Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

recovery

Mave is Reunited!

by 23 Comments

As Anna mentioned yesterday, Mave had to take a trip to the clinic on Wednesday. While she took yesterday to herself to rest, she was ready to get back to her group today! Thankfully, Dr. Erin gave her the all clear and we were able to reunite her.

We started out by giving Mave a breakfast date with Honey B to gauge Mave’s energy level. They were so excited to see each other, although Honey B really just wanted to inspect Mave’s entire body. After the breakfast date, Mave and Honey B were reunited with the rest of the group. The arousal level was high because of how excited they were to see her, so of course, some drama ensued. But the group carried on as normal, as you will see in today’s video!

Mave has done amazing at walking away if her group members are grooming her wound too much. Keep up the good work, Mave! I think she is just so happy to be back with her friends, especially Dora! She’s been busy in the Greenhouses all afternoon absorbing some sunshine (despite the fresh snow) and grooming with others. We’re so happy the 9 are back together.

 

Morning Greetings

by

Burrito ate a late-night snack of baked apple slices and a banana and took some medication in grape juice, then he slept soundly all night.

This morning he woke up a bit brighter-eyed and had enough energy to greet Jamie, Jody, and Foxie who all wanted to inspect and groom his still slightly swollen hand and his face (if you haven’t been following the last few days, here’s why Mr. B is in recovery). When J.B. came in early,  Burrito scooted over to play poke/tickle while still lying down.

Things are all trending in the right direction!

My mental energy has been focused on Burrito these last few days and some of my plans for HOOT! outreach have gone by the wayside. If things continue to look good, and after getting some sleep, I plan to work some more on that event which is coming up in just a few days now!

It turns out that rattlesnake antivenin, which we sourced from the nearest human ER, is extremely expensive, so I might be adding a fundraising page to help pay for Burrito’s medical expenses (so far $12,000) on the virtual auction/event site later today.

Thank you to those who have already inquired about making donations towards his care!

Midnight bagels

by

Whenever a chimp is in the clinic for a procedure, I can’t wait for it to be over so we can put them back into the recovery room.

Drs. Zamzow and Khachatryan perform surgery on Burrito

But as soon as we get them in the recovery room, I almost wish they were back in the clinic.

Diana repositions Burrito, still under anesthesia, for x-rays in the recovery enclosure

That’s because in the clinic, we have tons of information about their vitals and far more control over the administration of analgesics, antibiotics, and other drugs that are essential for well-being and even survival. Once they’re in recovery, we have to hope for a cooperative patient. And chimpanzees are not known to be very cooperative under even the best of circumstances…

If a chimpanzee has a major surgery or shows difficulty recovering from anesthesia, we will stay with them overnight – sometimes for nights on end. We’ll monitor their respiration, give medications, and in some cases just nudge them to get up in order to promote circulation and deeper breathing. Our recent sleepovers with Burrito were actually pretty quiet, though the other chimps occasionally had something to say about the cornucopia of food available only to Burrito.

During critical recovery periods, caregivers sleep just outside the recovery enclosure to provide 24-hour care.

Some of the behaviors we work on in positive reinforcement training come in handy in times like these. While a no-contact thermometer isn’t very scary to begin with, it helps that Burrito is used to holding his temple to the caging while we get a reading.

A no-contact thermometer is an effective way to record trends in body temperature
In addition to charts for medications and procedures, caregivers maintain a log of vital signs such as temperature and respiratory rate

Administering meds is the most difficult part by far. Anesthesia and medications can make a chimpanzee lose his appetite – even a professional eater like Burrito. And some medications taste and smell disgusting. So whenever a chimp is on medication after a procedure, you will find the counters filled with all sorts of goodies – pudding, applesauce, juice, yogurt, soda, smoothie, bread, bagels, baked goods, jam, honey, syrup, dried fruit…anything that will mask the pill or liquid. And in many cases it only works once, so next time it’s back to the drawing board. But they have to take their meds, so there’s no giving up.

Burrito enjoys a midnight snack (spiked with pain relievers).

We’re so grateful that Burrito’s world-famous appetite is beginning to return and his suspicion of being surreptitiously medicated is starting to wane. In the not-too-distant future, he will be back to his old routine. And while I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to go back, I know he’ll miss those midnight bagels…

Still healing

by

Negra has always worn her trauma on her sleeve.

The first time we met her, she wouldn’t even show us her face. She hid behind a solid metal panel at the end of a bank of four cages in the windowless laboratory basement that had been her home for years. The only part of her that we really saw that first day was her hand as she reached upwards through the food chute to beg for handfuls of peanuts.

