Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Small Moments

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Throughout the day I catch small moments of the chimps interacting with each other, with humans, or just by themselves that just make me smile. Sometimes the moments are just a split second, but they always make my heart burst with joy. I thought I would share a few from yesterday and today.

This morning as we cleaned the front rooms, Foxie tossed her strawberry shortcake doll to me by the Playroom. We played chase from front room 1 to the playroom. When Foxie was running she was doing a bunny hop with her back feet. That one always gets me :).

Yesterday, I found Willy B laying on a big comfy blanket. I sat down and we scrolled through some photos on my phone.

Jamie this afternoon was being groomed by Missy and Jody. Because Jamie seeks out humans so often I love seeing her with chimp friends.

Yesterday, Missy came down from the loft in the playroom and began gesturing to something. I looked over and all I saw were some magazines. I offered one to her not thinking she really wanted it, but to my surprise she took the magazine and gestured for the one next to it. Once she had both magazines she climbed back up to the loft to make a nest.


We put out a pre-lunch lettuce forage on Young’s Hill today. I found Negra and Burrito playing right before I let the chimps back on the Hill. They even had a stuffed animal in their mouth playing tug-a-war.



While I was doing a chimp count for some checks ealier. I found Jamie in a nest fast asleep.

While Jamie napped in the loft, I also spotted Jody grooming a very sleepy Negra.

Burrito is often found on this barrel playing by himself, spying on the neighbors, or occasionally getting someone to play with him. This morning he started off playing by himself, but Foxie joined him a little later. Foxie would knock on the barrel while Burrito spun around on top. They were grabbing each others toes and laughing.

I hope you enjoyed these small moments. Please enjoy some bonus photos!

Jody collecting foliage this morning.

Annie walking in the tall green grass.

Negra enjoying some lettuce.

Jamie with handfuls of lettuce.

Foxie

 

 

 

The Search for a Phantom

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As I opened up the door that leads to Young’s Hill this morning, Burrito bolted out and we went for our morning jog.

As we were headed toward the final stretch around the hill, he turned back around and began running up the other way for Lap 2.

As we were heading back up the hill, we heard Annie screaming. My initial thought was she saw a snake. As any nearby chimpanzee converged on Annie’s location, my heart raced. We have begun trying to recall the chimpanzees off the hill after a snake sighting to ensure a venomous snake didn’t somehow make it’s way through the fence. As Missy, Jamie, Foxie, and Burrito met with Annie, her screaming and calls stopped and she began foraging for some of the prickly lettuce. What did she see? I still don’t have a clue, and none of the others seemed to know why she was creating a fuss either as they shot her looks of confusion as well.

Nonetheless, that didn’t stop the others in searching for a phantom menace.

Foxie and Jamie check on Annie to see if she is okay.
Burrito arrives.
Jamie meets with Burrito on his arrival.
Jamie leaves no stone, or log, unturned while Annie looks on.

Foxie watches with a somewhat confused look on her face as Annie forages for prickly lettuce.
Burrito also began foraging for prickly lettuce.
While everyone else began to forage, Jamie stood watch.

Soon after, they heard the food grunts of staff to let them know breakfast was ready and about to be served.

While the chimpanzees and cattle call this plot of land their home, so do a great deal of other amazing creatures. So let’s meet some of them! (Note: I use a couple of apps on my phone to help identify them, they aren’t 100% accurate, but usually lead me to the right direction. So If I misidentify someone here, please let me know!)

White-tail Deer

Deer can be found grazing most of the year right outside our gate. Every year, its always the sight to see when there is a mom and her fawns.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Marmots are found mostly during the spring, summer and fall, and retreat to their dens for the duration of winter. This particular individual caught me laying on the ground, catching my breath last summer after going around Young’s Hill with Burrito three times in a row.

***Warning: The next set includes insects, amphibians, and reptiles. If you don’t like those these types of creatures, you can probably skip the rest***

Virginian Tiger Moth

I found this moth right outside the Greenhouse one day after cleaning. It was very beautiful and I could not resist taking a photo of it. Before the chimpanzees regained access to the Greenhouse, I relocated them to someplace a little safer.

