Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Marcus Andrews sponsored a day of sanctuary for the chimpanzees and cattle today in honor of “My other half.”
Marcus, thank you for celebrating your special person by making a difference in the lives of fourteen more special individuals! We truly appreciate you thinking of them all in this way.
Missy and Annie:
Wednesdays are kind of crazy days. Between cleaning, serving meals, walking with Jamie, feeding cattle, making sure the daily tasks are done, and it being a day we usually have our staff meeting. It’s a pretty packed day! However, for the chimps their Wednesdays are pretty relaxed. Especially today! For lunch the 7 enjoyed a forage on Young’s Hill. In the afternoon, Jamie and I were on a leisurely stroll and it seemed like everyone was out peacefully enjoying the Hill. As for the 3 they did have a chance to go onto the Hill, but no takers yet, one day! Honey B, Mave, and Willy B did enjoy their day grooming, playing chase with friends, and enjoying the warm spring air in the chute. This is my long apology for the blog being posted so late 🙂 Please enjoy these photos of the chimps!
In the morning everyone rushed out on to Young’s Hill, Negra included! The grass is so green it almost looks photo-shopped.
Negra:
Foxie carrying her Strawberry Shortcake:
Missy:
For the lunch forage, we scattered whole peppers, tomatoes, and beets all over the Hill.
Missy made sure to snag all the tomatoes (she also loves green bell peppers):
Negra was scoping out who she might be able to steal some forage from:
I love this photo of Jamie:
After the forage everyone went into the Green House to unwind.
Jody lounging with her spruce tree branches:
Foxie:
Well, almost everyone wanted to unwind.
The mischievous Burrito:
Also Willy B:
And if you stay late enough you can get a photo of Honey B in her nest:
Goodnight everyone!
Today marks day 31 of our new normal, for the humans, that is. For any new blog followers; because of COVID-19 we have been taking extra precautions to make sure the chimps are not exposed. We have a whole routine just to walk into the chimp house in the morning. We glove & mask up, disinfect our shoes & personal things, and we change into scrubs. All throughout the day we are changing gloves and washing our hands. The other part of our new normal, which is were we started counting our new normal, it is just staff and one volunteer that met our very strict criteria. So, to say we have been busy would be an understatement! We have been keeping a record of our new normal. See photo below. But, if we wanted to get technical we believe this started 36 days ago.
However, for the chimps nothing has changed! They are blissfully unaware of the pandemic going on and they are all enjoying the nice weather! In the photos you can see the green grass coming back (EEEK!)
We have the marvelous Missy! Today, on Young’s Hill Missy and Annie ran out of the raceway chasing each other. Missy was also walking all over the fire hose on the Hill, she has some seriously amazing balance!
A perfectly graceful twist as the dismount!
Missy sprinting down the Hill.
I mean that takes a strong core balance!
Jamie leading the perimeter walk, while Burrito followed. Missy and Annie were chasing each other and took a break to join the walk.
I noticed Annie had been draping this piece of blanket over her waist, she kind of stuck a side in each pelvic pocket to create a waist band. Than when everyone got access to the Hill in the morning. I saw Annie carrying it out with her. Even through sprinting after Missy, Annie kept it with her or knew exactly where it was so she could grab it!
Negra gathered everyone’s orange peels and headed out onto the Hill.
Burrito looking over towards the Chute, hoping to catch a glimpse of Honey B, Mave, & Willy B.
On the Phase 1 side, Honey B was being her goofy self. I found Honey B balancing on this fire hose, wearing a headband, and upside down.
Later, she went up to look at herself in the mirror.
She is a pretty amazing individual.
This lovely day of sanctuary was sponsored by Robin Lundy, in honor of Jane Goodall on her birthday. Robin shared this thoughtful, heartfelt and poignant note about her gift:
“I am sponsoring today in honor of Jane Goodall on her birthday. With Biruté Galdikas and the late Dian Fossey, Dr. Goodall has devoted her life and work to advocate for the survival and well-being of our primate cousins. There are few humans whom I admire more than this woman of courage and vision. As the human species is besieged in the corona virus pandemic, it is well worth considering the ways in which we may have engendered the proliferation of this virus through our use – and misuse – of our natural environment and the non-human animals with whom we share our fragile biosphere. May the experience of the pandemic serve to teach us that human animals do not exist apart from the natural world, and as such, we must respect and protect the ecosystem. In honoring Dr. Goodall as a prophetic voice and witness, I like to think that people like Missy, her daughter Honey B (and for that matter, Honey the cow) also admire her for her life’s work of advocacy and activism on behalf of animals.”
