As J.B. excitedly described last week, Mave finally decided to explore the outdoors. We don’t know what prompted her newfound bravery, but we are here for it!
And so, apparently, is Gordo.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by Diana 21 Comments
As J.B. excitedly described last week, Mave finally decided to explore the outdoors. We don’t know what prompted her newfound bravery, but we are here for it!
And so, apparently, is Gordo.
Today is International Women’s Day, so it seems only appropriate to recognize and celebrate some of the influential women in our field, and in our lives. If you missed Tuesday’s post by Amanda focused on women in primatology, go check it out!
I think it is safe to say that Dr. Jane Goodall is an inspiration to all of us who love and care for chimpanzees. For most of us, our love of the species and individuals is shown in the daily care we provide to them, our friendships built with them, and heard about extensively by our families and friends. But Dr. Goodall has shared her love and passion far beyond the boundaries of her inner circle. She has made a tremendous impact by inspiring both current and future advocates, caregivers, veterinary technicians, and veterinarians of chimpanzees through sharing their stories and the importance of preserving their place on our planet. Beyond that, she is a symbol of success in science for young girls and women everywhere to look up to and aspire to. Her passion for chimpanzees and conservation work has spanned decades, and she continues to travel and advocate for chimpanzees and the importance of conservation to this day (she will be speaking in Seattle later this month!). I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Goodall briefly when she visited Chimp Haven several years ago. We had the opportunity to listen to stories she shared about meeting chimpanzees living in laboratories and seeing the conditions they had experienced, and then getting to witness the lives they had in sanctuary after many years of work to get them there. It was a wonderful day getting to introduce our chimpanzee friends to Dr. Goodall, if only we could explain to them how cool of a person they were getting to see! All that to say, we admire and celebrate you, Dr. Goodall, and are so thankful for everything you have done and continue to do for chimpanzees and our planet.
Caregiver Ellen talking with Dr. Jane Goodall during a visit to Chimp Haven. My colorful shoes were painted by chimp friends!
Here at CSNW, we have many wonderful women to celebrate today…both chimpanzee and human! If you missed our Be Mine series in February, visit the links for each of our female chimp friends here: Mave, Dora, Rayne, Lucky, Honey B, Jamie, Foxie, Missy, Annie, and Negra, as well as our friend we have lost but whose memory we will always celebrate and remember, Jody.
Male chimps, at least in my experience, are usually easier to get to know and more willing to let you in. Take Terry, Cy, and Burrito for example. These lovely gentleman so readily accept you into their circle, and welcome you. My very first day getting to interact with the chimps, Chad took me to learn about appropriate interactions with Terry and he was so gentle and patient with someone who was (mostly) a stranger to him. He gently groomed the back of my hand, and let me rub him with my knuckle. The ladies, however, are often much more difficult to build friendships with. They have to test you first, making sure you are worthy of their time and friendship. This makes it all the more rewarding when they let you in though. One of the best moments I had recently was with Negra, who J.B. recently (and very accurately and lovingly) described as “a grumpy old lady.” I got to the sanctuary and was turning on lights and making my morning rounds of greeting the chimps. Neggie peeked up from her nest to look at me, and when I told her “Good morning, Neggie!” she quickly got up and made her way over to greet me. She offered me a kiss, and we sat and panted at each other for several seconds as she gave me a kiss on the back of my hand. Next she reached towards me, as if she wanted to groom the back of my hand. In my past experiences with Negra, this usually was not a well-intended gesture, so I was unsure if I should allow her to touch the back of my hand. I showed her my knuckle, politely asking if I could knuckle rub her arm, and she turned to press her arm against the mesh and sat with me for a few moments, letting me gently touch her arm with my knuckle while looking into my eyes. This moment was pure magic for me. Does this mean Negra will always be sweet to me from here on out? No. But it means she let me in, even if just for a few moments, and felt comfortable to allow me to spend that time with her. There’s just something special about those female friendships.
A kiss from Negra
Negra
Happy International Women’s Day to women everywhere! I’m including a shout out to my mom here, because I would not be the person I am today without her example of following her passions and the love, respect, and belief she has had in me at every step of my life. May you all be surrounded with such strong and influential women in your lives, and continue to change the world in ways big and small every single day! Together we can create a brighter future for generations of women to come, both human and chimpanzee.
by Jenna
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.
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.
A huge thank you to Lucky’s Pals: Vicki, Monica, Debi, Lindsey, Síle and Rachel.
If you think Lucky is as sweet as I do, make her your Valentine by becoming her Pal today! We appreciate it!
