Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
After her long post-clinic recovery day yesterday, it was good to see Jamie immediately go on a patrol. Someone has to make sure things are in order!
It was also good to see the personalized night bag just for Jamie that was part of the HOOT! event. Thank you, Cee Cee :).
Tomorrow, J.B. will be providing an update on Jamie’s clinic trip and Foxie’s too, which happened today.
Yesterday, Jamie spent some time in the clinic for a checkup. You will hear more on her procedure in the days to come, but rest assured that she is doing just fine!
Today, I wanted to show you what the rest of her crew has been up to since Jamie has been in isolation.
You know what they say!? When the cat’s away…
What is personhood? What is a person? Who deserves to bear those titles? It’s an argument that is fought for several years.
If you follow other NAPSA sanctuaries online, then you might be familiar with some cases that have taken place that paved the way for certain individuals to call a sanctuary home. There’s Sandra at Center for Great Apes, who in 2019 was granted rights as a “non-human person” in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In that case, the judge granted the basic rights of life, freedom, and a premise of “no harm” either physically or psychologically to Sandra and soon thereafter she made the trip to Florida.
Unlike Sandra, Leo and Hercules didn’t win their case to have habeas corpus granted to them, though they did make their way to Project Chimps afterward. In the United States, the fight to grant chimpanzees (or any species really) rights as a living being is a tougher fight. What seems to be the main sticking points are; does a “person” mean “human” and does a “thing” mean “everything else other than human whether it be living or inanimate?”
The reason this came to my mind is because there was a hearing in Michigan today about this very topic. There are currently seven chimpanzees who live at DeYoung Family Zoo. Animal rights organizations have been pleading their case to have these seven be transferred to an accredited sanctuary (Note: I just want to make it clear I am not talking about us.). The route they have chosen is to take the case of non-human animal personhood to court. The ruling on this hearing is still pending as I am writing.
In the U.S., there are two legal categories that fall under the law: persons and things. In a sense, this particular fight is if chimpanzees are persons or things. There is a great reference book called “Chimpanzee Rights: A Philosophers’ Brief,” which dives pretty deep into this argument. If you would like to read more about it, I would recommend that book. It breaks down the arguments for and against for considering chimpanzees as persons in a language I wouldn’t ever to be able give justice.
I am by no means an expert on this case and don’t know the full, complete details regarding those chimpanzees and their situation. But I know in my heart of hearts, chimpanzees are more than mere “things.” They are not simply property that can be sold or traded. They are smart. They are curious. They are complex. And yes, they also can be goofy. They can make their own choices and their own decisions in a way that mirrors humans. They can send signals, whether it be vocal, gestural, or just simply body posture, and reversely, they can receive those signals as well, even from us humans. They are brave. They are fearful. They are confident. They are anxious. They may not be human, but they are people.
Now, for what I’m sure most of you came here for: photos from the day!
George has been getting out on the Bray more and now that he’s more comfortable he is out at the same time as Jamie’s group and recently Missy (followed by Jamie) was, seemingly, walking up Young’s Hill alongside George who was in the Bray. Caregiver Kelsi and I stopped everything to go outside and check it out and were able to record some footage of the event.
Don’t forget you can join us online for our HOOT event for pre-show at 6:00 and live broadcast at 6:30 (PT) and we have our online auction going through the weekend!
Yesterday, you got to see Mave celebrate her 36th birthday! Did you miss it? If so, check it out here!
Today, you get to see what everyone was doing on the other side of the building! Jamie, Missy, Annie, Burrito, Foxie and Negra got to venture out onto Young’s Hill, their 2 acre outdoor habitat, to forage for all of the birthday goodies! They had coconuts, Dole Whip, baby heads of iceberg lettuce, corn and mini peppers. YUM! (No mango for this group due to Annie’s mango allergy. Bummer!)
It was quite windy outside, but most everyone braved the wind gusts to participate in the party treats! Can you guess who DID NOT brave the wind?
Every day, the chimpanzees are served 3 meals. Their diet largely consists of fresh fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and browse (more fibrous plant material such as grape vines or cattails), but we still supplement their diet with a very small amount of commercially prepared primate chow.
In this photo, Negra holds pieces of primate chow in both hands.
Breakfast may be the most exciting meal of the day, because it includes not only fresh fruit, but also freshly made fruit smoothies! Their daily smoothie includes a variety of fruit (almost always bananas, usually combined with an assortment of fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) and supplements to support their health (for example, an omega fatty acids oil blend).
In this photo, Jamie polishes off her smoothie, making sure she gets every last drop!
The chimps are also served one type of vegetable, several peanuts, and primate chow at breakfast, in addition to their smoothies and fruit. For lunch, the chimpanzees are served another fruit, two different vegetables, and primate chow. For their final meal of the day, the chimps are served 3 different types of vegetables and a “night bag,” which includes a mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins, other dried fruit, and popcorn. The night bag is the most exciting item at dinner time!
In this photo series, Dora enjoys a favorite vegetable – corn!
There are some items that are almost universally loved by the chimps. These include almost all fruits, and select vegetables like corn, avocado, and tomatoes (technically a fruit, but we count them as a vegetable for meals), to name a few. There are some exceptions – George, despite our best efforts to change his mind, is not interested in trying an avocado whereas Foxie loves them most! Missy is our well-known tomato connoisseur, and Cy loves corn so much that he does occasionally steal it from others (I think it is a fair tax as the alpha, he has a lot of work to do!). We are able to provide a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for the chimps, which vary by season, so some items are particularly exciting because they are only available seasonally (pomegranate is a great example!). For special occasions such as birthdays, arrival anniversaries, and holidays, we often prepare more novel foods to celebrate! Long-time volunteer caregiver Patti recently celebrated her birthday, and made chimp-approved carrot walnut waffles to celebrate with the chimps. Rayne, who has very high standards when it comes to food, absolutely loved the waffles!
If you’d like to support the chimps by purchasing some of their daily supplements, you can do so through our wish lists here. You can also become a Produce Patron, and help us keep the fridges stocked with a variety of fruits and vegetables!
Today started very Fall like. This morning was a little darker, a little drizzly and a little bit chilly. The chimpanzees are really enjoying the cooler temperatures, and Jamie’s group of 6 headed right out onto Young’s Hill for their morning patrol. Even Negra ventured out, with a doll tucked into her pelvic pocket!
Come breakfast time, everyone meandered in from the Hill at their own pace. And surprisingly, Annie was the last one in, making Burrito pretty impatient for his breakfast! But then, Burrito doesn’t like to sit still for anything.
Come have breakfast with the chimps!