Robin, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to celebrate Jane Goodall on her special day and the contributions through courage, hope and inspiration that she, and so many amazing women of all species, have and continue to make to life. And for reminding us that be they primate (including our human selves), bovine, plant, or otherwise, there truly is no separation.
From our sanctuary home in the mountains, we all send intentions of gratitude, joy and well-being across the waters to you, Dr. Goodall! We wish you a beautiful birthday! May the hope, kindness and steadfast resolve you inspire in so many of us stay bright in your heart and may we manifest it in the world around us all.
Missy:
and her daughter, Honey B:
Missy:
Honey B:
Missy:
Honey B:
Honey:
and her daughter, Meredith:
Honey (L) and Meredith (R):
Barrels are a great form of enrichment. They are often used to sit on to get a better view of the neighbors, or for drumming on to build up a big display, sometimes they are used for reaching an enrichment puzzle, and commonly the barrels are used for a good nap. Jamie can be found relaxing on a barrel, usually when the humans are cleaning. So, she can still keep her eye on them and request drinks of water from the hose when she is parched. When she has had enough rest, the humans are right there close enough for her to select the boot of her choice and take a lap around the Hill.
Jamie on her barrel enjoying some Alfalfa:
Jamie deep in thought:
Jamie inspecting something holding a wooden hammer in her feet:
Jamie 🙂
Now, when you look at the pictures you might be thinking how is this comfortable. But, chimps often prefer to sit or lay on objects that elevate them off the ground rather than sit or nap on the floor. Though that is not true for all, for example Foxie lays on the floor and wants nothing to do with blankets. However, you see this in the wild and in captivity that chimps prefer to sit higher, even if it is just a barrel or a chair.
Jamie sitting on a chair grooming some XtraTUF boots:
Also, I was going to save these photos for another day, but why not share them now!
This morning when the chimps first got access to Young’s Hill I spotted Missy and Annie rippin’ around the Hill chasing each other with huge play faces:
Missy sprinting:
Negra popped out for a bit of sun:
Burrito marched out with this purple plastic flat-head screwdriver:
And then there was the ever so sweet, cool as can be, and silly Foxie:
I almost didn’t include this one because it is a little out of focus, but I like it and I hope you do too!
I am extremely lucky to have a job that requires me to come in to work everyday. During these difficult times, it helps to have something to focus on that’s a welcome distraction from the outside world. Fortunately, the chimps don’t really know what is going outside of CSNW. Life goes on as normal for them! Which is why they have put together a guide to help inspire ideas on how to make self isolation fun. Or at least take your mind off things for 3 minutes and twenty one seconds!
Also….
Honey B has so much confidence. It is truly inspiring. She is always rockin’ some new enrichment.
Neggie’s wonderful face.
Annie enjoying the warm weather on Saturday.
Jamie 🙂
The Group of Seven have always intrigued me with each of their individual ways of eating. Some like to be upfront and center of every meal service. Others will grab their food and go.
This morning Negra wanted to take her banana to go onto Young’s Hill.
Almost immediately upon going onto Young’s Hill, she was instantly distracted by a passing train.
This is usually Negra’s M.O. She will almost always take her food to go. She will collect all her food and hold off on eating until she gets everything. Then she will use her hands, feet, mouth, you name it. Anything she can use to carry food to a location that is quiet and away from the majority of the crowd. As evident with this photo I took a few weeks ago during lunch time.
Missy, Foxie, and Jody will grab one item from the meal service, take it away to a quiet location to eat, then return for the next item being served.
Depending on the food, Annie varies her method almost every meal. Sometimes she stays near where the meal is being served to ensure she gets her share of the meal. Other times she will find a quiet location as well, as she did during lunch today to eat her beets.
Jamie and Burrito, on the other hand, are usually upfront and center most of the time. They usually won’t leave until they are served their chow or nighttime bags.
Jamie, at times, might follow Negra’s lead and save some of her meal to enjoy later. In this case, she needed a proper dining table to finish her sweet potatoes and nighttime bag of seeds, popcorn, and dried fruit.
Sometimes after a meal, Jamie will invite a caregiver to go for a walk around the hill. Today, after lunch, Jamie wanted to go for a walk around the hill. I obliged and joined her. However, instead of a walk, it was a sprint around the hill. I somehow was able to capture a photo mid-sprint.
This went on for some time. Up the hill. Down the hill. Then back up again. Then back down. Usually I can keep up with her. But with our extra preventive measures to ensure both the chimpanzees and humans safe from the current pandemic, I have slowed down considerably. I going to have to start running sprints on my own with a mask on to ensure I don’t get that “I’m disappointed in you” look like she gave me as we returned to the Chimp House again.
