Long, lazy walks around Young’s Hill.
Endless amounts of fresh, sweet grass and dandelions.
Drifting off to sleep to a chorus of songbirds.
rescue
The Phoenix
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!
For the thrill of it
When Jamie decides she wants to go for a walk with a caregiver, there is almost always one chimp that decides to join the hike. Quite often, it’s Missy, but it isn’t always so obvious at first. Instead of following close behind, Missy makes sure to give Jamie a big head start so she can properly race to catch up.
Missy finds so much happiness in simply running as fast as she can, it’s hard to imagine her previous life spent warehoused in a basement.
A playful way to start the day
As I arrived this morning, I found Negra and Burrito grooming on a bench in one of the Front Rooms. This is a popular morning spot since it has a view of both the driveway and the kitchen.
Despite how this looks, Burrito is not in fact a vampire. He is actually more of a Tasmanian Devil. But at this point in the day he is still a very sleepy Tasmanian Devil.
As the other staff and volunteers arrive, Negra looks toward the kitchen and greets them with a soft grunt, and Burrito follows suit.
The arrival of the volunteers means the workday has begun, and that in turn means that breakfast will soon be ready. Breakfast always puts Negra in a good mood so she begins to play.
Negra has a rough style of play. The others tolerate it because of her status, and because they all know that it is a special occasion when Negra plays. Soon she is playfully but forcefully pushing Burrito’s head against the wall.
She thinks that is a lot of fun.
Burrito thinks a bit less of this game and he eventually slips away, so Negra settles for a patented Negra move – the head-butt to the belly. Let the day begin!
Morning on the Hill
The volunteers set out a forage on the hill this morning.
After an initial course of smoothie, vitamins, and peanuts, the chimps went outside to search for pieces of orange, plum, grapefruit, and banana as well as some primate chow.
Jamie (below and at the top of the post):
Negra:
Burrito, confronting the dilemma faced by most male chimpanzees from time immemorial – do I feed myself and otherwise engage in the basic behaviors necessary to sustain life, or I do I follow that girl in estrus wherever she goes? For the most part, he chose the latter (poor Jody), but he did manage to grab a few scraps of food along the way.
Missy:
Annie, developing a nice wadge of primate chow:
Not to be outdone, Jody made a wadge of her own:
And finally, Foxie:
Though we didn’t fill the termite mound with food this morning, Foxie nevertheless checked its contents using a tool and technique never seen before in any wild population: Strawberry Shortcake dipping.
Ritual
Over the years, Jamie has continued to develop the ritual around her walks with staff and volunteers. These days, it goes something like this: First, Jamie selects a boot for the human to wear. Next, they walk around the hill together (on opposite sides of the fence, of course). When the walks are done, they reconvene in the greenhouse area, where Jamie grooms the caregiver and the boot. And finally, later that night, she will ask for the boot back before settling into her nest.
In anticipation of the grooming part of the ritual, Jamie will often grab a suitable tool during the walk and bring it back with her into the greenhouse. Today, Jamie grabbed a large tumbleweed that had blown against the fence and later used it to groom volunteer Patti and her boots.
Bonus Foxie photos:
One more time
Sometimes our boss makes us work late.
