Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Missy

Reaching Out

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I wanted to do something a little different for today’s blog. I am sorry for such a dark yet important topic. I promise there will be some nice photos sprinkled throughout to give you a serotonin boost. I should also note that this blog isn’t representative of any staff member here, just statistics I pulled from various government and academic sources.

Honey B looks on as an incoming thunderstorm rolls in

As some of you may know, September is recognized at Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It’s a month dedicated to raise awareness, promote hope, and normalize seeking help. The reason I want to post about such an important topic is to provide as much insight and resources as I can to all my fellow caregivers out there at other sanctuaries, zoos, clinics, and other facilities that house animals. But this is also for you, the reader, as well if hard times have bestowed upon you.

Negra with a mouthful of cabbage during a lunch forage on Young’s Hill
And don’t forget Strawberry Shortcake!

Mental health is not talked about in the open enough, I feel, and it should. Depression and suicide is high per capita in the animal welfare career field, particularly among veterinarians and veterinarian technicians, which can be anywhere from 2 to 5 times higher than other professions. Though no thorough study has been conducted to date, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest the rate over of those in animal caregiving/rescue is five times higher that other professions as well. That suggestion should be taken with a grain of salt though as those labeled “animal caregiving/rescue” included the professions of veterinary care, shelter workers, lab scientists, firefighters, law enforcement, zoo keepers, etc. Let this be my call there should be a proper study done on this topic focusing on the animal welfare profession.

Honey, Meredith, and Betsy grazing on some supplemental hay in their pasture

Even though no official study has been done on the suicide rate of animal welfare workers, we do know things like compassion fatigue, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and moral injury contribute to burnout amongst caregivers, which then leads to mental health deterioration.

(Not so) Teeny Tiny Terry

If there is one thing I do know without having to rely on government and academic statistics, is that burnout runs rampant amongst the caregiving community. Burnout in the sanctuary world is like an uncontained wildfire, it spreads at an accelerated rate and leaves ghostly shells of things that were once vibrant. Many of the the facilities in the sanctuary world have been putting forth the effort to try to combat this fire, but it’s still a little too early to see how efforts will play out.

Missy eating a green bean during her lunch forage on Young’s Hill

I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but it took me a very long time to admit and acknowledge my burnout. For some, burnout could be caused by things that just keep piling up without trying to acknowledge and work with them. For others it could be a single event that sparks that match. I know for myself, it was when we lost Jody.

Willy B trying to spy what was in his neighbor’s forage

For me, Jody’s passing, and subsequently Nutmeg’s passing, were the things that triggered the PTSD that led to my burnout. And yes, as combat Marine veteran, I can and will say PTSD is not exclusive to combat. Really it can be any event that takes you down that rabbit hole and nobody is immune to it. In my time, I have learned there is no cure to PTSD or burnout, but there are ways to cope with it and make sure it doesn’t consume you.

Burrito, Annie, and Missy surrounding a pacific racer snake they spotted on Young’s Hill during today’s lunch forage. No need to fear, the snake escaped and everybody is fine.

I guess this next part is for any animal caregiver out there whom may read this:

To my fellow caregivers out there, far and wide, I will not claim to be a trained professional in the subject but merely letting you know what helped me to get the burnout monkey off my back. These are the guides I follow:

Jamie surveying her kingdom

Be the caregiver you want to be

Remember  when you were hired you were taught how to perform the tasks to be a caregiver, but you weren’t taught what kind of caregiver you want to be. You took on this job for a reason. If you get bogged down with everything that isn’t the reason you came onboard, then remember why you came onboard. Though we each have our own way of doing things and our own focuses, circle back to why you wanted to work with the species you work with. For me, even though I have other duties outside of the caregiving, it’s the caregiving aspect that has the most direct impact in their day-to-day lives. Knowing that they’ll have a clean space, as much space as they can have, full bellies, and stimulated minds at the end of the day is what makes me happy.

Willy B with a fistful of chow
The Pacific Northwest Chimpsquatch

Talk to each other

You are not alone. There’s a chance your fellow caregivers, whether the ones you work with or ones at another facilitiy. Reach out to each other. Talk to each other. I can’t guarantee results, but you can reach out to me if you aren’t comfortable with someone you work directly with. I’ll at least try to point you in the right direction.

If you are feeling down or are going through a crisis, then please reach out to any of the resources available. Dial the number 988 if you need someone to talk to right away. There are trained professionals that can help you. Or you can go to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to find the resource that is right for you. And just remember, you matter!

And now a series of Burrito playing with Caregiver Ellen!

Missy’s Trip to the Clinic

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Recently, during the course of a positive reinforcement training session, Jenna noticed a spot on Missy’s gums that indicated a possible tooth infection. Missy is considered a higher anesthetic risk patient due to her age (less than one month shy of the big five-oh) and a previous adverse reaction to anesthesia, so Dr. Erin assembled an experienced team that could safely diagnose and treat her.

Dr. Erin and Krissy were assisted yesterday by many familiar faces, including anesthesiologist Dan Low, vet tech Jennifer Garcia, echo tech Amy Owens, sonographer Korey Krause, and veterinarians Donna Menshing (also a CSNW board member) and Lexi McGilvray. It was also our first opportunity to work with Dr. Charles Dyer of the Dental Coalition for Conservation.

