Jamie

Happy Birthday, Virginia!

July 3, 2014 by Katelyn

Today was sponsored by Virginia Keulen! Today also happens to be Virginia’s birthday and she shared that she wants to celebrate by giving her “favorite chimps” a day of sanctuary! Virginia is a long-time supporter of the sanctuary and does so much for the chimpanzees (and the humans!). It comes as no surprise that she would choose to spend her special day making the chimps’ lives better. At the same time, it never ceases to amaze me how many wonderful friends the chimpanzees have and how many people want to celebrate their own lives by honoring the chimps.

Happy Birthday, Virginia! Thank you so much for including the chimpanzees in your celebration! In honor of two of your pals, you could do a lot of running around for the sheer joy of running around, or you could do a lot of bossing others around for the sheer joy of bossing. Or maybe just eat a lot of cake and food grunt. 😉 We hope you have a wonderful day!

Missy and Jamie, having some fun:

And as if today weren’t enough, Virginia also sponsored the chimpanzees’ 4th of July festivities! Be sure to check in tomorrow to see what the chimps get up to!

What sanctuary means to Jamie

July 2, 2014 by Katelyn

Sometimes it’s hard not to look at the chimpanzees through our sorrow. We’ve spoken often here on the blog about what each of the chimpanzees have lost and endured. The ghosts of themselves they were when they first arrived. For me while Jamie’s “before sanctuary” photo is one of the most difficult to look at, I have always thought that her indomitable spirit can still clearly be seen in her eyes. Despite all she had been through, her strength and completeness was still there. But I sometimes think that in our intent to be compassionate, we must be cautious not to risk doing the chimpanzees a great disservice by seeing them only through the sometimes tragic circumstances of their lives.

There is no doubt that with each passing day in sanctuary we are able to see the chimpanzees becoming more and more their chimpanzee selves. As their stress, fear and anxieties fade into the background, their personalities are materializing in front of our eyes. Something I am learning to do more and more is not to hold each of the chimps to behaviors I have come to expect. I want to hold the space for them to grow and change in their own time and space. Provided with choices, an enriching environment, and a healthy, loving home, every day they show us another facet of themselves. And earlier this week Jamie gave us a perfect example of what sanctuary makes possible.

Typically the chimpanzees’ evening routine involves dinner being served at 4:30 while the playroom is closed for evening spot cleaning. We put out additional blankets for nesting and a food puzzle for evening enrichment. We then return access to the playroom so the chimps can enjoy their enrichment while Young’s Hill is closed off for the evening. The chimpanzees know the routine and normally and are more than ready to come in and start building their nests for the night. Usually by the time we leave, the chimps are in bed and if we’re lucky, offering nest grunts to us as we say goodnight and leave for the day at 5:30.

But a couple of nights ago, Jamie had other plans. It was a beautiful summer evening and she made it very clear that she was not ready for the door to Young’s Hill to be closed. And so it wasn’t. All the other chimpanzees were enjoying their evening enrichment and preparing their nests. But Jamie decided we should walk. And so we did. Caregiver Lisa and I took turns walking the perimeter of the hill with her again and again. At 8:00 J.B. and Diana (on their day off) came up to relieve us and wait for Jamie to decide she was ready to come in for the night. Occasionally, a few of the other chimps would get up to see what was happening or step onto the hill. Annie eventually built a nest in the greenhouse seemingly wanting to wait for Jamie to come in. Jamie finally decided she was ready for bed at 9:15.

While some people may not appreciate staying after work I think I speak for us all when I say I cannot think of anything that makes me feel as happy and privileged to do than to be able to provide the chimpanzees these choices. After all, isn’t that what sanctuary is all about? Loving them means respecting them and listening to them as the already complete individuals, with their own purposes, that they are.

In the well known words of naturalist Henry Beston, “For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.”

Jamie – Keeping it Interesting

June 30, 2014 by Lisa

If there is one thing that we have written about more frequently than anything else I think it must be Jamie’s multifaceted personality. Jamie is the boss but she’s also good friend. She takes things seriously but she can also be quite silly when the mood strikes. Sometimes she shares her things and other times she’ll take what she wants from others. She’s a complicated individual. She likes boots, enrichment projects that challenge the mind, and doing things her own way.

