Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Positive Reinforcement Progress

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It’s been seven months since we started our Positive Reinforcement Training program. In that time, both the chimps and the staff have learned a lot.

We, the staff, have learned that training is a difficult skill to develop. As we try to teach new behaviors to the chimps, we are often just as confused and frustrated as they are, if not more so. It takes a lot of patience, creativity, and most importantly, experience, to become a good trainer.

The chimps have learned dozens of behaviors that will make their lives healthier and happier, and they’re starting to discover that cooperating with physical exams and other medical procedures doesn’t have to be scary – it can even be fun.

For his part, Burrito still thinks this whole thing is too good to be true – getting praised and rewarded with food, just for showing us his teeth? He would have done that for free…

But Burrito is not the only one making progress – stay tuned for updates on Annie, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy, and Negra in the coming months.

Progress

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We’ve started to put the finishing touches on the veterinary clinic. This project, like many others here at the sanctuary, was kicked off with generous gifts from Karen and Don Young. It was completed with support from the National Anti-Vivisection Society and Marsha Perelman, and with gifts made at our annual gala from donors too numerous to name but equally as important.

Earlier this summer, our friends at Poppoff, Inc. donated their services to install sidewalks around the facility. This also allowed us to widen our entry gate and mount it on a wheel so that it would be easier to get the clinic trailer and other vehicles in and out of the security fence.

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Just recently, we built a pole barn shelter for the trailer to protect it from the elements. None of us are excited about the fact that winter is approaching, but at least we will be prepared!

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Speaking of preparedness…just look at the lengths that our volunteers will go to help us make sure we are prepared for any emergency. After we finished the sidewalks, volunteer Becca played the role of a chimpanzee as CSNW veterinarian and board member, Donna, and I did some drills with our newest stretcher donated by our local fire department. I promise that no volunteers were harmed in these drills, though we appreciate the courage it took for Becca to be our test subject.

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Finishing up the clinic has made me think a lot about where we are as a sanctuary. To be honest, there are times when progress at the sanctuary can feel painfully slow, if only because our hearts and imaginations are always one step ahead of our wallets. But then I remember that it was only six years ago that a small community of people with very limited resources was able to free seven chimps from the laboratory basement where they had been housed for decades. And in the time since, as that caring community has grown, we have transformed the chimps’ home, filling it with light from chimp-proof windows and warmth from greenhouse panels, and giving those seven chimps their first experience of grass underfoot and sky overhead on Young’s Hill.

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We’ve been experiencing a lot of that grass and sky lately. Hikes around Young’s Hill have only grown more numerous and more frequent over the years – always spurred on by Jamie, but lately joined by Missy, Burrito, Jody, and Foxie. It’s quite a climb to the top, especially when it’s the tenth walk of the day.

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But the effort is always worth it, because the view from the top is incredible.

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I’m convinced that chimpanzees experience awe. I have no doubt that when Missy looks out across the valley, with the river flowing by and the fall leaves changing color, that she is struck by the beauty and magnitude of it all. And watching her reminds me to step back and appreciate all that our small community has accomplished in such a short time. From a windowless basement to the top of the world in only a few years. And now an onsite veterinary clinic to boot.

Just think of where we can go from here.

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Making Sanctuary Possible

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Here is a great photo of Jody that J.B. took:

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This is the Jody who spent decades in research laboratories and was used as a breeding machine, having at least eleven pregnancies beginning when she was eight years old. This is the Jody who lived in cramped quarters in a dirty basement in Pennsylvania, waiting for her sanctuary home along with Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Missy, and Negra.

Jody had an adventurous day yesterday in the spring air and spent a lot of time today nesting and grooming her friends.

Sanctuary is so important. For Jody it might mean being able to climb once in a while and having piles of blankets to move from one area to another. Getting to know the chimpanzees and catering to their individual personalities is what Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest is all about.

But in order to do that truly effectively, there’s all this other work that has to happen. The Share the Chimp Love video that we made last month shows what it takes to directly care for the chimpanzees, but it didn’t show the hours answering emails, preparing for fundraising events, construction projects, budgeting, ensuring our non-profit status and various business licenses are in order, or strategic planning for the future.

Just like the direct care of the chimpanzees, this other work is essential to their well being, and we are extremely lucky to have so many people who volunteer their time, ideas, supplies, and support in order to keep the behind-the-scenes operations running smoothly.

Recently we had two volunteers who have added a tremendous value to our operations – both of them named Sharon! Sharon Burke has helped us immensely by serving on our Finance Committee and advising us on financial tracking, reporting, and procedures. Sharon Clinton, just a week after retiring, took several days and magically transformed our filing system. I am not exaggerating when I say that our files are now a thing of beauty to behold.

Just like the generator, made possible by the NAVS Sanctuary Fund and Karen and Don Young, I never imagined myself getting excited about a filing system or financial coding, but I really am now enthusiastic about these things. I understand that they are incredibly valuable to the chimpanzees and their future. And I’m so grateful for the Sharons of the world who not only contribute to the chimps’ lives financially, but also volunteer their invaluable skills to make Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest a better organization.

Jody is counting on us to take care of her in every aspect for the rest of her life, and I know that her large community of supporters means that she in very good hands.

Peace of Mind

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This morning, we awoke to another power outage – the fourth one this winter.

Losing power is never fun when you’re caring for chimps. In the winter, we have to set up a portable generator outside and connect it to a backup heater to keep the chimp house warm. In the summer, we risk losing hundreds of dollars worth of produce if we can’t keep our refrigerators running. And after the Taylor Bridge Fire, when we had no power for days, we were left with no lights, no laundry, no computers, and worst of all, a struggle to keep essential phones and radios charged during an emergency.

I’m happy to say that this morning was probably the last time we’ll ever have to deal with the effects a power outage. Thanks to a grant from the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) Sanctuary Fund and a generous donation from supporters Karen and Don Young, we will soon be installing a 20-kilowatt standby generator. This generator will come on automatically within seconds anytime the power goes out and will run everything in the chimp house: heat, lights, chimp doors, refrigerators, and the electric fences.

Sometimes I wish the chimps could see all the things that people and organizations from all over the world do to help care for them. But in this case, the whole point of the gift is that they won’t ever know anything was wrong in the first place. And that means Negra won’t have to lose a single minute of sleep over it.

So our sincere thanks go out to NAVS, and to Karen and Don, for giving our staff some peace of mind, and for giving Negra some peace and quiet.

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