Sphinx Moth

I had trouble confirming the species of this sphinx moth. It does seem that it is leaning toward a Wild Cherry Sphinx Moth. It was huge and very beautiful! I found it right outside the construction area (you can spot Honey B in the back watching me take photos of them). Though sphinx moths are extremely beautiful when their wings are open, this one was resting and I didn’t want to bother it. Still beautiful though, if you ask me!

Praying Mantis

I’ve never really come across a praying mantis that was willing to pose as long as this one. This one was found right outside the door one day.

Dragonfly

I couldn’t find the identification for this one, though it may be a lance-tipped darner… maybe? I was cleaning the Seven’s Playroom one day and this fella took me by surprise as I walked passed a window and it flew out. I was able to catch it (with the aid of a few pieces of paper) and released it outside.

Long-toed Salamander

Long-toed salamanders are one of the most common creatures we find in the Chimp House, particularly the drains. This guy was found in such place and was released near one of the ponds on the property.

Northern Pacific Tree Frog

This is THE most common creature found in the Chimp House in the spring and summer if you ask me. And they are found…

every….

where!

One thing that always fascinates my the range of color they come in. From a dull brown to a vibrant green, they are pretty regardless. And their evening songs sooth the soul. When we catch them, they are usually released near one of the ponds.

Garter Snake

This is one of the most featured snakes in videos of past, like here, here, here, or here (and please keep in mind these videos have been taken over the course of several years). They are usually found near the grape vines. The are non-venomous and pretty docile. They try to hide from anything they see as a threat (human or chimpanzee), and will generally hide from it. Though they are great hiders, Annie is a great seeker and usually spots them even if they are on the other side of the fence.

Northern Rubber Boa

The northern rubber boa is a constrictor that is the most northern of all constrictors. I didn’t realize it at the time how they can be somewhat elusive and hard to find. This guy came to us in the Chimp House one day, and I didn’t realize how lucky I was one bestowed us with its presence. And don’t worry, they are non-venomous, rather small, and extremely docile! I have never seen a snake this docile!

Western Racer Snake

This snake is also a non-venomous snake that is seen a good chuck of times on the sanctuary’s grounds. They are very quick and adults are usually a grey color with a tint of green. The baby racers are slightly different.

Their pattern resembles that of another, more dangerous, snake. This is an adaptation feature they gained to try to ward off any potential predators. This little guy found it’s way along the fence trying to get to the other side, so I happily obliged him. Happy for him, and happy for the chimpanzees. It was a win-win situation.

Pacific Gopher Snake

Gopher snakes have been seen on the property, though they don’t really come near the Chimp House like the others. As you can see, they have very distinctive markings again, similar to another, more dangerous snake. However, gopher snakes take is a step further. If they feel threatened, they will coil up, flatten their head, and if near dead leaves or dry brush, will shake their tail. These guys go through great lengths to be left alone from would be predators. I found this guy on the driveway near the street as I was leaving work one day. I was scared I almost hit him. But he was okay and made myself seem as nonthreatening as I could. He later uncoiled and slithered his way in to some brush in the adjacent property.

You may be wondering, if both racers and gopher snakes adapted these traits to look so much like their more dangerous cousin, how to we know how to tell them apart? We as staff have been trying to hone in on our identification skills to be able to identify a snake as quickly as we possibly can. One way to tell is the tail. We have trying to pay close attention to spot that (along with other key traits). For instance, in the case of this gopher snake, through his clever disguise, I saw right through his bluff. My key was his tail.

They are long, slender, and to a point. Their cousin’s tails have a rattle on them, which make noise, and never come to a point like this. Even as a juvenile or when shedding, their tails are bulbous.

There more amazing creatures who live around the sanctuary property that I either didn’t have a good photo of, or have been featured in other blogs, such as bobcats, coyotes, elk during their migration, and hundreds of birds! Though we care for ten chimpanzees (soon 16!) and four bovine, we like to think this piece of property in central Washington is a sanctuary for these creatures from being harassed or killed for living their life as well. We have a catch and release protocol for any that find their way onto the wrong side of the fence. Though we keep them out of the chimpanzee side of the fence, most of the rest of the property is theirs to explore. And for those not new to the blog who may be wondering, we have been hard at work fortifying our fences and security measures so events such as last year are mitigated more so, though that was a first in the (going on) 13 years.

Have a great day, everybody!

The CSNW Mixed Tape

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One of the most flattering things you can do for someone is to compile a list of songs just for them.