When she arrived at the sanctuary she was inactive and socially withdrawn. She could be anxious around her caregivers and was prone to overreaction when touched. When she finally had the opportunity to go outdoors, she was reluctant and would often become overwhelmed with fear when she ventured too far outside.

I hate to admit it, but we always had low expectations for Negra. Some chimps retain their fighting spirit against all odds. Negra was spiritless. If we could just give her a year in sanctuary, we thought, it will have been worth it. Maybe she wouldn’t take advantage of all the new opportunities available to her, but she deserved to finally have the choice. It was a low bar but we were still afraid she wouldn’t reach it.

But she surprised us. Over the last ten years, she gradually became more social with her chimpanzee and human friends. She grew more accustomed to being touched, even allowing her caregivers to provide basic medical treatment. She has spent more time outdoors and ventured further and further into her habitat.

I don’t want to overstate the extent of her transformation. Negra still spends the majority of her time alone in bed, her head shrouded in a blanket for security. Negra’s progress, like Negra herself, has been slow.

But something unusual is happening right now. The pace of change has increased to the point where it seems like each day brings a new surprise, each one announced with excitement over the two-way radios:

“Negra was the first one outside this morning!”

“Negra is at the top of the hill!”

“Negra climbed to the top of the new structure!”

“Negra is wrestling with Missy!”

“Negra is playing with me!”

“Negra is spooning Jody!”

This morning, Diana called over the radio to say that Negra was playing with her in a way that was more typical of Burrito. See for yourself in the video above. This is the kind of thing we live for. Not because we enjoy playing with Negra (though we do), but because we’re excited to see her become more active, playful, and trusting. We love seeing her become more engaged with the world around her.

Why is this happening ten years after she arrived at the sanctuary?

There are a number of factors that enable chimps (and other animals, including humans) to recover from trauma. Things like agency, autonomy, a sense of safety and security, and a physical and social environment that allows for species-typical behavior are all critical. But one thing we mustn’t overlook is time. It took Negra 35 years to accumulate the traumas she experienced while being torn from her mother and her home, having her children ripped away from her again and again, being housed in tiny, barren cages, and being subjected to invasive experimentation. These memories, and the resulting patterns of behavior, can’t be undone overnight. And Negra will set her own pace.

Will these changes last? We don’t know. Negra has come out of her shell before only to retreat again. But for now we are going to play as much tug-of-war with this silly, seemingly care-free Negra as we can. And more importantly, we are going to enjoy watching her socialize more with her chimpanzee family and spend more time foraging on Young’s Hill.

The Phoenix

by

Diana and I recently had the pleasure of reading Phoenix Zones, a new book by a good friend of the sanctuary, Dr. Hope Ferdowsian. In it, Hope shares the lessons she’s learned about building strength and resilience throughout the course of her incredible career as a human rights physician and animal advocate. The book is filled with stories demonstrating how humans and other animals can recover from trauma and heal – a process known as the “Phoenix Effect” – if we attend to certain key principles such as love, dignity, justice, and respect for liberty. Phoenix Zones, by extension, are the places where these principles are put into practice, and where those suffering from trauma can rise from the proverbial ashes to find peace and hope.

One example of a Phoenix Zone that Hope discusses in her book is Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Her story focuses on Negra, who was stolen from her family and endured 35 years of unimaginable suffering but now exemplifies the power of Phoenix Zones promote healing and resilience in even the most traumatized individuals.

It’s easy to forget just how far Negra has come. This morning, we found her enjoying sweet spring grass near the top of the hill, a place that she had feared not so long ago.

A key message of the book is that physical and emotional recovery are only possible when we are free to make our own choices, when we are able to live with dignity, and, perhaps most importantly, when we have a sense of hope. Negra’s story should inspire hope in all of us.

Diana and I will be joining Hope for a discussion of her book at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle on April 30th. If you live nearby, we hope to see you there!

Negra Rejoins the Group

by

Negra continues her recovery today after a recent surgery on her toe. She’s perfected the art of rest and relaxation…

…which has really helped with her recovery.

So, today, after careful consideration, she was able to rejoin the rest of her chimpanzee family. She made sure to check out her favorite spots in the Playroom (a portion of the chimps’ indoor enclosure) before venturing out into the Greenhouse.

And this afternoon, she’s been going back and forth between spending time resting on the catwalk in the Playroom and on one of the ledges in the Front Rooms.

Visiting Hours

by

Health care workers know that emotional support from friends and family can play an important role in the healing process. So while Negra might be on restricted activity for a few days, she still gets regular visits from her family.

Then again, who needs family when you’ve got a constant stream of peanuts, peanut butter, cabbage, and pineapple coconut juice…