Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Primates

So Many Personalities

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This chimp house is so full of distinct personalities. I mean the building was brimming with personalities before, but, wow, now everywhere you turn there’s someone with their own unique wants and needs and quirks. And that’s just the humans! Just kidding – I am referring to the chimpanzees.

The two photos of Dora below were part of a series I quickly snapped yesterday. J.B. included one of them in his blog post yesterday.

Mr. Willy B got some solid Courtyard time today:

Of course there were some onlookers (Jamie, below):

Once Jamie noticed me noticing her, she pointed out the grapes that were right in front of where she was sitting in the original greenhouse:

Indeed, the grapes seem to be thriving in the hot weather and there are a LOT of very under-ripe grapes. I wasn’t able to convince Jamie, or Missy, who noticed me noticing Jamie noticing the grape vines, that they were a few weeks away from being good to eat.

As I was closing up, Foxie tossed me a strawberry shortcake doll from the loft in her playroom. This is a common occurrence as the lead caregiver of the day is doing the checklist and about to lock up; suddenly a doll lands right in front of you. Then Foxie puts her hand out, while laying down, in a gesture that indicates that she will gladly take the doll back if you toss it back up to her. In reality, she doesn’t even have her hand positioned in a way that she could catch the doll, even if my poor attempts at tossing it the six feet above were remotely on target. Eventually, she sits up and puts both hands out, or (like tonight), I find a scarf to tie around the doll, so there is a better chance that she could catch a bit of the scarf and pull the doll into the mesh.

On the other side of the building, when I climbed up to the Mezzanine, I was greeted by Cy. He had made a very nice-looking nest in the corner and was paging through a magazine. Meanwhile, Gordo was pacing the second floor of the playroom trying to get a glimpse at Mave, who might rank above his interest in food at the moment.

So many personalities and interesting observations for us caregivers to discuss and for us to share with you.

Speaking of sharing, I know some of you noticed that we had tried a new comment system yesterday for the blog called ReplyBox. There was a glitch in getting all of the old comments over, and we are waiting to hear back from the software’s support team. I’m hoping that they will fix it and we can use that moving forward. It has the requested features of allowing for emojis and for editing comments and the privacy standards seem a bit better than some other options out there. It will require people to either create a login via ReplyBox or sign in with Google or Twitter. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try to find something else! Thank you for your patience.

Photo Dump

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Finding a theme for each day’s blog tends to really get to us after all the cleaning is done so by 1pm our minds are mostly just scattering to find good content. I don’t know if it’s the increasing heat that is expected to hit triple digits again during the next couple of days, but my brain did not cooperate to give me a magnificent story line for today. Because of this, I took the liberty of introducing photo dumps to the blog. These have been increasing in popularity on different social media forums, where people gather sometimes random or not so random photos, and cluster them into one single post with a caption as simple as “Photo dump” and maybe some random emoji to match the theme…if there is any. Usually, there is no specific sequence of events for these and they end up being a series of good photos that are otherwise using up space in the phone or camera memory and that should not go to waste. From selfies to scenic photos, they can include just about anything. I would love to spam all of you the million selfies I have unashamedly taken over the past months that have yet to see the light of day, but I’m hoping some chimp and bovine photos would suffice.

Jamie’s table for one

Negra’s morning nest

Rayne LOVED the movie tickets enrichment that they got today in the Mezzanine. I later saw her tangled in the tickets while unraveling more, sadly I was not able to capture the moment. But just imagine her laying down covered in movie tickets like a bride-to-be in her bachelorette party with a dress made of toilet paper, or a TP mummy, whatever is easier for you. It was just great.

I later saw Rayne nesting with the remains of the ticket stubs she was tangled in

Sweet sweet Dora during her afternoon resting time

Foxie with her doll looking inside the Green House to see if any friends would come out as well

A Gordito side eye <3

Honey, as beautiful as always

And then we have here a handsome Nutmeg

Block You Like a Hurricane

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This morning, supporter Kathy Benson swung by to drop off some new enrichment items for the chimpanzees.