Preparing a chimp for an exam involves isolating them from their group, typically the night before, and then moving the other chimps to a separate part of the facility in the morning so that we can administer the initial injection safely and without interference.  Negra, Foxie, Jamie, and Burrito were happy to take a walk on Young’s Hill before breakfast but, predictably, Annie would not leave Missy’s side. After some intense negotiation involving bananas and juice, we agreed that Annie could stay and keep watch over Missy but from two rooms down.

The positive reinforcement training team—Sabrina, Jenna, and Ellen—had prioritized Missy’s injection training over the last several weeks and their work paid off, as Missy calmly accepted an injection by hand from Ellen. Once anesthetized, Missy was weighed and brought into the on-site veterinary clinic.

As predicted, Missy kept the anesthesia team on their toes but they were prepared. The decision was made to pull two incisors and slightly narrow the scope of imaging and other diagnostics so as not to prolong the exam any longer than necessary.

Annie was relieved to see Missy returned to Front Room 1 for recovery.

The team, including chimp house volunteer and retired nurse, Nancy, monitored Missy’s vitals closely until she was alert and active. All the while, the chimp house staff and volunteers worked around Missy’s procedure and recovery to keep up with the routine.

This morning, Missy was back with her group and ready to forage.

We’re grateful to Dr. Erin and to her incredible team of volunteer medical professionals for dedicating their time and their hearts to Missy’s care, with particular thanks to Dr. Dyer for traveling all the way from Texas (!) to take part and share his knowledge of exotic animal dentistry.

And as for Missy, I sure hope the Tooth Fairy can pay in tomatoes.

Portraits in Passing

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As we move through our days, we often capture little moments in passing. By the time our lead day comes around and we sit down to make the blog post, we’ve usually gathered so much content that some images end up left behind. Sometimes they don’t quite fit the week’s “theme” and other times, there’s simply too much to include. Today, I wanted to share a few portraits I took today, along with a small collection that’s been sitting on my phone, waiting for their moment.

Cy:

Foxie:

Negra:

Neggie in a nest series:

It’s hard to get portraits of Missy, she is always on the go. However today I was able to catch a moment of her sitting still:

Check out our Wish List, it’s one of the easiest and most impactful ways to help. We’ve just added a bunch of items, and every contribution goes a long way in enriching the lives of our residents!

Walking in the Rain

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We all had an adventure on this walk the other day!

It was fun to join the chimpanzees getting caught in the rain.

It reminded me of the very first heavy rain that the Cle Elum Seven experienced. Thanks to this blog, you can learn more about that experience here: Rainstorm Bravery

The photo of Missy in the doorway, watching the rain is still one of my favorites:

Missy in doorway during rainstorm

Like mother, like daughter?

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Honey B was born on June 11th, 1989. Just hours after birth she was taken from her mother and raised by human caregivers.  Her mother just so happens to be Missy, a now longtime resident at CSNW. Missy and Honey B don’t live together in the same group at the sanctuary, and that’s not for lack of trying. During the now unsuccessful introduction process between Missy and Honey B’s groups, we watched for any inclination that they might know each other, but we didn’t observe any noticeable acknowledgement.

Here’s one of the few photos I could find with them in the same frame. Honey B is on the chair and Missy is sitting in the doorway:

Despite the apparent lack of relationship between Missy and Honey B, caregivers do see some behavior similarities between the two. Whether their behaviors are due to some inherited trait, or just a coincidence, that’s open to interpretation. I’ve listed a few of their shared similarities below:

  • An amazing ability to haze caregivers. Honey B is famous for spitting huge quantities of smoothie on an unsuspecting human. Missy always chooses to back up Jamie during hazing events with a round of threat barks and even the occasional leap at the caging.

Missy:

  • They’re both high ranking individuals in their groups.

Honey B:

  • They’re popular amongst their group mates, often found in a grooming or play session.

Missy:

  • They both are extremely intelligent and socially savvy

Honey B:

  • They can be stubborn shifters, sometimes choosing to hold up the cleaning process because they decide to stay somewhere else. For Missy it’s the playroom and for Honey B, it’s usually the front rooms that they choose to hang out in.

Missy:

  • They egg on the drama.  If there’s a fight, you can usually find them in the middle of all the chaos.

Honey B:

  • They are both picky eaters, usually preferring to eat just a few of their meal items.

Missy:

Today we talked about the similarities, perhaps another day we can discuss their differences?

 

Valentine’s Day with Burrito and Friends

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Happy Valentine’s Day! Today we celebrated our forever valentines (the chimpanzees of CSNW) with a lovely party planned and prepared by caregiver Jenna! Jenna threw an amazing party, complete with chocolate pudding covered strawberries, fruit-filled ice treats, acai smoothie bowls with berries and homemade granola, chow cookies, and edible flowers in pools of gatorade. She also made mail boxes for Jamie and Cy (the resident book worms) where staff and volunteers could write notes for the chimps (or in Cy’s case, cut out pictures of people from magazines, his favorites!), and banners with photos of the chimps. Check out the video to see Burrito, Missy, Foxie, Negra, Annie, and Jamie enjoy all of their special goodies, and come back tomorrow to see Cy and friends enjoy their party!