Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Mave

Forage Season!

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We love forage season! It’s the best time of the year, when the weather is warm enough for chimps to hangout outside! Personally, it’s my favorite time of the year to take pictures of the chimps! I love seeing the grass contrast in the background. Please enjoy these photos of the chimps having a great day!

Burrito getting a bird’s-eye view of his neighbors while eating his kohlrabi:

Later he snagged some sweet potato:

Jamie did very well for herself (the green onion in foot is the best):

Annie bird:

Negra was the first one out this morning and the first one out for the forage:

Foxie eating a carrot:

Foxie in the green grass:

We even got a glimpse of Rayne from Young’s Hill:

Rayne really enjoyed the forage:

Bonus photos of Mave working on a Giant Kong:

*Event coming up* if anyone is in the Washington or Seattle area, we will be tabling at the Planted Expo at the Seattle Convention Center this Saturday, April 20th and Sunday, April 21st from 10 to 5. This will be our first time at Planted and we are really looking forward to it, so come say hi!

Brave Mave’s Foray on the Bray

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We almost missed it the first time.

I had a few minutes to kill before the chimps’ breakfast and decided to see if anyone was on the Bray. When I exited the greenhouse door I had to rub my eyes. Funny, I thought, that almost looks like Mave out there…

When caring for animals, or anyone for that matter, there are things you can control or influence and things you can’t. For the latter, all you can do is be patient and let them find their own way in their own time.

I guess the other obvious life lesson here is this: If there’s something you are afraid of, just get in a lot of fights and do the scary thing while you’re fighting. The fighting will seem much scarier by comparison, and over time, you will come to discover that you had the power to do the thing without fighting all along. 🙂

Anyway, three cheers for Mave! See you out on the Bray!

 

Champion Among Apes

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The fact that the apes exist and that we can study them is extremely important and makes us reflect on ourselves and our human nature. In that sense alone, you need to protect the apes.”

We join the primatology world in mourning the loss of researcher Frans de Waal. Frans was one of the bigger names in primatology. His studies on cognition, emotions, empathy, intelligence, (this list goes on) are widely regarded as some of the most important studies contributed to the study of primates, particularity those relating to chimpanzees and bonobos.

Though in his early years most of his studies we focused on captive lab settings, he started to champion for non-lab studies and conservation efforts. In fact, he has been associated with many sanctuaries either as a member of board of directors or as consultant on behavior and welfare.

Frans was the author of many books on the topic of intelligence and empathy. Some of those aren’t all centered around primates but go through a whole spectrum of species. I could list all the books I recommend to read, but it would be a just a majority of his works. I will though say if you haven’t read his most influential book “Chimpanzee Politics,” that would be the best place to start. “Chimpanzee Politics” is the book that actually set me down the path to where I am now. At the time, I was well down the rabbit hole of majoring in political science and only a minor in anthropology, one of the many umbrellas the field of primatology falls under, which I was unaware of at the time. That book allowed me to realize I could marry up my political science and anthropology studies together.

“Chimpanzee Politics” was so influential to me, I was able to get Frans to sign my copy when he was passing through Seattle and giving a talk about animal emotions in conjunction with the release of his book “Mama’s Last Hug,” which I also recommend. “Mama’s Last Hug,” was written after the viral video of Mama recognized one of her oldest researchers, Jan van Hooff, visited her as she was in her final days. Not only can you read all about Mama in the book, but you can also read about her in “Chimpanzee Politics.” She plays a HUGE role in that monumental book.

The world of primatology has taken two big hits recently. Other than Frans, influential researcher Christophe Boesch passed away in January. Christophe also contributed a lot to the field with his research on social cognition, tool use, and cooperation of the chimpanzees in the Taï National Forest of Côte d’Ivoire.

With that, I will leave you all with links to Frans’ TED Talks about “morality” and “alpha males.” The are both really great.

To not leave everybody totally down, here are some happy photos!

Rayne

Rayne put her breakfast pears in a cup from yesterday’s celebration to avoid walking with totally full hands.
Look at that happy face! Rayne’s play session with Honey B this morning was just like this photo; a blur of fur and laughs.

Cy

Cy watching the traffic go by on the nearby highway from Ryan’s Lookout.

Lucky

Check out those peanut butter lips from her afternoon Kong!

Gordo

On his way back in from today’s lunch forage on The Bray.

Mave

Waiting for caregivers to give her and her family access back to the Marmot Mountain Playroom after cleaning.

Mora

These next few photo are terrible, but also too good not to share.

Grooming each other while laying down.
Who knows what warranted this hug? These two seem to find ANY reason to hug.

Cy and Lucky

It’s actually a little difficult to get photos of these two siblings together.
So it was nice to capture a few when they were both on Ryan’s Lookout during today’s lunch forage.

International Women’s Day

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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.

 

Be Mine, Mave

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I’m excited to continue our Be Mine series with the one and only, floofy, loveable, Mave.