Kathy has been giving to the sanctuary since 2008 and avidly follows the daily blog. Over the years, she’s donated enrichment items which were so cool that they made it onto the daily blog. Kathy’s always friendly to the care staff and enthusiastic about helping the sanctuary, so we’re happy to meet her at the gate and accept her gifts on behalf of the chimpanzees!

Today, Kathy’s bag of donated goods contained some new books for Jamie and brand new wooden toys for all the chimps, including some of the same painted blocks that Burrito famously totes around.

Since they’ve proven to be a bit more destructive than the other chimps, we decided to give the toy blocks to the new group of six chimpanzees to see if they would pass their inspection. We weren’t sure how it would go, but it’s safe to say that the blocks were a big hit. So far, they seem durable enough for the chimps living in that wing of the building.

Throughout the late morning and afternoon, the chimps were all seen carrying the little wooden cubes in their hands, mouth and feet. Only Cy seemed completely uninterested in the blocks (in favor of his beloved magazines). The following images (from a couple hours ago) show some of the inquisitive chimps hanging out with these new enrichment items.

Terry (close-up!)
Terry
Gordo
Cy

Even though the chimpanzees provided me with ample inspiration, I still had to think of a catchy title for the blog post. According to J.B., Chad and I are developing a reputation for egregiously using puns in our titles and captions (even roping Sam and Kelsi into our corny games). As someone who likes to casually “rock the boat” around here from time to time, I’m not about to let a controversy like this just fade away.

Naturally, I spent the afternoon turning the word “block” over in my brain until something came to mind. I kept gravitating towards songs and movies featuring words that rhyme with “block.” The winner, of course, ended up being “Block You Like a Hurricane.” I knew it was perfect when I suggested it to caregiver Sam and she wordlessly walked out of the room.

(For the record, “We Will Block You / We Are the Chimp-ions” was the runner-up.)

Now that you’ve seen the cool new blocks and read the not-so-cool puns, here are some additional portraits that I’ve collected over the last couple weeks. Thanks for your continued attention and support!

Annie
Gordo
Honey B
Lucky
Gordo
Cy (watching a video on a caregiver’s phone)
Gordo
Jody
Rayne
Gordo
Cy
Terry

The Elusive Gordo – A Contrast in Characters

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Jamie is a chimpanzee who does not hide anything. She’s not shy. This was evident even the first time we met her at Buckshire before her group of seven came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

She doesn’t hold back when she has an opinion about something. She can be challenging (she’s the only chimpanzee at the sanctuary who throws feces, for example), but we all appreciate that she is not only able to express herself, but feels quite comfortable letting the humans know if she wants something or is displeased with us. When she likes something she REALLY likes it, and it’s a joy finding those things (like boot books), and being able to enrich her life in very specific-to-her ways.

Here’s a photo I took of the boss today:

Gordo, on the other hand, has been very aloof so far.

He arrived just one month ago from Wildlife Waystation, and we are still getting to know him and the other five in his group. We were told that he takes some time to warm up to new people, and so far he’s definitely the least interactive with the caregivers.

The other two males in his group, Terry and Cy, are usually front and center and wanting to play chase. Upon seeing the caregivers, Lucky will present her belly for rubs, Dora likes gentle games where she touches the back of our hands with her outstretched fingers, and Rayne is showing herself to be a fun-loving friend.

Gordo is very interested in food, so when serving meals has been the main opportunity to interact with him. He will take food from us without hesitation, but it’s normally a very one-way transactional interaction.

I feel no shame in admitting that I have been on a mission to win over Gordo. I make eye contact with him (eye contact with chimps is a good thing, though that’s not the case with some other primate species) and attempt to instigate games of chase whenever I can. Most captive chimpanzees, particularly males, really like to play chase.

Often, Gordo is against a wall in one of the new playrooms or in a doorway, observing at a distance. The photo below isn’t very good, but it shows Gordo in one of his spots with one leg crossed over the other – this, along with the full splay, is a classic Gordo pose.

I’ve noticed that he’s also been hanging out in the corner of the far greenhouse. Whenever I pass by, I stop to talk to him for a bit. Often I don’t get much of a response.

I was beginning to wonder if I was perhaps coming on too strong, when, last Saturday, Gordo did grant me a game of chase. It was wonderful. And brief.

Today, Kelsi and I were being goofy with the whole group, and Gordo joined in the fun! I don’t know if you can tell how elated Kelsi was in these photos, but let’s just say she’ll be riding this high for awhile.

When he was done playing with Kelsi, I caught his eye and went out to the greenhouse hallway. To my great surprise, he walked towards me. On purpose! And I didn’t have food!

It was a great moment to kick off my weekend.

Thank you, Gordito.

 

Glorious Greenhouses

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I have to really hand it to J.B. for his greenhouse design and Gary from Sage Mechanical for putting it all together plus adding some special touches.

These new greenhouses are truly a chimp’s dream.

Gordo
Gordo

 

Yesterday was the first day that I was cleaning in one of the new playrooms with the new group of six chimpanzees on the other side of the windows in a greenhouse. I snapped some quick photos on my phone through the window to give you a sense of the chimpanzees’ perspective.

That view! 

All of the new six like to take advantage of the vertical space and can often be found up high on the benches at the edges of the greenhouse. There are some great spots to observe the neighbors.

Lucky watching the neighbors from a high bench in a greenhouse.

Cy even took a minute away from his magazines to watch Willy B in the Courtyard today:

At Wildlife Waystation, the indoor space for the chimpanzees was much smaller than at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, and they spent most of their time in their concrete-floored, chain-link fenced space. We were all pleasantly surprised that they walked on the grass in their new greenhouse habitats right away. The grass is an experiment for us in these new spaces, one that so far is working well.

Terry

Though there are many differences, the greenhouses are probably most similar to what they are used to at Wildlife Waystation. During the day, there is usually at least one chimpanzee out there, and sometimes all six of them are in one greenhouse or another. During their first week they were in the greenhouses well after we had closed up for the night.

Last night around 7:30, I was outside wandering around. The sanctuary property was full of activity. There was a doe grazing in the pasture near Young’s Hill. The bovine family had gotten up from their daytime shady spot and they too were spending the cooler evening hours grazing. Ground squirrels and the occasional marmot were scurrying about, always in a hurry. The cliff swallows that have taken over the eaves of the new addition to the chimp house were soaring and dropping and diving, undoubtedly getting their dinner of insects.

As I approached the chimp building, however, there wasn’t even the hint of anyone stirring. I walked around the outside of the fence behind the new greenhouses and did not see a soul.

It made me feel disappointed for a fleeting moment, because it’s nice to see the chimps among the bamboo and logs and grass, with the sky as the backdrop, but then I smiled. Sometimes I even have to remind myself that it’s not about what I want or what I think they should be doing; it’s about giving them choices and letting them figure out what they want.

I pictured all six of them–Cy, Lucky, Gordo, Terry, Rayne, and Dora–sleeping soundly in their nests made of blankets and paper, in the special spot they chose for themselves, indoors in the new playrooms, perhaps with a newfound sense of safety and security.

 

Popular Cy-ience

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Today’s blog is all about magazines.

This may seem like an odd topic, but please bear with me. There’s a cute chimp video at the end. I promise.

As one would expect, a quick dive into the various Wikipedia pages for the term “magazine” is quite enlightening. The modern English version of the word derives from medieval predecessors like magasin (French), magazzino (Italian) and makhazin (Arabic) all of which were generally used to refer to one or more warehouses or storehouses.

Essentially, a “magazine” is just a place to put stuff. Hypothetically, a pantry could be a magazine for food, a garage could be a magazine for vehicles, and CSNW could be a magazine for rescued cattle and chimpanzees. However, for some strange reason, humans in English-speaking cultures stopped using it for almost everything except firearms, artillery, ammunition, film cameras, and periodicals. Huh?

