Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
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Just before dinner, I looked up on the hill and saw Negra and Jody eating dandelion leaves on top of what we call “Missy’s Mound” (a small hill with a tunnel running through it). They were a good 150 feet or so from the building, which I think is the farthest that Negra has ever traveled up the hill. Negra has always been one of the most sedentary chimps that I’ve ever known; now it looks like Young’s Hill has finally given her a reason to get out of bed.
The chimps were going after a garter snake today. I think that Missy brought it in from outside and then lost her grip on it. The chimps chased it until it crawled into a small space in the caging. I laughed when I saw Jamie with the spaghetti spoon, but it was actually a pretty good choice of tools because she was trying to flush it out from its hiding spot.
The chimps never did get the snake, and Jamie seemed dissatisfied. She spent a good part of the afternoon walking around Young’s Hill, probably looking for more snakes.
Last night there was a commotion on the hill. We didn’t see what happened, but there was a lot of screaming and Negra ran to the greenhouse to seek reassurance from the other chimpanzees. Was it a fight? Did Negra get stung by an insect? Did she touch the electric fence?
This morning, as I was getting ready to let the chimps out onto the hill, I wondered if Negra would choose to stay indoors where she felt safe. But before I could unlock the door, Negra was there, waiting. She was the first out the door, and she stayed out long after the other chimps had gone back inside. She looked so at ease, eating grass and soaking up the sun.
When it came time for her to get up and head back to the building, something happened – she panicked. I imagine that she didn’t realize how far it was back to the greenhouse, sort of like what happens when you climb a tall ladder and don’t experience fear until you look down and realize how high up you are. This is probably what happened to her last night as well.
She ran down the log bridge, trying to get back to the greenhouse as fast as she could (which, for Negra, is not very fast).
She showed a slight fear grimace…
…which turned into a pout or whimper face.
Being Negra, she managed to grab some dandelion greens along the way without breaking stride.
The panic was short-lived, thankfully, and within minutes she was back in the same spot, enjoying some more grass.
We never really know what the chimps are thinking, but it’s clear to me that Negra is determined to enjoy the great outdoors. It’s just going to take a while before she can truly relax. Each of the chimps does things in their own time, and in their own way.
Jackie got some excellent footage of the chimps switching roles the other day. As many of you know, The Cle Elum Seven chimps all have unique personalities. Negra usually keeps to herself, is quiet, and likes to rest a lot. Missy is super playful, loves to run, and tries to get the other chimps to chase her. Foxie (not shown in this video) is a troll connoisseur. In this video, we see Negra initiating play, holding trolls, and stealing nests. Missy forgoes play with her best friend Annie in order to take a nap Neggie-style. Even though they all have their individual personalities, they definitely continue to surprise us!
J.B. just finished installing a scale in the greenhouse so that we can monitor the chimps’ weights. He cleverly disguised the scale as a place to sit. Most of the chimps are tucked away in their nests for the night and didn’t even bother getting up when the door to the greenhouse was opened for them, but Foxie and Jamie immediately came out.
Foxie, with two troll dolls, hopped right on it:
Jamie, of course, was mostly interested in seeing if she could take it apart:
It was a beautiful, sunny and still morning in Cle Elum, so we set up breakfast on Young’s Hill as a forage. We added some lettuce to the forage – one of Negra’s favorite foods. She went right out! I think it’s the first time since September, when the hill was first opened, that I’ve seen seven chimpanzees out there at once.
Here’s a short video of Negra enjoying the forage:
One of the many benefits of Young’s Hill is that it has given the chimps a bit more autonomy. The chimps love to eat grass, especially the tender and vibrant green grass of spring. But we were never able to get grass to grow in their old outdoor enclosure, so the chimps had to ask us to get it for them. Annie was especially persistent – in the spring, our staff and volunteers would become full-time grass fetchers (Negra would even demand that we fetch her grass by clapping impatiently – her servants are never fast enough for her).
The chimps’ love of grass is one of the main factors in helping them acclimate to their new, 2-acre enclosure. Last fall, after rushing out onto the hill on the very first day, a few of the chimps decided that once was enough. They would sit in the doorway and stare out at the wide open field, but their fear of the open space kept them from going any further. Then they noticed little clumps of green grass growing just a couple feet beyond the end of the tunnel. They mustered the courage to venture out that far, and then quickly picked a handful of grass and raced back to the safety of the old enclosure. Once that clump was picked clean, they went a little farther, and on and on it went like this until one day, they must have realized that they were 20 feet out into the enclosure and everything was OK.
Negra is going through that phase now, as we explained in a recent blog post, and she continues to spend more and more time outside each day. For the others that have already overcome their fears, spring is a time to relax and enjoy the benefits of having your very own 2-acre salad bowl right outside your back door.