Regardless of the medium, playlists are powerful way to express friendship, interest, attraction, love, respect, gratitude… or even to just say “this music is good and you’re cool.” It doesn’t seem to matter whether you record the tracks on a cassette tape, burn them on a blank CD, transfer them as MP3s to someone’s iPod, or share them as a link to a streaming service… the symbolic act of sharing a curated piece of your music collection seems to be timeless.

Today, I’ve put together a mixed tape for all of you followers because, to be clear, you’re all pretty cool. Each track in the playlist represents one of the sanctuary’s residents thanks to something in the song title, artist name, or lyrical content that relates to their personality. I’ve included photos of the corresponding chimpanzees and bovines for your enjoyment, with a link for listening at the end.

Without further ado, here are the tracks in recommended listening order:

  1. “Annie’s Song” by John Denver

    Denver wrote this song while admiring the Rocky Mountains from a ski lift. If anyone likes to admire alpine views as much as he did, it’s Annie.

  2. “Burritos” by Sublime

    If Burrito was a genre of music, he’d probably be something energetic and goofy that you can skank to… like Sublime’s legendary ska-punk.

  3. “Foxey Lady” by Jimi Hendrix

    Nobody rocked harder than Hendrix… except perhaps Foxie. It’s easy to imagine her writing a spicy song like this about her new favorite doll.

  4. “You Are Not Alone” by Mavis Staples

    Mave, like Mavis, can perform as a powerful individual or as a member of the group. Either way, they’re both smooth and soulful icons, and they’ve got your back.

  5. “Willy’s Song” by Rayland Baxter

    Although the themes are more serious, this is an upbeat Americana song for lounging in and exploring the outdoors (just like Willy B likes to do).

  6. “Honeybee” by The Head and The Heart

    This warm, melodic pop song by one of Washington state’s own is good for serenely making a big nest of blankets in your favorite nook. This activity also happens to be part of Honey B’s nightly routine.

  7. “Jody” by America

    Just as the namesake of this song stole folk-rock songwriter Russ Ballard’s heart, Jody’s tender nature will steal yours. She’ll take all your veggies, too.

  8. “La Camisa Negra” by Juanes

    This Colombian rock song was a hit in Latin America… and with my high school Spanish teacher, who made us translate it dozens of times. Thanks to those exercises, I now know that Negra means the color “black” in Spanish.

  9. “Honey, I’m Home” by Shania Twain

    Shania is beloved by divas and country folks alike, bringing her blue-collar heritage to stadiums around the globe. You know who else has a bold attitude and fashionable look despite staying true to her wholesome country roots? Honey, the matriarch of the sanctuary’s rescued bovines.

  10. “Betsy” by Billie Marten

    To be honest, I’m not sure what this muted, politically-charged song from 2019 has to do with Betsy, the rescued Jersey cow. Still, it’s a decent song and it’s the only one I could find with her name in the title.

  11. “Jamie All Over” by Mayday Parade

    The mid-2000s flavor of pop-punk was defined by anthems that rocked hard, but most of the lyrics alluded to awkward romantic themes that resonated with moody teenagers at the time. Jamie Chimpanzee, like so many of that genre’s defining hits, has a soft and sensitive core guarded by a tense and prickly exterior.

  12. “Nutmeg” by Ghostface Killah (feat. RZA)

    Is there a genre that successfully emulates the laid-back, confident demeanor of an enormous steer like Nutmeg? East Coast hip-hop with some R&B samples might do the trick. This track is something to graze on.

  13. “Missy” by The Airborne Toxic Event

    The SoCal band’s frontman wrote this about a person with the same name whom he admired, but sometimes I wonder if Missy would prefer some high-tempo music to work out to. A throwback jam by Missy Elliot, maybe?

  14. “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac

    Like Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (who split during the writing of this amazing album), sometimes its best to go off and do your own thing. Meredith is the most aloof and independent of the cattle, so this song is representative of her spirit.

Anyway, that’s the random collection of songs that I’ve assembled for your listening pleasure. I even made the mix into a public playlist on Spotify, so you can stream it by clicking here if you have an account!

Let me know if there are any songs that remind you of the sanctuary’s primate and bovine residents, and I can add them to the list!

