contents of the boxes of enrichment than anything else.
Can you spot the flying sock?
And Jamie was most interested in the boxes themselves.
Annie was content to sit on the floor and drink from the fountain after checking out a few of the boxes.
I’m forever grateful to call these chimpanzees my friends.
Today is a gorgeous spring day with clear skies, the temperature is in the mid-60s, and everyone is in a great mood. It seemed like a great day for a picnic, so we set up a forage outside and everyone—including fair-weather gal Negra—ventured out for their lunch.
When they’re not outside, the chimps have been relaxing in the greenhouse mostly, but Jamie popped into the front rooms to get a good look out the window to see what JB and Diana’s dogs were up to (they’re enjoying the weather, too!)
I was able to take some photos of the boss in this calm moment. She was happy to let me do so, as long as I promised to show her the photos afterwards. She watched as I flipped through the photos on the camera screen—I took a couple dozen, at least! Once she was satisfied she returned to the greenhouse.
These are the best photos out of the bunch that I took:
