Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

rescue

First meeting

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Our efforts to integrate Willy B, Honey B, and Mave into the Cle Elum Seven family began yesterday by introducing them to Missy, Annie, and Jody. The day included a couple scrapes and bruises and a lot of frayed nerves (both humans and chimpanzees), but overall it was a success.

The first challenge was moving all the chimps to where they needed to be to make this work. Thankfully everyone cooperated. Burrito, Jamie, and Foxie are now living in the new Phase 1 building and Negra is in the Front Rooms of the old building awaiting her turn to be integrated. As they get to know each other better, the new group of six will live in the Playroom and Greenhouse.

Here’s what we’ve seen so far from the new folks: Willy B, while dominant, is a hands-off kind of guy, almost aloof. He doesn’t start fights but he doesn’t get involved in stopping them either. Jody, Missy, and Annie are doing their best to win him over but he is being coy. Honey B has a ton of sass…she is currently seeing how far she can push the other girls and she’s quite fearless. And Mave…I would never confess to having favorite chimps, of course, but it’s not playing favorites when someone is simply the best by all objective measures 🙂 Mave is confident, friendly, and reassuring – she is the perfect bridge between the two families.

We are going to see how this group does over the next couple of days, with the hope that they will become more interactive with one another. At this time they are spending more time with their old friends than with new ones, but that will change. And Annie and Honey B have some things to work out, which they will in due time. Negra is on deck to be integrated next, if all goes well, but nothing is set in stone. As we’ve said, we will do our best to be as prepared as possible, but the chimps will lead the way.

Four Thousand Sleeps

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As I’m writing this, the chimp house is very, very quiet. The most noticeable sound is the hum from the printer on the desk next to me – a sound  that is downed out during the day when there is a bustle of activity on the part of the humans and often loud chimpanzee vocalizations coming from both wings of the building.

In this moment, all ten chimpanzees are deep asleep after a full day of exploration, eating, socializing, playing, and displaying.

Chimpanzees are masters at sleeping. Seeing a chimp either casually day-napping or deep into a night’s sleep makes me want to close my own eyes and drift into that other world of unconsciousness.

Burrito, Annie, Jody, Jamie, Negra, Foxie, and Missy have had (if I did the math correctly) 4,122 sleepful nights at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.

BURRITO

 

ANNIE

 

JODY

 

JAMIE

 

NEGRA

 

FOXIE

 

MISSY

 

Willy B, Mave, and Honey B have only been here 41 days. I think this photo that Katelyn took recently is the only close-up we have of any of those three sleeping. Hopefully we will have many, many more days to capture and share images of their unique faces in peaceful slumber.

WILLY B

Goodnight from everyone at the sanctuary. Sleep well.

Getting to Know You

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Honey B, Willy B, and Mave have officially completed their 30-day quarantine period, but we’re still waiting on results from a fecal exam before we move on to introductions. As we wait, we are carefully observing the interactions between the two groups for cues to help us develop our introduction strategy. Jamie and Burrito will likely present the greatest challenge because of their backgrounds as pets and performers – chimps raised in human environments are often at a disadvantage when it comes to navigating complex social situations. And Foxie, while socially adept, has been slightly more reactive than we expected (this is a nice way of saying that she screams a lot). Our instincts, along with tons of data from our friend and former intern Jake, told us that Jody, Missy, and Annie would be a strong subgroup to welcome the new folks to the neighborhood, and today’s interaction seemed to back that up.

We hope that these ten chimps will be compatible but we are realistic about what lies ahead. Even if a full group formation is unsuccessful, it will be an absolute joy to watch some of the Cle Elum Seven meet new friends after all these years. Just look at the excitement and anticipation in Jody’s eyes.

First sight

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On Wednesday, Mave, Honey B, and Willy B were able to access the chute for the first time. This is the overhead tunnel that will connect the Phase 1 enclosures to Young’s Hill once we finish extending the electric fencing. Prior to Wednesday, the three new chimps had only gotten glimpses of the Seven from a distance as they rounded the lower corner of Young’s Hill on their patrols. And the Seven had not been able to see the three at all. On Wednesday they got their first real look at one another.

