Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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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.

George Makes a New Friend

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Now that George has completed his quarantine period, become familiar with the greenhouses and playrooms, and explored the two-acre outdoor habitat known as The Bray, it’s time for him to make some new friends! If you are new to the sanctuary, here’s some information that may help explain what you will see in the above video:

  • It can be difficult to integrate chimpanzees social groups because they are naturally hostile or fearful toward strangers and have the capacity for intense aggression
  • That said, sanctuaries and zoos do regularly integrate chimpanzees into groups, though not without challenges
  • We will be following a slow, methodical approach in which George repeatedly meets all of his potential group mates one-on-one over the course of months
  • These initial introductions take place in the smaller Front Rooms so that we can more easily separate them should they get into a serious fight (some fighting is to be expected)
  • Conducting them in the Front Rooms, with thick plastic sheets over the windows, also reduces the influence of the other chimps during these initial meetings
  • Dominance displays are common during introductions, as each chimpanzee tries to demonstrate their strength and agility. These displays actually help chimpanzees avoid fighting by exchanging information about the likely outcome of a physical altercation.
  • Intense play and grooming are also common as chimpanzee get to know each other.
  • We chose to begin with Cy because he has shown himself to be a gentle and caring leader who seeks to protect the underdogs in his group.
  • Though George’s meeting with Cy went well, he will face a lot of challenges over the coming months. Meeting other chimpanzees one-on-one is one thing; being fully integrated into an already established group is another. George will be vulnerable, so establishing good relationships with the others, and especially with Cy, will be critical.

George is really something. Even after living on concrete, he’s exploring his grassy two-acre outdoor enclosure almost without hesitation. And now, after living with only one female for most of his life and living alone since 2023, he’s hitting it off with the alpha male of what may someday be his new group. I know I say this about every chimp I’ve met, but I really admire him. Whether this integration is ultimately successful or not, George is most certainly going to take advantage of his second chance.

World Chimpanzee Day Forage

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We celebrated World Chimpanzee Day with a forage that included young coconuts in their husks—a chimp favorite! In this video, we follow Burrito, Foxie, and Jamie as they gather their bounties, attempt to crack them open, and try to keep them from getting stolen. See if you can spot some examples of reaching – what do you think the chimps are saying with their extended arms?

Reach

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Chimpanzee gestures carry different meanings depending on the context in which they are delivered. Here we look at the extended arm, or “reach” gesture, which can mean “hello”, “come here”, “give me that”, “hop on my back, it’s time to go”, or “it’s OK to approach me”, among other things.

George Explores the Greenhouse

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Now that George has completed his quarantine, he is finally able to explore more of the sanctuary. This poses a bit of a logistical challenge—we don’t want him to be intimidated by the other chimps while he explores and we certainly don’t want to give them the opportunity to fight against the mesh or windows at this point, so for this to work the other chimps have to move to nonadjacent enclosures. And that means that both Honey B and Gordo have to be in a cooperative mood. But sometimes the stars do align…

A New George Every Day

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I have to admit I was starting to wonder how this was going to work.

After unloading George’s crate and transferring him into the building, I really didn’t see much of him due to our strict quarantine procedures, which made it difficult to pop in and out to say hi while still getting other things done. But when I did see him, he would scream bloody murder and seek reassurance from another person in the room. My presence was exciting, to say the least. How would I be a part of his caregiving team if he was going to be so unsettled by my presence?

It makes more sense now that we’ve been told that he would often react that way to tall men.

Thankfully George has realized that, despite my height, I’m not very intimidating. And today he decided that he would officially consider me an honorary shorter person. It feels good to be pals with George.

Transitions like this are hard for chimpanzees but George is making great strides. From my perspective, it’s like I’m getting to meet a new George every day. He’s funny, confident, and playful. He’s a very gentle groomer. And his food puzzle skills are…going to need some work. But we’ve got plenty of time for that.