Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Jody

Back to Normal

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For those of you haven’t been following the recent Jody eyelid saga, here’s a recap: Last Thursday, Jody’s eyelid was partially detached during a fight in the group at lunchtime. Our incredibly talented, dedicated, and caring vet, Dr. Erin Zamzow, reattached the eyelid with some subcuticular sutures, and Jody stayed isolated from the other chimps for another day or two to give her eye a chance to heal. On Sunday, we reunited Jody with the group, and everyone was so happy to have her back. Maybe a little too happy, because they wanted to spend a lot of time grooming her eye. We didn’t want anyone to undo Dr. Zamzow’s work, so we made the decision to re-isolate Jody the next day. She’s been getting lots of extra blankets and treats, and lots of extra attention from caregivers, but she made it clear that she wanted to rejoin her friends ASAP. This morning we got the okay from Dr. Zamzow to re-reunite Jody with the group. Happy day!

It’s been quite a stressful week for Jody, and she is ecstatic to be back where she belongs. And maybe a little exhausted from her ordeal. After lunch today she drifted off to sleep as Negra gently groomed her back.

Dr. Missy

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As you may already know, chimpanzees groom each other for both socialization and hygiene. They keep diligent track of any injury their friends have sustained and are always on hand to squeeze, prod, pick at, or even gently bite an offending wound. This does a pretty good job of keeping things open and clean. At the sanctuary, no one is more dedicated to the job of wound groomer than Missy Chimpanzee (AKA Dr. Missy).

Last week we had to do a quick surgical procedure to stitch Jody’s partially detached eyelid back together. She continues to recover and improve, but as an added precaution to make sure she heals smoothly (and gets to keep her stitches as long as possible), we separated her again from the group yesterday evening. Dr. Missy will need to wait a bit longer before she can do some serious grooming.

The doctor in action:

Oranges to go

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It was the perfect late summer morning with bright blue skies and cool air. Jody was very anxious to get outside and resume her mother hen duties and make sure Young’s Hill was safe for her friends to venture on and see what she could see. And everyone seemed equally excited to be out and about with their friend and took their oranges from breakfast to go!

Jody:

Missy:

Foxie:

Reunited and it Feels so Good

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This morning we got the okay to reintroduce Jody back to the group. She received a very warm welcome as you will see in the video. Jody was greeted by Jamie and Burrito when she got access to the Playroom. Jamie was very happy to see Jody was doing well, but also needed to inspect the rooms Jody had been in for the past few days. Jody wanted nothing more than to go straight out to Young’s Hill. Most morning when the chimps get access to the Hill, Jody, the mother hen that she is, likes to be first out to ensure it is safe and secure. So of course, that would be the first place to go when you are reunited back with your friends. We are very happy to see Jody is recovering so well!

Jody laying down while Burrito (middle) grooms Jo and Foxie (right) grooms Burrito:

Annie (left) and Burrito (right) grooming Jody (middle):

And well then there is Burrito:

He was some humans arriving this morning and was very excited to see them (Burrito pant hooting):

The ending of Burrito’s excited pant hoot:

Jody on the mend

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Jody is recovering right now on a big, comfortable pile of blankets after undergoing a procedure to repair an injury to her eye.

Yesterday, during lunch, the chimps got into a fight. There’s nothing unusual about that, as you probably know by now. And it’s not unusual for a chimp to get bitten or scratched during these kinds of fights either but they don’t often require much in the way of treatment. However, during this fight Jody’s eyelid became partially detached and a quick surgical repair was required.

The staff and Dr. Zamzow quickly isolated Jody in Front Room 1, our medical treatment enclosure, and prepared Jody for anesthetization. When Jody was safely under, Dr. Zamzow reattached the eyelid with a few subcuticular sutures and we did a quick health exam before letting Jody recover.

Jody getting prepped in the enclosure for an IV catheter after receiving the anesthetic:

Whenever we do these procedures, we get the other chimps out into the Greenhouse and Young’s Hill to allow the patient some peace and quiet inside during induction and recovery. By evening, Jody was starting to come around while the other chimps were eager to check in on their friend.

Jody recovering after the procedure:

Missy, Jamie, Burrito, and Foxie checking on Jody through the windows to the playroom:

When Dr. Zamzow finished suturing, Jody’s eye looked so good that I had to try to remember which eye had been injured! But the challenge in treating chimps is getting them to ignore their wounds and leave sutures in place. For the next couple of days, Jody will remain separate from the other chimps, though she can have contact with them through the caging. Foxie and Annie in particular have expressed concern for Jody and check in on her regularly.

We’ll be keeping a close watch on Jody’s eye as it heals and hoping that no follow up procedures are necessary. For now, she’s happy being catered to and seems to be really enjoying some quiet time on one of the largest nests she’s ever built.

The Princess and the Pea:

 

Summer’s exhale

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The lush green of summer has melted into a golden reverie. Days are still warm, but early mornings and nights are decidedly cool, sometimes even goosebump inducing. Blooms have turned to berries, seeds are scattering in the wind along with feathers from empty nest boxes, and the remaining wild families are growing, juveniles bouncing between parent and independence. Summer’s exhale.

The chimps spent a long time exploring on the hill this morning after breakfast. Longer than I’ve seen for awhile. Climbing old haunts and investigating nooks and crannies. Annie and Burrito traversed the shaky bridges and just spent time enjoying, well, their time.

Foxie and Strawberry Shortcake:

Jamie:

Jody returned from her wild foraging adventures and sat in the raceway to Young’s Hill with her wildflower treat:

Meanwhile, back in the chimp house, Foxie!

Taking a break from cleaning:

Great Morning

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It was a great morning to go outside! All the chimps were out playing on the structures, walking the perimeter, foraging for foliage, or if you were Negra you were still in bed.

Missy started her morning with some tight rope walking:

And she was feeling pretty good about it:

Burrito spent a lot of his morning following Annie around:

Annie pretended not to notice Burrito, and enjoyed some slices of grapefruit:

I found Burrito under the bridge watching the ladies from below:

Annie on the platform, Missy on the fire hose, and Burrito underneath:

Once they were off the Hill, Missy (left) and Annie (right) decided to groom:

Missy laid down, and Annie kept grooming:

Foxie (front) and Jody (behind) decided to walk most of the perimeter of the Hill until they both got distracted by foliage and climbing structures:

This blanket lump is actually Negra. She was too comfy to get out of bed:

Jamie spent her morning going on a walk, and later laying on a barrel with some of her beloved boots. She had to supervise the volunteers while they cleaned: