Rayne

Rayne: The Coolest Girl at School

September 30, 2023 by Sabrina

The best part of the mornings for me is serving the chimps their meals. I like to hear their excitement when food shows up; they tend to look over the food items that will be offered then they settle into their chosen spot to enjoy their meal. Gordo usually enjoys his meals out in the greenhouse, Lucky will sit up higher on top of the food chute, possibly to avoid the melee that can happen during meal time but for Rayne that spot is usually on a thin piece of firehose that is hung across the room. She has managed to master sitting cross legged on this thin hose for her entire meal and she seems, somehow, to be comfortable and content here. Watching Rayne stroll in casually each morning and take her spot for breakfast is definitely one of my favorite parts of the day.

Testing, Testing 1-2-3

September 5, 2023 by Chad de Bree

It has been a little while since we have talked about enrichment for Rayne’s group. If you happen to have been wondering, yes. They are still destructive in comparison to Jamie’s group. We have been taking it slow to see what works and what doesn’t. The problem with that is that it is what it is; slow. Though more and more things are added to their growing repertoire of enrichment, some in that group have a burning desire to eat plastic, stuffing from stuffed animals, and some other things. Just because they are destructive, does that mean we should stop trying? If you’re hardheaded and stubborn like myself, then you know the answer is “no.”

It has been a slow process of introducing them to new things, but things are still moving along. We recently attempted to introduce them to firehose cubes. Before Mave, Honey B, and Willy B integrated into the Lucky Six, firehose cubes were on the list of food puzzles they received. Since the cubes are pretty durable, we decided that was going to be the next step. The first trial run was overall a success! There was some minimal damage when caregivers were able to retrieve the next morning, but nothing that would stop the second trial run.

Though six of the group of nine have not experienced firehose cubes before, they had some to show them the ropes.

Mave working her way through a firehose cube as Dora looks on

Willy B reunited with one of his favorite food puzzles

For others, it came naturally. For instance:

Rayne, the queen of all natural intuition, didn’t even hesitate to grab one and rummage through it

(Cy is to the right perusing through a magazine and Lucky is in the back)

Hopefully (fingers crossed) you all will be seeing some more photos of firehose cubes with Rayne’s group.

Here are some bonus photos from today:

Mave being silly with a sock

A photo montage of Missy before and during a lunch forage today

Jamie during today’s lunch forage

(Always has to keep an eye on what everybody else is doing)

Negra looking like the queen that she is

Burrito returning from a “walk” (read run) around Young’s Hill

Come on Down!

August 27, 2023 by Chad de Bree

Animal exploitation begins with greed… They want to make money and they’ll make money at the expense of any kind of animal, be it a puppy or an elephant. It’s disgusting. ” – Bob Barker

Like a lot of Americans, I have spent some time curled up in a blanket, eating noodle soup, drinking 7-Up, eating saltine crackers, and watching Bob Barker on The Price Is Right when I was at home sick from school. Even though he always ended the show with his famous closing of “Get your pets spayed and neutered,” like clockwork, it wasn’t until I became older I found out how much of an animal lover he was, which in turn made me appreciate him even more.

As some of you know, he was very supportive of the plight of chimpanzees in the Untied States used as biomedical subjects, entertainment, or in roadside zoos. By now, you may have read some of the other accredited sanctuaries who have posted about the passing of Bob Barker and the amazing support he has given them. We are no different. Through his DJ & T Foundation, he has supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and our efforts, and we will always be grateful of him.

To honor what I personally think his vision was, here are some photos from today of the chimpanzees enjoying their day free from testing, abuse, and neglect.

Burrito at the start of our morning patrol/run

Jamie at the top of Young’s Hill walking amongst the trees

And Missy… Missy was really all over the place during the first morning patrol.

Trying to get a peep at the neighbors from a higher advantage point

Sprinting off to her next stop

Running down the log used to get to Jamie’s Tower to make it in time for breakfast

Rayne not letting a hole in a cup getting in her way of enjoying a Gatorade pool

And then there’s Gordo.

Handsome

Lovable

Uniq… Gordo… What are you doing?

Oh! Please don’t!

Okay! I get the hint! The photo session is over.

Joking aside, Gordo was just in a playful mood. In fact, he has been in a really good mood all day. Suspiciously in a really good mood. I’m starting to wonder what is up his sleeve for the rest of the day…

Whatever it is, it is his choice.

As Diana said in this 2017 post, “Choice. This, above all else, is what increases primate welfare the most. When you think about it, much of what we share on the blog are the choices that the chimpanzees are freely making on a daily basis.”

The freedom of choice is by far the greatest enrichment chimpanzees in captivity can experience.

Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) with Rayne

August 25, 2023 by Jenna

Rayne is an absolutely beautiful chimpanzee. However, if you have not noticed before, she also has dry skin on her forehead. I believe it is just genetic, as I know entire chimpanzee families at other sanctuaries that all have the same dry forehead. While I’m not sure if her dry forehead skin bothers Rayne, she does scratch it often. My main role at the sanctuary, apart from being a chimp caregiver, is to work on Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) with the chimps. PRT allows the chimps to participate in their own medical care, which is really amazing.

Lately, I’ve been working on PRT with Rayne, so that she would allow us to apply coconut oil/mixed with Honeysuckle lotion to her forehead. We have decided to avoid sprays because it is so close to Rayne’s eyes, so instead, I use a paintbrush to brush on the moisturizer.

As you will see in the video, I presented Rayne with the gestural and verbal cue for “head”, which she then presents her forehead by leaning forward to the caging. As soon as Rayne presented her forehead, I used my clicker to bridge the behavior, this is a way to tell Rayne she is doing everything correctly. I then presented my paintbrush to Rayne and say “touch” so she knows what I intend on doing. While Rayne is still presenting her forehead to the caging, that allows me to use the paintbrush to apply moisturizer to her forehead. I know Rayne doesn’t like for the paintbrush strokes to be too long, so as soon as I touch her forehead with one swipe, I use my clicker to let her know that reinforcement is coming, which is a blueberry. Rayne and I do this probably 15 times together until her forehead is coated. We will continue to work on her allowing me to use the paintbrush for a longer duration. However, a win is a win. We just want Rayne to be comfortable and make sure her forehead skin does not bother her.

Lifespan

August 11, 2023 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:

Sheets & Giggles

August 2, 2023 by Kelsi

Thank you to everyone who donated new or gently used top bed sheets. I promise it has been non-stop play and nesting since they have arrived! This blog is a part II for all the fans who loved watching the chimps, mostly Honey B and Rayne, play with the sheets! For those who may have missed all the fun a few weeks ago, there is a blog about how fun sheets can be. Not all sheet fun was able to be captured over the weeks, but Honey B sure is enjoying them! I hope you get a few giggles out of this one. 🙂

Rayne nesting with a beautiful lavender sheet (might be her favorite):

Bonus photos! This morning as I let Foxie’s group out onto Young’s Hill and caregiver Jenna let Lucky’s group out onto the Bray, I was able to capture some photos from both sides.

Foxie was the first out to greet the day and found a little leftover forage along her way:

Lucky set out for the hammock this morning:

Eventually, she climbed up higher for a better view:

Gordo went out this morning too (maybe to get a glimpse of a tiny little chimp across the way):

After a little while he sat down and took in the view:

Jamie was very focus on listening to her noisy neighbors:

Later, I found one of my favorite versions of Jamie, upside down Jamie! Upside down Jamie is goofy and usually very playful (note the HOOT! Book in her pocket):

Jamie is still holding on to her HOOT! Boot Book very tight:

And the handsome devil, Burrito napping in the window:

All Around the Raspberry Bush

July 25, 2023 by Chad de Bree

When caregivers are assigned to be the lead caregiver on a certain day, one of our first tasks is to “open up” the Chimp House. For me, this is one of the best times of day because it’s still early in the morning and some residents are still not fully awake. Case in point: Negra

To walk in the morning to see Negra still in bed, you kind of watch in real time what kind of mood she will be in that particular day. And yes. She has been in a really good mood today.

Since she was in a good mood upon awakening, and because today’s high temperature in Central Washington is 70º, it was a perfect day for a lunch forage on Young’s Hill. As of this typing (almost dinner time), they have been going on and off Young’s Hill looking for anything they may have missed. On today’s forage menu was: baby iceberg lettuce heads, prickly pears, and sweet potatoes.

Foxie