In Between Storms

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We’re enjoying another day of much-needed rain showers here in Central Washington. As I write this, the chimps have retreated into the playrooms to build nests or groom with friends while they wait out another storm. This morning, however, was sunny and warm and the chimps took the opportunity to get some exercise on the hill.

Missy, Jody, and Burrito
Foxie (in the lead), Jody, Missy, and Burrito
Foxie, Jody, Missy, and Burrito
Burrito
Foxie
Missy with freshly picked goat’s beard dandelion
Missy
Willy B enjoying a head of lettuce
Willy B

“If you build it, chimps will come.”

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Sometimes, the development of the sanctuary feels oddly like the plot of Field of Dreams. Instead of building a baseball diamond in the middle of an Iowa cornfield to attract the ghosts of early ballplayers, we’re constructing a facility in the foothills of the Cascades to rescue chimpanzees. It’s practically the same thing. “If you build it, chimps will come.”

The new wing as viewed from the south pasture

Truthfully, the incremental growth of the sanctuary is serious work, and the immense contributions of specialized contractors is one aspect of the ongoing expansion effort that we don’t often highlight on our social media channels. Today, I’m using the daily blog to show some appreciation for their work.

We’ve had some great teams building various components of the new areas, from the foundation to the exterior paint. Recently, the crew from Sage Mechanical, LLC completed the hydraulic doors and steel caging in the new playroom enclosures (which now provide a comfortable indoor space for chimps) and resumed work on the adjacent greenhouses.

Honey B.
The new greenhouse enclosures, mid-construction

Sage Mechanical is based in Yakima and led by our friend Gary McInnis. The first project they completed for us was 2019’s “Phase 1” of the expansion effort (including the enclosures where Honey B, Mave and Willy B currently reside) and we’re happy to have them on board for 2020-2021’s “Phase 2.”

From L to R: Gary, Aaron and Jose
Aaron and Jose working on the greenhouse ceiling

Carrying out an expansion project at a chimpanzee sanctuary can be difficult when the facility is already home to ten chimpanzees, but Gary’s squad has the right attitude for it; They’re always willing to work around the chimps’ schedules and preferences so that the construction causes minimal disruption to their daily lives. When not moving equipment around and welding things together, the guys are interested in the individual chimpanzees and are eager to learn more about them from the caregivers. His crew has also been great about following the stringent COVID-19 protocols designed to protect the chimps and human staff from possible exposure, which we require and greatly appreciate.

Gary
Jose
Aaron

Although they don’t interact with the chimps directly, the people working on the new enclosures are not completely separate. For example, the chimps living in adjacent enclosures and the guys on Gary’s team can watch each other through the bulletproof playroom windows. Occasionally, the chimps will even greet the crew members when they show up for work in the morning. The chimps seem to have habituated to the presence of Gary and his “regular” crew of Aaron, Jim and Jose, and it seems like the ongoing construction can be a form of environmental enrichment for them. We also ensure that the chimps have access to other areas so they aren’t forced to be within view if they prefer otherwise.

Aaron and Gary welding the caging panels onto the frame of the new greenhouses

Currently, Honey B, Mave and Willy B have front-row seats for the assembly of the new greenhouses. Much like the existing greenhouse enclosure on the other side of the building, the new areas will be multi-level outdoor environments that can be enclosed with solar-radiant panels in the cooler months. Each area will be furnished with organic substrate, live bamboo, wood climbing features, hanging firehose “vines,” and elevated platforms.

Mave

The coolest aspect of the new greenhouses will be the central structures, allegedly modeled after the Ewoks’ treetop village from Return of the Jedi. Yesterday, the chimps watched as welders Aaron and Jose built the frame for one of these platforms. We can’t wait to see the chimpanzees explore and grow comfortable in the latest addition to their home!

P.S. This blog’s honorary title is “Hunt for the Welder-people.” This is Chad’s work, but it was too good to leave out. We both love the referenced film.

Spring’s Bounty

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These past couple of days have been a whirlwind of seasons. On Sunday, the weather hit nearly 85º. Then yesterday the temperatures dropped into the 60s and we had a brief stint of rain. Today, the weather is in the low 50s with strong winds. By the end of the week it’s supposed to climb back into the 80s. As I watched the Group of Seven explore Young’s Hill this morning, it finally hit me. With these sporadic days of high temperatures, could this be Summer trying break through Spring’s hold? There is only a month left of Spring before Summer begins. Then I found some supporting evidence that Spring is in it’s final month.