Tomorrow, we will be sharing more of today’s Valentine’s Day party! Here is a sneak peek:
Can you guess the party theme? Hint: February 14th is World Bonobo Day!
by Anna
by Chad de Bree
Jamie is a person of particular tastes. She knows what she likes, and what she likes she really likes. One item that she really likes is the book series of Lucy the Bonobo.
You may have seen these books in the blog, when we do a shameless plug for our Amazon wish list (which this is also a shameless plug and you’ll see why soon), social media, and other places.
If you have been following for the past year or two, then you might also know Cy is a literary lover. Cy, however, has more of a taste for celebrity gossip magazines. He is, however, not the only one in his group who likes to thumb through books and magazines.
I realized today we haven’t touched upon the other “reader” in the group other than maybe a casual mention here and there.
For a long while now, we knew Rayne tends to seek out the cardboard children’s books to flip through, though she does have a “eat after reading” mindset. Lately, however, we began putting some Lucy books in her group’s daily enrichment. Rayne has taken a liking to Lucy as well! We have been noticing her carrying around Lucy books a lot lately. Unlike the cardboard children’s book, she has not adhered to her “eat after reading” policy. She leaves them intact and holds onto them as long as possible. Even taking them out onto the Bray with her.
It was this morning when I saw her holding the previous days’ Lucy book close to her chest that sparked the inspiration for today’s blog.
She even kept one to take with her to her nest later on in the day.
Hopefully now you know why this blog is a shameless plug for our wish lists. With two Lucy fans, we are going to need to have a stockpile ready.
In fact, we might have three Lucy fans in our midst! Several times today, I have seen Lucky carrying one around!
Unfortunately for Lucky, every time I saw her flipping through one, Rayne would come by and take it from her sooner or later.
Only time will tell if Rayne’s Lucy fascination will stick and if Lucky will be able to showcase her admiration of Lucy more.
So please help us keep our stock plentiful if you can!
Bonus Photos
“Mavey see, Mavey do!” Today, Mora had a leg up, literally.
Okay. Okay. Okay. In reality, if anybody copied anybody here, it was Dora copying a Queen of Relaxation.
And of course, our very own handsomely lovable Teeny Tiny Terry!
by Kelsi
Today was pretty low key. The chimps seemed to be recovering from all the festivities, I think we can all relate to that! Please enjoy a few photos of the chimps having a nice lazy day.
Jamie on the barrel:
Jamie holding Foxie’s doll and her bonobo book:
Honey B eating Brussels Sprouts:
Lucky:
Rayne soooo sleepy in a nest:
Cy:
Gordo grooming Terry (Cy and Mave grooming in the background)
Gordo is so handsome:
by Chad de Bree
You may be asking yourself, “What is a scuttlebutt?” Scuttlebutt is a U.S. Navy term for rumor or gossip. When on ship, a sailor’s water source was a “scuttlebutt.” “Scuttle” meaning drill and “butt” meaning cask. In layman’s terms, a scuttlebutt is a water fountain. This was just a long about way to say “water cooler talk;” a place where people gather to gossip.
The term (and concept) of scuttlebutt popped into my mind as I watched both groups converge on their tables or cattle troughs full of snow. My mind then wondered to what the chimps may be saying to each other in their secret language around the scuttlebutt. What kind of gossip would they tell each other?
Though I cannot say 100% for sure what they would gossip about, I think I have a decent guess on what Burrito would gossip about: the neighbors!
I will admit that I didn’t think of this blog until a little later on, so I missed out at the group gathering of Burrito’s group at the sandbox table. But I am not here empty handed.
Missy in particular has been seen at the scuttlebutt multiple times throughout the day
On her way to dinner, Negra stopped by for a quick refreshing treat
And of course sweet, sassy Foxie had to partake
Though the concept of snow is still new to Lucky’s group and they have yet to go onto the snow-glistened Bray, they have at least determined it’s a great treat.
Rayne and Lucky in particular have been seen with snow throughout a majority of today
Willy B also was seen by caregivers returning to the source of the snow whenever he finished what he had
And Cy
There was also a nice moment with half-siblings Mave and Terry at the snow pile
Until something is invented to know what they are truly thinking, I will just sit back and imagine what they would gossip about.
Bonus photos!
Lastly, we are finally in the month of December! That means planning for Christmas is well upon its way. A lot has been added to our Amazon Wish List in preparation, with more being added each day. Be sure to check it out to see if there is anything you can help out with. We (chimpanzees and caregivers) would greatly appreciate it!
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Cle Elum, WA 98922
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509-699-0728
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