It wasn’t until the 1700s that the term was first used to describe a collection of printed articles published on a regular schedule and distributed for a fee. It’s easy to confuse magazines with journals, although the latter are usually peer-reviewed and typically feature some sort of academic content. Since the earliest versions appeared on street corners, these printed “magazines” have become a widespread cultural phenomenon. Current variations range in scope from celebrity gossip to international affairs. Although the era of print journalism has been cut short by social media, magazines are still ubiquitous in some corners of society; they can be found in dentist’s offices, airport bookshops, and even your grandparents’ coffee table (next to the bowl of hard candies and the cookie tin that actually contains knitting supplies).

Ironically, everyone seems to have collections of magazines but few people have a good place to store them.

Fortunately, we at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest make good use of donated magazines by giving them to the chimpanzees as enrichment. Usually, we smear peanut butter or mashed banana in between some of the pages, leading the chimps to flip through the periodicals in search of an unpredictable treat. Sometimes, they shred the magazines and use the scraps as nesting material. Eventually, they all get destroyed, but it’s nice to see them have a second purpose instead of immediately going in the trash.

It’s one thing to skim a magazine in search of peanut butter and another to genuinely peruse the imagery inside. Of all the sanctuary’s resident chimps, only Jamie has ever appeared to enjoy flipping through books and magazines for entertainment’s sake, so we don’t expect the others to follow suit.

However, we were intrigued when one of the new group’s former caregivers told us that adult male Cy loves to look at magazines. Shortly after they arrived and began settling in, we were able to give his group a whole stack of publications, ranging from sensationalist tabloids to issues of Popular Science and National Geographic. His response was overwhelmingly positive, to say the least. The embedded video shows his reaction, including some of the funniest little chirps I have ever heard from a chimpanzee. Cy was so excited that he kept gesturing to his caregivers to reassure him and even asked us to add more magazines to the pile.

Finally, at the end of the day, Cy threw some magazines in his nest and settled down for the evening.

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Note: We’re all stocked up on magazines at the moment (our magazine magazine is full), but we’ll let you all know if we have a need for more!

Comin’ in HOT

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Hey everyone! It’s been a long week so far.

For one thing, the scorching heat is  r e l e n t l e s s .

Today brought record-setting temperatures to Oregon and Washington. Tomorrow will have more of the same. For comparison, it’s hotter than Guy Fieri’s wardrobe over here.

For actual quantitative reference, tomorrow’s forecast shows Cle Elum being 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hotter than it’s ever been in the state of Florida (109F).

That’s correct. Our town nestled among the snow-capped Central Cascades will have higher temperatures than they’ve EVER HAD on ANY DATE in FLORIDA. It will also be hotter than it’s ever been in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and at least fifteen other U.S. states and territories. Tomorrow would be the hottest day ever in Washington… if we hadn’t already broken that record today.

To cope, our staff has been closely monitoring the doors and windows, cranking all the electric fans, and consuming a steady stream of popsicles, sports drinks, and good ol’ fashioned water. As all the smart people say, hydrate to dominate, baby!

Despite the sweltering heat, we’re excited to report that all SIXTEEN chimpanzee residents are doing well, staying hydrated, and keeping cool. Of course, those sixteen residents include the six newest arrivals: Cy, Dora, Gordo, Lucky, Rayne and Terry.

This group of adult chimps has been called “The Lucky Six” during the campaign to send them to sanctuary, but we’ll also likely refer to them as “Cy’s Group” since he seems to be their undisputed chief. While our own medical and caregiving records have less mutable designations for each group (e.g., Group C), it will be nice to have an informal and familiar way to specify which group we’re talking about.

We’re still getting to know the six chimps in Cy’s group, but it’s already evident that they all have unique personalities and complex social dynamics. As is tradition, we’ll be shining a virtual spotlight on each individual over the next few months so that you can all get to know them as well. In case you missed it, Kelsi announced their arrival and posted a few portraits on Saturday, and Katelyn followed up with more photographs in yesterday’s post (which was dedicated to those who cared and advocated for the six newcomers at their previous home). For now, we’ll continue to share what we can on the blog when we’re not busy taking care of chimps!

For today’s blog, I threw together a video using clips that our staff have recorded over the past few days. We look forward to sharing more in the near future, so please stay tuned and be patient! The new guys are amazing and we can’t wait to tell you more about them!