Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Jamie

Blowing off steam

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Mornings in the chimp house have been, well, shall we say a little intense the past few days. With what seems to be an early winter, changing routines and closer quarters at mealtimes, we usually experience a little adjustment period with the changing seasons. Breakfast is often pre-empted with the normal raucous and rowdy displays and cage rattling from Burrito (with some extra flare this time of year) which leads to the usual arguments and scuffles with the girls flying after him screaming at the tops of their lungs. Then with tensions high and breakfast being served in the warmer (but smaller) front rooms, it’s been every caregiver for themselves during breakfast service which has frequently involved dodging (if you’re lucky) flying feces from the boss lady. Most of this is normal chimpanzee behavior and all of it is understandable. We all have to blow off steam sometimes.

The chimps also sometimes choose to exert some sense of control over their changing routine or avoid tension in the group by choosing to stay in areas when we are attempting to shift them to others so we can clean. This is Missy’s favorite time to stay back on her own in the playroom and hoot and holler from the loft to her hearts content. Jody also loves to bring her snack into the front rooms when she sees me attempting to close the doors. I leave the area at which point she leaves the front rooms, but the second she sees me looking that way she runs back in. But as we’ve said many times, part of the importance and beauty of sanctuary is the chimpanzees having the choice to call the shots and make their own choices as much as possible. And we’re only too happy to follow their lead.

So after the breakfast kerfuffle, When this morning dawned warmer and somewhat sunny, we couldn’t have been more thrilled for the chimps to have the chance to spend much of the day outside zooming about, racing and running with each other and their caregivers, and just getting some space from one another, taking in the sights and getting some fresh air.

And while Negra still chose to stay inside in her cozy nest, she was entertained by no less than four caregivers dancing like maniacs as she nodded along with approval. It’s been a good day.

Burrito, Annie and Foxie (below):

Burrito and Annie:

Annie checking out the comings and goings of the sanctuary:

Missy:

Jody started to head back to the greenhouse with a favorite pine tree treat, but stopped short of going inside to check on all her friends. Jody spotted Foxie hanging out by herself and decided she needed to go collect her:

Jamie was thrilled to be out and about and has Kelsi running (literally) around the hill all the live long day:

Laying and Playing

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Foxie and Burrito are two of our most playful chimps! So when we get the chance to watch them play, it is really quite fun. Foxie and Burrito began the morning with a post breakfast nap. After, a quick power nap they started a lazy game of wrestling which turned into a full game and then back to a lazy game. Below are some photos of the progression from napping to playing. Happy Sunday!

Foxie & Burrito napping:

Foxie & Burrito wrestling:

Stilling wrestling:

Back to laying and playing:

And a few extra photo for you all…

Annie’s silhouette:

Jamie holding one of her favorite boots:

Don’t forget about the Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment!

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Have you checked out our Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment? On this site we keep track of all the fun food puzzles and other items we give to the chimps. We are always looking for new enrichment ideas to try at the sanctuary and share with the chimpanzee caregiver community, so please feel free to share our site with anyone who might be able to benefit or contribute new ideas to our page!

Here’s Jamie using the treat rock food puzzle (filmed May of last year):

Chimpanzee Time

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Last Sunday we all changed the clocks back an hour, but the chimps have no use for telling the time (other than when their stomachs tell them it’s time to eat). Rather than changing the chimps’ schedule and routine, the humans change their own work schedule. During the winter months we start work an hour earlier and in the spring we start an hour later. This way the chimpanzees get to remain blissfully unaware of springing forward or falling back.

Jamie’s nesting schedule remains the same: whenever she feels like it!

The First Snow

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We woke up to our first snow today! There are some mixed feelings about this white dust.

1.) First and foremost we are excited to eat the snow!

2.) We like the beauty of it, but also it came too soon…

3.) It is making us a little reluctant to get outside…

SO… We like you snow, but please not yet!

Young’s Hill:

Jody eating some snow from the Hill entrance, but not going outside:

Burrito doing the same:

As enrichment we filled buckets with some snow and put them everywhere:

Jamie snuggling with a boot and keeping warm with blankets over her:

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Keeping Fit

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Boss Jamie does frequent patrols of the perimeter of the chimps’ outdoor habitat to make sure everything is on the up and up. These patrols happen multiple times each day, and most of the time Jamie prefers for a caregiver or three to accompany her (and sometimes some of the other chimps tag along also). A walk around the hilly 2-acre habitat is good exercise for everyone involved, but occasionally Jamie pushes us to go a little faster.