Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Nesting

A Chimp Guide to Shelter in Place

by 10 Comments

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 🙂

Happy Thoughts

by 16 Comments

Years ago, a couple of volunteers (Roszika and Andy) started something they called Happy Club.

A small group of us would meet at a local ice cream/coffee shop and bring a list of five things that had made us happy since we last met. We would read our lists out loud to the group. In the sharing of our happy moments, we increased happiness exponentially within the group (I’ve done the math to prove that statement).

The in-person meetings petered out when people moved away or got busy doing other things (I do hope they were resurrected once in a while), and Happy Club was moved to a virtual platform that still exists. People don’t post to it too frequently, but every once in a while I’ll see in my Facebook feed that someone has posted their list of five things that made them happy that week. It always makes me pause and puts things into a different perspective.

Today was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day. It’s not going to last – there’s even snow in the forecast for Monday – but today was like summer. It would have been a huge missed opportunity to not set out a lunch forage on the hill, but luckily I didn’t miss the opportunity.

Here’s a list of things that made me happy today.

Number 1: The sun. No explanation needed.

Number 2: The staff at CSNW. Amazing, I tell you.

Number 3: CSNW supporters. I received texts and emails of support and a couple of notifications of donations throughout the day. I love people who share my love of the chimpanzees!

I realize I mentioned #2&3 in my video from the other day. Those two probably would make my list every week!

Number 4: Burrito

Burrito started his day wrestling and tickling Missy, then Jody, then Negra. Nothing knocks him down. He remains full of playfulness, charm, and energy. I don’t know how he does it.

Number 5: Negra

Unlike Burrito, she is not often full of playfulness and energy (though when she is, it is a pure joy to witness).

This is how Negra started her day:

Doesn’t she look so cozy? She also looks like she could spend the rest of the day in bed.

But, she didn’t. She tore herself out of bed for breakfast, and she was out on the hill for the forage with everyone else, though her style is to take it easy while the other chimpanzees quickly go from place to place looking for food.

Seeing Negra outside in the sun should be able to make anyone’s happy list.

Pretty soon, the hill will be full of green grass and Negra will be outside partaking of one of her top ten happy things. I am so looking forward to that! It’s okay if we go through one more snow storm first to get there.

Strange Times

by 10 Comments

Outside of the sanctuary, there’s a lot going on right now.

Most of you are probably well aware of the uncertainty and trepidation surrounding COVID-19, and we have been altering our operations to ensure that this pandemic has no effect on the chimpanzees. If you’re wondering exactly how we are adjusting, I recommend reading this letter to our community that Diana sent out yesterday.

Obviously, we are doing our best to minimize the potential for pathogen transmission into the sanctuary while maximizing social distancing. Unlike many Washington state employers, however, we can’t just completely close down the office and have everybody work from home. Our staff needs to continue providing the chimpanzees with healthy meals, engaging activities, secure enclosures and clean surroundings, albeit now with a much smaller team of personnel than we are accustomed to. That’s okay, though. Our core team is pretty good at this caregiving stuff, and we don’t think the chimps have noticed that there are unprecedented measures being taken across the globe in response to a new and unusual coronavirus.

Today, I took some time after lunch to observe the chimpanzees as they foraged, relaxed, socialized and exercised. I also casually took some photographs to share with you all.

I always find that watching them go about their day is grounding and encouraging, and I am proud that we can continue to offer them a peaceful sanctuary home even in the strangest of times. Stay mindful, everyone.

Jamie patrolling the Hill
Missy’s eyes, gazing across the Greenhouse
Honey B processing and consuming a handful of hazelnuts
Honey B eating hazelnuts that we scattered in a bin of wood chips
Jody lounging in the Greenhouse
Burrito (right) grooming with Jamie (left)
Missy’s fingers poking through the caging as she gestures for me to interact with her
Foxie napping while partially obscured from observation (and the camera’s auto-focus feature)
Missy cautiously looking around at her peers before beginning a grooming session of her own
Annie peering down at the camera lens from the top of the Greenhouse
Burrito looking around from a sheltered corner of the Greenhouse
Annie scanning the landscape of Young’s Hill from the raceway into the Greenhouse
Willy B eating pecans and walnuts that he found hidden in a tub of wood chips (Note: he later flipped and emptied the tub to find the rest)
Missy racing around the perimeter of Young’s Hill this afternoon (Update: I was driving the Gator but she still won)

Project Days

by 10 Comments

We are so fortunate to have so many amazing volunteers. They are always willing to jump in no matter how big or small the task is. Today, we tackled a big project and all of our awesome volunteers came to our aid! We were trading out the old wood chips in the Green House for some fresh new wood chips. This is no small task, though it is a satisfying one! We do this at least once a year depending on how long the chips last. However, we do change out the heavily soiled areas more often. But, it takes quite a few helping hands!

Here they are hard at work:

Here is the what the Green House looked like after!

