Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
We love when the chimps find comfort or enjoyment in human toys—so long as they’re safe, of course. While all new toys are checked by two staff members to ensure they will withstand the chimps’ strength and destructiveness, everyone once and a while they chimps are able to, um, modify their toys in ways we didn’t anticipate. Let’s just be thankful that the building isn’t held together with doll head screws.
I wanted to give you all a brief update on our reintroduction of Cy’s group (for background, see here and here).
We’ve reluctantly come to the conclusion that, at this time, these efforts are not going to lead to a level of stability that the chimps deserve. Willy B has shown signs of promise. I really think he could succeed in a group where Cy was the only other male. He’s more composed when it’s just him and Cy. Plus, Cy has the patience of a saint and enough confidence to let Willy blow off some steam once and a while without feeling threatened.
But Willy B can’t seem to control himself to the same degree when Terry and/or Gordo are in the group and neither Terry nor Gordo were gifted with Cy’s equanimity. Their reactions to Willy’s prodding only goad him on further. This results in a lot of stress, and the reintroduction process was not successful in changing these fundamental dynamics.
The reality for social animals like chimpanzees is that each individual’s welfare is interdependent and at times even negatively correlated with the welfare of those they live with. Finding a place for Willy in the group of nine opened up a world of opportunities for him but resulted in unresolved tension that impacted the whole group. Sometimes the pieces just don’t fit together in a way that makes sense for everyone. So we’ve got to keep working on the puzzle and try something different.
For now we are keeping them in subgroups that we believe will be stable and meet everyone’s needs as best as possible: Willy B, Honey B, Mave, & Dora in one group and Cy, Terry, Gordo, Rayne, and Lucky in another. There’s less social opportunity for now but more cohesion. Like the reintroduction process, these groupings will let us test out relationships and evaluate social dynamics, but without the same end goal of integrating all nine. What is the goal, then? One possibility is to keep them in these or similar subgroups. Another is to regularly rotate individuals between subgroups in a way that attempts to maintain most of the beneficial relationships that were formed in the larger group. And then there are possibilities to explore with the group on the other side of the building, which will undoubtedly be changing over the coming years as they age well into their 50s. We’re mindful that many of them will have a need for new social opportunities in the not-too-distant future.
It’s been a difficult conclusion to reach when both the chimps and the staff and volunteers have invested so much in making the larger group work. But that’s the nature of working with chimpanzees. You just have to keep moving forward with an open mind. We look forward to updating you along the way.
Ha! There’s no such thing.
Dora made her first appearance in the veterinary clinic last week for a routine physical exam. Like Rayne, she willingly took the anesthetic injection (this time from Sabrina and Dr. Erin, with a prior assist from the entire positive reinforcement training team). While we have to wait for specialists to review some of the data the team collected, Dora appears to be in perfectly good health.
Many thanks to our great crew of volunteer professionals, from the vet techs, sonographers, and veterinary student extern helping with the procedure to the cardiologists and internists reviewing the results—and of course to our very own Dr. Erin!
Someone recently asked on social media what types of procedures the chimps undergo when they are in the clinic. While the answer depends on many factors, including their age, sex, clinical history, stability under anesthesia, and the amount of time since their last exam, we generally try to do the following:
Our goal is to perform these exams as infrequently as possible so it’s important to gather all the information we can while they’re in the clinic.
And that requires a great team.
Hopefully Dora will continue to stay healthy and out of trouble so she won’t have to come back to the clinic for a while.
Rayne took a trip into our veterinary clinic recently for a physical exam. Take a look at what goes into making such a trip possible.
Some of Rayne’s diagnostic results are pending review by specialists, but she appears to be in very good health!
If you’re new to this blog, here’s a primer on the ethical considerations that factor into decisions around physical exams.
And if you want to learn more about the kind of care we can provide without having to take them into the clinic, check out a few examples of our work with cooperative x-rays, EKGs, and ultrasound.
The weather has been beautiful lately and the chimps have been taking full advantage of this false spring before the inevitable second winter strikes back. Enjoy a few scenes from The Bray and Young’s Hill from the past couple of days.
I also want to share with you that yesterday, Honey B took what we hope will be her last trip to the clinic for a while. Here’s more on that from Dr. Erin:
Yesterday, Honey B had her 3rd clinic trip to manage a bite wound on her left hand. She’s had 2 regional limb perfusions to concentrate antibiotics, including deep flushing of the infected wound. Despite twice daily laser treatments, x-rays, and antibiotics, the swelling and drainage have persisted. A team of medical professionals, including Dr. Jeffrey Friedrich, a board certified hand surgeon, and surgery residents Dr. Thais Calderon and Dr. Emma Dwyer, performed a deeper exploratory surgery, which, unfortunately, resulted in the amputation of the affected finger to prevent arthritis and chronic pain. As sad as we are that we couldn’t defeat the bone infection in Honey B’s finger, we are looking forward to her being more comfortable and regaining better use of her hand. We’re grateful for the expertise of Dan Low MD (chimp anesthesiologist extraordinaire) who introduced us to Dr. Friedrich, CRNA Kate Uselman (anesthesia), Dr. Rachelle Chavez, DC, OB/GYN, and sonographer Huong Johnston who performed ultrasound and a complete pelvic exam. Honey B recovered well and was awake and hungry by dinnertime. Even though she was ready to join a brief fray yesterday afternoon, she will need to be isolated for a few days to monitor her healing. A huge thank you goes out to the entire medical team for their care and expertise!
And a huge thank you to Dr. Erin, too!
One team performs the ultrasound while another begins a regional limb perfusion:
The anesthesia team monitors Honey B’s vitals:
The surgical team at work, while CSNW Vet Assistant, Krissy, and visiting veterinary student extern, Eden, observe and help coordinate:
Honey B in recovery:
And Honey B the next day, ready to explore and rejoin her friends (but not until the doc gives the OK):
At CSNW, the chimps typically have the freedom to be in whichever space they choose, so long as we aren’t cleaning it. And while their favorite places are the large playrooms and greenhouses or, for some, the multi-acre outdoor habitats, they tend to have the most fun together when they congregate in the smaller indoor rooms. Laughter is a typical soundtrack to our morning cleaning routine!