As I was cleaning the Greenhouse, there was a grave yard of goat’s beard dandelions. As some of you know, goat’s beard dandelions are one of Missy’s favorite Spring time treats. Goat’s beard bloom from May to June, so the window to forage for them is relatively small. Though I did see Missy go out on Young’s Hill several times today, I hadn’t put two and two together yet. It wasn’t until I saw Jody race around the Hill grabbing whatever dandelion and prickly lettuce was within arms reach, that I realized we are in peak Spring. Neither wind nor rain nor heat will seem to stop them from enjoying the plentiful Spring bounty Young’s Hill is currently offering.

Here are some photos of Jody gathering some dandelions and prickly lettuce on Young’s Hill then enjoying them in the Greenhouse:

Bonus Photos:

Missy eating her sweet potato during lunch.
Burrito with Dora the Explorer.
Mave watching and waiting for breakfast to come out.

A PAN-tastic Group of Humans

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It’s now been well over a year since we began the “new normal” style of sanctuary operations.

The objective of these changes has been to mitigate the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to the chimpanzees. Of course, the nuclear staff cannot stop interacting with the chimps entirely, so we’ve found other ways to meet their daily needs while maintaining a bubble of safety around them. To facilitate this social “quarantine,” we had to sadly cancel many on-site initiatives powered by our extended community of volunteers, interns, and local supporters.

The need for social distancing hasn’t stopped these people from contributing to the organization on a Major-League level, though.

In a recent blog post, Diana described the remarkable work that our volunteer corps is continuing to do during the pandemic. We know that many of the volunteers and interns would be helping at to take care of the chimps if public health conditions allowed for it, but they’ve found ways to help the sanctuary regardless. Take that, SARS-CoV-2!

Today’s blog is dedicated to the members of Central Washington University’s Primate Awareness Network (PAN), who have provided crucial support this year by planning creative and fun events for the sanctuary. This year, they arranged an art contest and exhibition at Gallery One in Ellensburg and a smash fundraiser at Dru Bru’s new taproom in Cle Elum. They did all this while hosting a virtual primatology conference, collecting enrichment materials for the chimps from locations around town, helping CSNW staff to enter welfare data into the sanctuary’s new database, and continuing their mission of advocating for primate conservation and welfare via social media outreach. Given all they’ve done for us, the least we can do is to thank this year’s PAN cohort of Ashton, Calvin, Carson, Courtney A., Courtney G., Danna, Jenna, Kelsie, Malcolm, Margaux, Riley and Sydney for all their dedication and enthusiasm.

(To learn more about the Primate Awareness Network, check them out on Facebook or @cwu_primate on Instagram and Twitter. You can see flyers and photos from a couple of their recent events below!)

In addition to heartfelt appreciation, we owe some of them cheerful congratulations as well. They’ve all been advancing their respective research projects outside the sanctuary despite the turmoil of the past year, and all of them are embarking on new adventures, including (but not limited to):

Ashton recently co-authored a paper about COVID-19’s effect on wildlife in the journal Mammal Review and began working at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado.
(Fun Fact: CSNW board member Dr. Lori Sheeran is Ashton’s advisor and also co-authored the paper!)

Carson has been accepted into the Applied Anthropology doctoral program at Texas State University where she will study the microbial ecology of free-ranging chimpanzees in Africa.

Jenna has just accepted a full-time caregiver position at fellow NAPSA member sanctuary Center for Great Apes in Florida and will be starting in June.

Riley, after he defends his graduate thesis, will be getting married this summer!
(Jenna suggested I link to his registry but we don’t want to mix it up with our own Wish List, causing Riley and his partner to receive enrichment puzzles and cleaning supplies while the chimps get new bed linens and cookware.)

It’s sad to watch this cohort of students move on without a proper farewell at the sanctuary, but we’re excited to see the places they will go, the things they will do, and the people they will become. Hopefully, local conditions keep trending in the right direction so that we can gradually incorporate volunteers, interns and visitors back into our routine without increasing the risk to the chimps and staff. For now, we’re just happy to express our gratitude for these people and the time they’ve donated to the sanctuary!