As Sabrina said yesterday, sanctuary is often all about enjoying the small things.
For Jamie, having a LOT of small things gives her even more enjoyment 🙂
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
by Diana 12 Comments
As Sabrina said yesterday, sanctuary is often all about enjoying the small things.
For Jamie, having a LOT of small things gives her even more enjoyment 🙂
by J.B.
On busy days, we often look through the photos on our phones to see if we can piece together a blog post worth sharing. As I was doing this today, it became apparent that I have a fondness for a certain subject.
The photos are all slight variations on the same theme: Negra, nesting atop the greenhouse climbing structure under a mountain of blankets. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, when I arrive for work and walk through the chimp house to say good morning, this is where I know I will find her. And it seems I am compelled to snap a photo each time. How could I resist?
by Chad de Bree
There are those days when nothing too terribly exciting is happening so writing the blog can be a little tough. On the other side of the coin, however, there could be many things happening it can be just as daunting to try to pick just a few of the things to write about. Today is a latter. So for the sake of time and strained eyes looking at screens, I just chose three.
Morning:
As I was making sure Young’s Hill was safe for Burrito’s group to venture out on this morning, I saw Missy draped in an orange blanket.
I exchanged morning greeting with her via a head bob, and continued to check the gates and doors that lead to Young’s Hill. A minute or two later, I went back around to open the door that gives Missy access to the outdoor enclosure. Still seeing the orange blanket, I blurted out, “Are you ready to go outside Missy?” To my surprise, Missy was already at the door waiting to go outside. So who was in the orange blanket?
It was Negra!
They pulled the ol’ switcheroo on me!
Funny enough, I had just greeted Negra as she was still nice and comfortable in her nest inside the playroom right before Missy in their greenhouse.
Afternoon:
After cleaning was done, I glanced at our security cameras to see where everybody was. In the Marmot Mountain Playroom, I saw Honey B and Rayne taking the “play” part of playroom seriously. Or not seriously, depending on how you look at it. As I was watching them, Rayne showed off some of her moves! No need to fret, I have included the clip in today’s video. If you were to name this move, what would it be called?
Yesterday:
If you read yesterday’s blog, then you know (and hopefully celebrated) Mave’s *real* birthday! In the description, you may have read that Mave was having some problems getting one of the prized young coconuts. Luckily for her, her new best friend Dora allowed her to have one of the two she acquired! I wasn’t quick enough to submit my footage to J.B. before the video was completed, so I included the unfolding of that event. We cannot definitively say Dora was actively sharing (wanting Mave to have it and physically giving her it), but she was at least passively sharing (not getting mad she took it).
Yesterday I also randomly glanced at the security cameras and saw Mave’s power move! One of the most endearing things we all love about Mave is the “Mave plop.” I’m trying to think of the words to use to describe the “Mave plop,” but am coming up short. Caregiver Kelsi said the only way she says she can describe it is “it’s like a Jason Bourne move if he was lazy.” That is a fair assessment because it’s like a dive-roll type of move. I digress though. None of us have seen the “Mave plop” in quiet this fashion as we saw it on the cameras. We were trying to think of names to call it. Some said it’s the “help I’ve fallen and can’t get up.” Some said it’s “the catwalk flop.” To some it’s “the failed flying chimp-in-a-blanket maneuver.” After watching it, what would you call it?
Bonus Photos:
Annie with her coconut yesterday
Cy and his coconut
Gordo and his coconut
Teeny Tiny Terry and his teeny tiny pine cone
Mavis!
And don’t forget, Giving Day for Apes has begun! Be sure to find out about the different Power Hours on Oct. 3rd. You can even create your own fundraising page with your own goals and send it to family, friends, and well wishers!
by Jenna
What is the lifespan of a chimpanzee?
Any chimpanzee above the age of 30 is considered geriatric. Therefore, all of the residents at CSNW are considered geriatric!
In the wild, the life expectancy of chimpanzees is 33 years, but on rare occasions, some live into their 60’s. In captivity, chimpanzees can sometimes live into their 60’s and 70’s (although rare). Heart disease is the leading causes of death in captive populations. Female chimpanzees typically live longer than male chimpanzees, as males are more prone to heart conditions. Captive female chimpanzees are more prone to renal failure.
I will reference the article I used here.
Photos from today!
Rayne (33 years old) sleeping in the Riverview Greenhouse:
Jamie (45 years old) working on a boomer ball with peanuts inside:
Annie (~49 years old) walking bipedally out on Young’s Hill:
Cy (33 years old) laying in the Oakwood Greenhouse:
Gordo (35 years old):
Beautiful Negra (50 years old) in her morning nest:
Rayne waiting for breakfast:
Cy looking up from reading:
by J.B.
One of the best spots to build a morning nest is the upper platform in Greenhouse 1. From there the chimps can watch the sun rise over the trees above Young’s Hill as they wait for the staff and volunteers to bring them breakfast. Foxie’s nests aren’t really nests, per se, as she doesn’t like to lay on blankets or anything soft, nor does she like anything that even hints of being natural, like leaves or straw. It’s all bare floors and benches for this girl—but she is always sure to have a favorite doll tucked in close to her chest.
Negra, on the other hand, likes her nests well-padded. While her evening nests can be works of art, these morning nests are often hastily arranged. No matter, she barely awake anyway and it won’t take much for her to drift back to sleep.
If you climb to the ridge above Young’s Hill, you will find another pasture with a large spring-fed pond. This is where our small cattle herd spends much of their summer, often choosing to sleep under the stars instead of returning to their barn at night. This year I purchased some portable fences, which can be set up on a temporary basis to manage how the cattle graze the pastures. Early one morning I set some up to rotate the cattle through an ungrazed section of this upper pond pasture. It’s always a joy to see the cows run through a new pasture, especially one that still grows some green grass during these dry Central Washington summers.
Betsy:
Meredith:
by J.B.
After enjoying a lengthy Fool’s Spring throughout the month of February, we awoke to find ourselves in the momentary grasp of Second Winter. While this may be viewed as a setback to folks like Burrito, who had been furiously lapping Young’s Hill in an attempt for a single-day record, Negra takes it all in stride. In fact, no one is better prepared for a change in the weather than Negra. Because no matter the conditions outside – hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, windy or still – it is always exactly the same inside her perfect nest.
by Diana
J.B. and I have been monitoring the chimps on the security cameras since the integration. We’re not watching them all the time, but we have a couple of iPads on after hours so we can take a look if we hear anything. It’s been interesting to see the changes in where the chimpanzees bed down for the night.
Initially, after the first few months of the integration, Honey B, Mave, and Willy B would sleep together in the front room area with the other group of six scattered about. At some point, this changed. I can’t say for sure, but I believe it was Mave who made the first integration move, choosing to make a nest in the catwalk of the Lupine Playroom near some of her new friends. From the other group, I saw Rayne on a couple of occasions nesting in the front rooms with Honey B, Willy B. and Mave or just Honey B and Willy B.
After a few months, I noticed that Willy B would start his nesting in the front rooms, but at some point in the night, he would make his way to the Mezzanine. Now, he disappears into the playrooms. This is all part of the integration process and one that is happening on their own timeline and based on nuances in their relationships and personalities that are a bit of a mystery.
Honey B has always liked the cubby in the mezzanine, and she is a woman of routine who knows what she likes. Given the happenings in the video I put together today, we’ll just see how things shake out.
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