Mave (also known as Mavis, Mavie, Mavie Baby, and/or half of the formidable pair known as Mora) came to CSNW on August 18, 2019 with Willy B and Honey B. Mave was born on September 25th, 1989 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). Our records state that her mother’s name was LuLu, who was owned and kept for years by the Primate Foundation of Arizona, a ‘chimpanzee breeding colony and behavioral research center‘.

We’ve, thankfully, been able to learn more about Mave over the last few years. We originally did not know who Mave’s father was, but early last year we discovered that her father is Conrad– meaning that she is half-siblings with our very own Terry! They definitely resemble each other in both face and general floof level. It’s really comforting to know this detail about their lives.

We also learned the real date of Mave’s birthday! We had chosen to celebrate her birthday on May 27th, since her medical records had not included her date of birth. Then we learned that her actual birthday is September 25th, so last year we celebrated two birthdays for Mave (and also for Willy B)!

Mave spent the first seven years of her life at LEMSIP, before moving to Wildlife Waystation in 1996 when LEMSIP closed. She lived there for 23 years before coming to CSNW, after Wildlife Waystation closed due to financial difficulties. She now lives in a group of nine after the integration of her group with the ‘Lucky Six’.

During her time at LEMSIP, after she was taken from her mother and put in the nursery to be raised by human technicians, Mave lived with a male chimpanzee named Goliath. From the stories we have heard, they were a closely bonded pair. They continued to live together after moving to Wildlife Waystation for many years until he passed away.

It’s easy to fall in love with Mave.

She knows how to relax and enjoys spending time totally sprawled out on the floor, on her back with her feet up against the wall. She has the self-care concept locked down.

Mave also has some of the *best* food squeaks in the building. When we bring out meals, sometimes even before she has seen what’s on the cart, you can usually hear her high-pitched food squeaks through the foyer.

Mave loves, and she loves hard. When she has decided that you are one of her people, that’s it. She can take a while to warm up to the humans and I remember it took a while for her to interact with me outside of meals. I personally feel like I’ve seen a change in our relationship in the last few months, in the sense that I’ve spent more time grooming with her, knuckle-rubbing, or interacting with her through a game of chase. A year and a half of patience is totally worth it to be her friend. She is intentional in her relationships and we love her for it.

In her chimp family, she is the ‘Mo’- to Dora’s ‘Ra’. The two of them became fast friends when their groups were integrated and now they are almost always found within a few feet of each other. When they get excited or scared, they will often run into the others arms for a nice, reassuring hug. It didn’t take long for them to earn the nickname ‘Mora‘ from staff, since they are attached at the proverbial hip. They spend a lot of time grooming, sitting next to each other, playing, sitting near each other, napping (near each other)… They are the best of friends. Integrating two groups of chimps is stressful, but seeing the bonds they’ve all made with each other has made it worth it- especially these two. Mave lost Goliath, but she was able to find Dora and for that I am grateful.

Mave also has a bit of a saucy streak. The groups were integrated, she determined Dora was her person, and the next thing we knew she was putting a quick stop to a certain behavior from Terry. She looks out for her friends.

It’s not just with Terry that we’ve seen Mave stand up for something that she believes in. We’ve mentioned her complicated relationship with Gordo in the blog before, where she feels motivated to pressure him into giving up some of his food to her during meals. He’s gotten pretty good at avoiding her, but if she finds him he’ll give her an empty bag or the butt of a carrot instead of a whole item. It’s brilliant on Gordo’s part, and I think maybe it shows that for Mave it’s less about the food item and more about the power dynamic.

On the flip side of relaxing and intimidating Gordo, she is often found grooming or playing with her family. She can be so relaxed and then she’ll get involved in a fast paced game of chase that has her moving through all the chimp spaces! If you want to see more of her goofy side, watch the ‘Fall in Love’ video below. It’ll put a smile on your face, I promise.

We love Mave and we love that you all love her, too! Thank you so much to Mave’s current Chimpanzee Pals; Vicki, Monica, Sharlene, Heather & Jarrod, Craig & Kim, Lisa, and Laura.

Do you feel like you connect with Mave, a bit like how she’s connected to Dora? You can become her Pal, too! Click here for more.

Mirror Mania

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Chimpanzee intelligence is well-known and a specific aspect of their intelligence that I find particularly fascinating is their awareness of self as separate from others, or ‘theory of mind’. A classic experiment used to test for theory of mind in animals is the mirror test whereby a mark is placed on the face or some other body part of an animals and then they are presented with a mirror. If the animal notices the mark and reaches towards their own face instead of the one in the mirror, this indicates that they are aware that the image in the mirror is themself and not another animal. This works on a number of species we all recognize to be intelligent like elephants, dolphins, and the great apes while, interestingly, other nonhuman primates like monkeys, will fail this test. Human children typically begin to pass the mirror test around the age of two.

I’ve always enjoyed watching chimpanzees look at themselves in the mirror. Some are more interested than others in their own reflections, usually picking at marks or scabs on their face and head, opening their mouths to inspect their teeth and tongue, and sometimes making faces at themselves. Are they amused? Are they curious? What’s happening in those minds?!

To celebrate this endearing behavior, I’ve decided to put together a compilation of photos and videos of the chimps at CSNW looking at their own beautiful faces. Enjoy!