This “pre-introduction” went about as well as we could have hoped. Yes, there was plenty of screaming. And yes, there was a lot of displaying. Not to mention threat barks, fear grimaces, and requests for reassurance. All to be expected. More importantly, by the end there were also pant-grunts, head nods, genital bounces, and even a little flirty hand-waving (this last one may not be found in the primatological literature but you will know it when you see it). These are all positive signs that the actual introduction process stands a decent chance of being successful. But we won’t know until we try. So stay tuned!

Lending a Hand

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It’s amazing how much Honey B, Willy B, and Mave have changed since they arrived on Sunday. No matter how much it benefits a chimpanzee to be relocated to a sanctuary like CSNW, it is still a stressful and bewildering experience. A certain amount of anxiety or even fear is understandable until they become familiar with the new environment, a new routine, and new caregivers. But we’re happy to see these three adapting quickly. This morning, as I was donning quarantine gear just outside the door, I could hear playful foot slaps on the floor. When I opened the door, Honey B was jumping up and down with a huge play face and Mave and Willy B were engaged in a pretty exuberant game of chase (who knew Mave could move so fast?). I have no doubt they miss their former caregivers, who love them very much, but for the first time it seemed like they were starting to feel at home here at CSNW. Little do they know there will be a lot more to become familiar with once their quarantine period is complete…

On the other side of the building, the one-and-only Missy was celebrating her 44th birthday! It was a day filled with running around the hill, playing with her best friend Annie, and tomatoes for every meal. A busy day and poor internet connection conspired to prevent me from putting together a second video, but we should be able to share that with you in the days to come.

The New Three

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You guessed it – Willy B, Mave, and Honey B are incredible, and we are all newly in love with them with each passing hour. It’s hard to believe they’ve only been here a few days from Wildlife Waystation.

Click on the video above for some recent clips of the three, and stay tuned for a video of their journey to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, which we will be showing as part of the Summer Biddin’ online auction that beings August 28th!

Willy B is starting to relax enough to play games of chase and was seen playing with a plastic slinky today. He loves watching videos and looking at photos on our phones. He seems to particularly like photos of Jody. Despite his grand entrance seen in the video he hasn’t been displaying very much. We suspect his displays will increase when he is able to see the other chimpanzees through the howdy door.

Mave, at least on the outside, appears to be most relaxed chimpanzee I’ve ever met. She was even making a nest and lying on her back during the transport! Today, she discovered troll dolls and carried one around with her this morning, tucking it into her pelvic pocket before greeting J.B. She has a way of casually shuffling across the new floors that makes it seem like she’s wearing slippers.

We’ve been told that Honey B is uber smart, and we’re definitely seeing glimpses of that. She has a way of looking right into your soul. She is a very enthusiastic groomer with her new human friends and is very excited when she finds a scab. She’s decided the mezzanine is the place to be and has been nesting up there at night using everything available.

There’s so much more for us to learn about these three chimpanzees, and we’re so glad to have all of you following along so you can get to know them too.

Grooming Party

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Grooming sessions like these often serve as a counterweight to growing tensions within the group.

One measure of how well the Cle Elum Seven are getting along is how well they shift between enclosures. For example, at times Negra might think it wiser to stay in the playroom and forego a portion of breakfast than to allow herself to be stuck in the greenhouse with a raging Burrito. Or Jody may decide that she doesn’t have the energy to deal with Jamie’s dinnertime harassment and refuse to enter the playroom for a forage. In both cases, it’s not where they’re moving to that’s the problem – it’s who their moving with.

Lately, shifting has been a little more difficult than usual. While the chimps aren’t the slightest bit concerned about rearranging our cleaning schedule (nor should they be), they do have an interest in maintaining a stable and cohesive group. So it’s not surprising to see them participating in large grooming parties like this.

We’ll see if it’s enough to get us into the greenhouse for morning cleaning tomorrow…