lucky caregiver Archives - Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Happy Valentine’s Day from CSNW!

Lucky is a sweet, quiet, independent, and excitable chimpanzee. She is low-ranking among her group of nine, but seems pretty content with her social status, except when her big brother, Cy, occasionally steals her corn.

Lucky was born in 1991 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). She lived in the laboratory for five years until it closed in 1996.

Lucky at LEMSIP:

From there, Lucky and 30 other chimpanzees, were sent to Wildlife Waystation (WWS) in California, where they would live for the next couple decades. In 2019, WWS announced its’ closure due to financial difficulties. At the time of closing, WWS housed 42 chimpanzees and over 430 other wild and domestic animals. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife were able to find homes for the other wild animals, but not for the chimpanzees. The “Chimpanzees in Need” fundraiser began from there, with the goal of finding all of the WWS chimpanzees new forever accredited homes, which required many facility expansions, and also to get the chimps from California to their new homes, safely.

Lucky, as well as her group mates, Cy, Terry, Gordo, Dora, and Rayne (known as “The Lucky Six” in the “Chimpanzees in Need” campaign) arrived here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in June of 2021. The “Chimpanzees in Need” fundraiser was a success, raising over $4.7M and rehoming all of the WWS chimpanzees.

One of the original “The Lucky Six” pictures for the fundraiser (top L-R: Cy, Dora, Gordo; bottom L-R: Lucky, Rayne, Terry):

Lucky was quite a bit heavier when she arrived in 2021:

Once “The Lucky Six” were settled in at their new home in central Washington, they began to slowly be introduced to Willy B, Honey B, and Mave, a group of three chimpanzees that had also came from Wildlife Waystation two years prior (2019).

Spoiler alert for new blog readers: the introductions went well and the group of 9 (commonly referred to as Cy’s group on our daily blog) have been living together full-time since April 2022 (that anniversary is coming up fast!).

Lucky is full siblings with her group leader, Cy, as well as half-siblings with group mates, Rayne and Honey B.

When Lucky is very excited, whether it be because of an upcoming party, a delicious lunch, or a human friend visiting her, she will breathy pant with her tongue out, while shaking her head excitedly. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on our faces!

She also heavily communicates with her caregivers through grunting. I have been out of the chimp house lately while I recover from a non-work related injury (just to clarify!) and Lucky and I have a pretty close relationship. As soon as she spots me while I’m visiting, she will grunt loudly, even if she is a room away, and I immediately know I’ve been spotted. She will then hurry over to grunt and then breathy pant with excitement. She sure is good at making me feel special and missed! Thanks, Lucky.

Lucky’s favorite activity is to groom with others. She loves grooming her caregiver’s boots since she loves footwear.

Lucky is a fashionista. She likes to wear scarves or sweatbands around her neck like a choker necklace. My personal favorite part of her wearing a sweatband around her neck is that she has so much hair, you can’t see it when you look at her head-on, you will only notice the necklace once she climbs up high or you catch her at the proper angle. Blue and red are her colors, in my opinion.

One of my favorite days I have ever experienced while working with chimps, was the day Lucky went out on The Bray for the first time. She needed some verbal affirmations while she was building up the courage to leave the chute, and then she went for it. I remember throwing my fists in the air like my team had just made the winning touchdown of the Super Bowl. Ever since, Lucky loves spending time outside on The Bray and ventures out to all of the wooden structures to relax, take in the scenery, and forage.

Lucky’s first days on The Bray:

Lucky loves most foods. Her favorites are cherry tomatoes, berries, corn, mangoes, fennel, and baked sweet potatoes. She also loves her daily breakfast smoothie. She always licks her lips before she starts drinking her smoothie. Oh! How could I forget? Lucky is a gum enthusiast. Once she has gum, she will savor it for a few hours and chomp away.