Being friends with Jamie Chimpanzee is an intense ride but there is never a dull moment. Jamie keeps everyone on their toes and keeps life at the sanctuary stimulating. I simply can’t imagine the diamond of her mind trapped in the confines of her previous environment and I take every chance I get to provide her with a project. Yesterday that meant that I found more challenging places to hide the playroom lettuce forage. I filled the square building blocks you see in the pictures with lettuce, closed them up tight, and hid them in the playroom. Rather than foraging for the lettuce easily available on the ground Jamie made a beeline for the greater challenge of the blocks.

Today we gave her cleaning supplies so that she could participate in her version of the front room cleaning. I was pleased to see her complete that task with vigor. Although I was unable to get a picture of Jamie cleaning up after us today you can watch video of Jamie’s cleaning style here.

But it’s not always necessary to be on the move with Jamie. Sometimes she appreciates quiet down time with friends too! Grooming is a great social outlet for chimpanzees and, on occasion, the chimpanzees will ask to be groomed by their human caregivers. We are, of course, always happy to oblige a grooming request.

Close ups

June 27, 2014 by Debbie

Elizabeth caught some great close ups of the chimps recently. Wouldn’t you agree?

Burrito:

Jamie:

Jody:

Negra:

Perspective

June 26, 2014 by Debbie

It’s hard to get photos of several chimps in one frame out on the hill. Typically they are foraging or exploring on their own or in pairs, but getting four, five, or six chimps in one frame is pretty rare. It seems this morning, JB was able to capture these rare moments when all but Negra were out on the hill checking out a helicopter flying overhead. They had a good perspective from where they were, I think. And since these aren’t close ups of the chimps, it gives you a new perspective as well.

Annie, Missy, Jody, and Foxie:

Foxie, Jamie, Missy, Annie, Jody, and Burrito:

I like this series a lot because both Jamie on ground and Missy (just above Jamie) are climbing up posts simultaneously. (Foxie is up top and Annie is on the bridge).

How does our garden grow?

June 25, 2014 by Katelyn

The chimpanzees are ready to harvest their garden! The garden, however, is still growing. But try telling that to the chimpanzees. Thanks to the hard work of volunteer caregiver, Denice, it’s really starting to take off!

And Jamie is keeping a close watch on it. Every single day:

This is what Jamie has her eye on from atop her barrel at the barn doors:

Every day Jamie and Missy in particular look out the windows and emphatically gesture toward something they would like to taste. So far we’ve been able to oblige the chimpanzees’ requests with chives, strawberries and today, onions! Jamie takes in the view of the garden, sliding from window to window on top of her barrel by pulling herself along the walls:

Or if you’re Missy, you balance on a tire while checking out the garden:

The garden not only helps us supplement the chimps’ diet and adds beauty to their home, but as you can see, it also provides great enrichment for them. It’s a wonderful thing for them to be able to ask for something they see and for us to be able to harvest it for them.

Much to the chimpanzees’ delight, volunteer caregiver, Erin, was able to serve them onions from the garden today at lunch. You should have heard the never-ending happy foot grunts from Jamie:

Jody was so excited she was a little pilo (hair standing on end) and reaching out to get Erin’s attention for more:

Having a more dominant position in the hierarchy, Jody thought she would also help herself to Negra’s onion. You can see Negra (left) with a fear grimace reaching out in a submissive manner to touch Jody, asking permission to keep her onion. While this is a normal part of chimpanzee society, it’s actually pretty rare that anyone decides to take anything from Negra. She seems to fall outside the hierarchy and maintains a level of respect from the other chimps overall. It must be her role as queen! But the garden onions elicited quite a bit of excitement and Jody was unswayed by Negra’s royal status.

But of course, there was enough to go around and Negra was able to enjoy some onions along with everyone else:

After all that excitement, Annie cuddled up with a blanket for a peaceful afternoon nap in the warm breeze:

An intense focus

June 15, 2014 by Lisa

Jamie takes life pretty seriously. She likes to work on her projects, eat meals, take walks, and interact very intensely. Her focus can certainly be intimidating but it’s one of the traits I really admire, probably because it resonates. Today we set up a cabbage forage in the playroom after morning cleaning. In the series of photos that I snapped of Jamie enjoying the cabbage you can see how intently she was savoring each bite. What is even more unusual about this series is that Jamie was so absorbed with her snack that I was able to get in a number of shots before her focus turned to the camera!