Meanwhile, Jamie took a break from supervising to make a nest and relax a bit.

Jamie was actually really in the mood to have her photo taken.

Foxie came to say hello.

And left her doll for Jamie.

After, the Green House transformation everyone went out onto Young’s Hill for a perimeter check.

Even Neggie came out to soak up the sun.

Mave also found a comfy place to nest.

Willy B just wanted to play chase all day. Sorry it’s a little blurry, we were in mid-chase!

 

 

 

Windy!

by

It is winnnndy! The chimps had a very leisure day playing, napping, and watching J.B. and a few volunteers start building a new structure out on Young’s Hill! They are just getting a section of the project done today and than another group of volunteers will come tomorrow to help us build the rest of the structure. Normally I would expect the chimps, especially Jamie, to be out in the chute inspecting everything that was going on. However, it was so windy no one wanted to be outside really. Jamie did watch from the windows and the comfort of her own nest.

Jamie watching from the mezzanine:

Jody cozy in a nest:

Missy curled up:

The crew working hard and trying not to get blown away:

 

Cabin Fever

by

My blog days always seem to be the quietest (e.g., last Sunday), which is odd given all the drama we have been experiencing lately. As we’ve mentioned, the chimps have been resting and recuperating after an attempt to introduce the remaining chimps did not go as hoped on Wednesday.

Because we rushed to separate the chimpanzees after severe fights repeatedly erupted in the Playroom, they ended up in slightly unusual social and spatial configurations. Burrito is physically isolated in one part of the building, with visual and auditory contact with the chimps in the Playroom. In there, Negra was effortlessly reintegrated with Honey B, Mave and Willy B and has been in her preferred state of passive cohabitation with them ever since. On the other side of the “Howdy Door,” in the newer wing of the building, Annie, Foxie, Jamie, Jody and Missy are spending time exploring the novel surroundings and trying to glimpse their familiar neighbors.

We’ve been giving the group of five females access to Young’s Hill via the outdoor chute. Today, however, the weather was damp and chilly and they spent most of their time goofing around in the Mezzanine.

Overall, things have been a bit odd lately. We’re planning on using this weird arrangement to the chimpanzees’ advantage, however, by giving certain individuals more opportunities to get to know each other. The tentative plan is to keep moving forward with the integration of the two groups, albeit in a more gradual and controlled manner. For now, we’re letting the chimpanzees hang out with their closest friends and (metaphorically and literally) lick their wounds.

Burrito was bitten a few times during Wednesday’s scraps and is probably sore from all the running, jumping, flailing and screaming (because, in case you haven’t heard, chimp fights can be physically and emotionally intense, even between friends). Although he immediately reconciled with Willy B and recovered quickly in spirit, he has needed some time to recuperate without the excitement and tension of another introduction. He definitely seems interested in the chimpanzees occupying the adjacent spaces, so we’re all eager for him to be back in the mix when he’s back to full strength. He certainly acts like he’s ready.

He’s also been taking some incredible naps. He’s not a skilled builder of nests, so volunteer Erin crafted a blanket nest for him during routine cleaning this morning. He loved it.

Burrito isn’t the only one eager for the next steps. The chimps are certainly aware of their neighbors, and most seem to be anxiously anticipating their next opportunity to interact. Willy, for example, continues to listen to the neighboring females from the safety of the Playroom. We’re not sure how the next meeting will go, but we’re continuing to be hopeful and trust that the chimps will figure it out eventually.

Similarities

by

Honey B and Jamie seem to be the smarties. However, do not get me wrong everyone is extremely intelligent! There is a similar way in which Jamie and Honey B do certain things. I often wonder how the two will get along. I am curious in what their dynamic will be like. Honey B seems equally strong willed, curious, great with tools, and very resourceful. Sound like anyone you know? We have mentioned before that Jamie will sometimes scream when an item of food is valuable to her. This is in hopes it will cause the group to panic and drop the valuable food. Smart and resourceful right? We have observed Honey B using the same strategy in food situations as well. Honey B is great with tools and figures out the food puzzles fairly quickly. Honey B likes projects such as a bucket of soap and scrubbing. They both enjoy leeks or any onion form. And most importantly when you look into their eyes you can see the wheels turning. Honey B and Jamie, also as we might have mentioned before, remind many of us of Tatu, who lives at the Fauna Foundation. Tatu is another one of those smarties who is always planning and you can see it in her eyes.

Jamie, Honey B, and Tatu know how to remind you that just because you might be a human doesn’t mean you are smarter than them.

Another awesome similarity, we have watched Jamie make nest/forts with big enrichment items and we have seen Honey B do the same. Recently, there was a big play toy put in the Mezzanine. It got knock over and later on the spy camera we saw Honey B pulling the big toy toward her nest, having it surround her.

Example of one of Jamie’s forts:

This is the big toy Honey B incorporated in her nest: