Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Sanctuary

Running Toward The Future

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Before I get into the happenings of today, there was some BIG news announced today in our newsletter and social media sites (here is the Instagram post). Today, we announced the names of the group of six who will hopefully be able to call Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest home next year! We are all beyond excited to meet Cy, Lucky, Rayne, Terry, Dora, and Gordo! We are also truly grateful to all of you, the followers of this sanctuary, who have donated and spread the word about us on Giving Tuesday! All of your donations will help us continue to complete our expansion as quickly as possible so they can arrive next year! We all know this year has not been the easiest on anybody, but your constant generosity not only helps us provide care for our current residents, but also plan to bring more home! So thank you! Thank You! THANK YOU!

Lately, both Jamie and Burrito have been inviting caregivers to races around Young’s Hill. Some of you already know, Missy is not one to pass up a good run around Young’s Hill. Sometimes she just seemingly appears out of nowhere and passes you within a blink of an eye!

I am truly convinced she waits for everybody to leave first, so she can catch up! I found her today waiting at the bottom of the hill as Burrito and J.B. raced around.

She even found a place to stake out where on the hill Burrito and J.B. were.

And like a bolt of lightening, she was off! (Long before I could bring the camera up and realize she was gone!)

Missy even likes to take her lunch on the go!

Missy is known to have two speeds: 0 and 100. When she isn’t a chimpanzee pinball, darting and bouncing around Young’s Hill, she likes to take in the sights and sounds usually from the tallest structures.

Missy is amazing and we couldn’t imagine a life without her here!

BONUS PHOTOS:

Here are a couple extra photos of some other adventures today.

After breakfast, Negra was one of the first people to go out onto Young’s Hill, even before Jamie!

After she had her moment of basking in the morning sun, it was back to her nest.

Foxie decided today called for not one, but TWO dolls!

And Burrito pondering if this outing on Young’s Hill will be a race or stroll. (Luckily for this human, this time was just a stroll!)

Bovine Thanksgiving

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The sanctuary’s four rescued cattle have a pretty good life.

During the colder months, the bovines live in the winter paddock. Although it’s not as expansive as their full complex of pastures, this smaller area contains everything they need to stay happy and healthy. They have 24/7 access to fresh hay, heated water, and a couple of warm, straw-lined shelters. (Caregivers, on the other hand, have to muck these areas each day. That’s a story for another blog post.)

In the warmer seasons, they roam the grassy hillsides without much need for human interaction. You’ve probably seen a lot of this idyllic lifestyle on the blog. As with the chimps, we don’t always emphasize the barriers that contain these individuals, but we don’t want you to forget about them, either. The picturesque backdrops and dedicated caregivers cannot change that these four domestic cattle are living in captivity against their will. At times, it may even be necessary to confine them for their own safety. To offset the injustices of captivity, we are obligated to give them more freedom in whatever way we can, facilitating a lifestyle of relative comfort and choice.

For the cattle, the ability to roam around at will is paramount. Each winter, we typically keep the bovines in the paddock because the steep trails that lead to the other pastures turn into muddy slush. This slick terrain is not ideal for four Jersey cattle, so we close off the pastures to be safe. This year, we had to shut the gates in the middle of November, much earlier than we’d normally prefer.

Fortunately, the weather dried out and warmed up a bit last week; Thanksgiving brought us sunny and clear blue skies. While the chimps were napping off their holiday feast, we decided to open the swing gates to let the cattle back out onto their pastures.

When bovines get excited, they will trot, gallop and buck until they are content. The best time to see this behavior is when they get access to a new pasture. Even though it’s almost winter and it had only been a few weeks, they still seemed to appreciate having their familiar pastures once again.

P.S. Thanksgiving may be behind us, but there’s a lot to be excited about. In just a couple of days, we will be participating in Giving Tuesday and we have some exciting news to share!

Someone to lean on

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Annie has always had a nervous disposition. In the years immediately following her arrival at the sanctuary, she was prone to bouts of acute anxiety akin to panic attacks. Thankfully, these have become less and less frequent over the years but they still occur on occasion. While it’s hard for us to say exactly what sets them off, they appear to be triggered by tension or ambiguity in social relationships. It’s hard to be a primate, as we all know too well.

This afternoon, I spent some time photographing the chimps as they quietly patrolled the hill, foraged for browse, and climbed the various towers and play structures. At one point I noticed Annie nearby with her hair standing on end. I could tell something was wrong.

She began to pant-hoot softly, each hoot trailing off into a whimper. Alone, she walked hurriedly to a climbing structure and began to climb the ladder. But she turned back before reaching the top.

Soon her whimpers grew into screams.

Her walk became a sprint.

She was alone and desperate for reassurance.

There’s only one person that Annie looks to in moments like these.

Just then, Missy emerged from the greenhouse and into Annie embrace.

And like that, Annie’s face began to soften.

And her breathing began to slow.

As Katelyn mentioned recently, the relationship between Annie and Missy can be complicated at times. Thankfully for Annie, there are still times when it is predictably straightforward and simple. Because Annie is the kind of person that needs someone to lean on.

Thanksgiving Day 2020

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Today I am thankful for the chimps and the way they are a steady anchor of normalcy in the sea of chaos that is this strange year. For many of us, Thanksgiving might look a lot different this year.  For the chimpanzees, it looked just about exactly the way it always does. It was filled with FOOD! Wishing everyone a safe and joy filled holiday -from all of us at the sanctuary.

Favorite Foods

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We all have preferences for food. Our likes and dislikes. The chimps are no different. I can’t tell you how many times Foxie has poked away something green and looked offended that I would even offer kale. Or how many times Honey B has politely given back pieces of food she does not want. I thought you might all want to know what foods the chimps think are the most delicious and the worst! Let’s start with what collectively everyone loves; cabbage and lettuce! So simple and plain, but the chimp house will erupt in excitement when they see a head of lettuce or slices of cabbage.

Now, let’s get into personal preferences. 🙂

Negra, as we all might know is all about chow and peanuts. Negra is a carbs girl so of course for our special holidays she gets the most excited for dinner rolls, well, maybe besides Burrito. They might be in a tie for that one.

Jamie will never say no to any type of pear. She really loves onions in any form, green onions, leeks, raw onion, baked onions! Jamie loves them all.

Missy might be the easiest to guess. She eats, sleeps, and breathes tomatoes. Missy also really like lettuce, sweet potatoes, and ice! For her birthday, we do tomato parties!

Foxie can be a bit picky. Do not give her green foods! Foxie mostly lives for smoothies and fruits! She also likes sweet potatoes (especially baked), tomatoes, and ohhhh she loves avocados! Foxie for her birthday gets watermelon bowls, which are one of her favorites.

Jody is a forager. She loves going on the Hill and finding prickly lettuce, dandelions, cattails, flowers, and whatever else she can find. Jody really likes bananas and carrots. There are many amazing things about Jody, but the best is when she is really content or happy Jody makes the dinosaur groan of satisfaction. That is how we know she is really enjoying something good.

Annie is easy to please. She really likes everything, except for mangoes. She is allergic to mangoes! Annie loves grass, flowers, green onion, and kale.

Burrito LOVES food! Obviously, his favorite is pasta, but he only gets it on special occasions! Burrito is also pretty easy to please. He really like all potatoes, regular or sweet!

*** Willy B, Mave, and Honey B are hesitant to try new foods. Often, they just stare at you when you try to serve them something new and delicious, like you are trying to poison them. For example, for Negra’s brunch we served waffles to everyone. The three just stared at us like we were crazy for offering! Eventually they tried the waffles and enjoyed them. ***

Willy B loves cabbage. He also really likes carrots and sweet potatoes. Willy thinks cucumbers are disgusting. He does not like tea or any other beverage that might look like a suspicious drink. However, Willy B is a fun individual to watch eat. For example, when Willy B eats a carrot or cabbage he eats it like Bugs Bunny!

Mave is a California girl! She loves a really good avocado and fresh pineapple! Mave was hesitant about baked goods, but now she loves baked onions, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes! Mave is always the first one up for breakfast, it might be her favorite meal. Mave will only eat a cucumber if there is nothing else, it is her last choice.

Honey B LOVES lettuce and smoothies! She also likes carrots, popcorn, and brussel sprouts. Something you all should know about Honey B, if you don’t already is that she is the world’s slowest eater! Honey B also rarely eats a cucumber.

When Honey B is eating, she likes to stare deeply into your eyes. We joke that her actually food is our souls. If looks deep enough she will steal it :). I believe this photo embodies that.

Mave eating is pure bliss.

Mave’s facial expression feels almost looks like a taunt. Like, you hungry? Or, you want some of this?

I managed to get an action shot of Willy B eating his cabbage like Bugs Bunny!

Don’t forget to check up on our Wish List! Thanksgiving may be tomorrow, but Christmas is just around the corner and we are slowly adding items on their list!

All Smiles

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Chimpanzee smiles are one of the greatest things to see. Granted let’s not confuse a true chimpanzee smile with a fear grimace. What most humans recall when they think of a chimpanzee smile are those usually found on cards or advertisements. Usually a juvenile chimpanzee dressed up in some costume, and full teeth showing with the edges of their mouth going from ear-to-ear. For those of us who work with or study chimpanzees, fully showing the upper and bottom rows of their teeth is the indication they are fear grimacing. Chimpanzees use the grimacing to show that something is causing them anxiousness or fear, or to show off their impressive canine teeth to intimidate another.

A true chimpanzee smile, one used for play and enjoyment, only the bottom teeth are usually exposed. I say usually because there are occasions where something may be super exciting or really funny is too hard to contain. In these circumstances, other chimpanzee behaviors are looked for such as laughter, breathy pants, etc. But once we, as caregivers, confirm they are indeed chimpanzee smiles, and if directed toward us, it makes the day so much brighter.

Here are a few I was able to capture of Mave. Both the lead up and the actual smiles.

First was last week as I entered the Willy B, Honey B, and Mave’s side of the building. She really wanted to play an interaction called “shoe tickle.” As J.B. described in his blog a few weeks back, “shoe tickle” is when the chimpanzees fully extend their fingers through the mesh and can only touch the bottoms of our shoes with just the tips of their fingertips. This is to avoid them grabbing us in some way.

Then there is this sequence from Sunday of her in serious play mode.

Yesterday I was able to catch Honey B’s smile during a play session as well!

(Note the coloration of Honey B’s eyelids! It’s one of the many, many, many things I love about her that makes her unique!)

I tried to round this off by getting some photos of Willy B’s smile and play face. However, as some of you know, he is really difficult to get photos of. Either he’s too close for the cameras we have on hand, or he stops doing what he’s doing if a phone is brought out. Though Willy B is serious about 85% of the day, the other 15% he can really be a goofball. Though most of the time he doesn’t showcase a smile or play face, once in a while he’ll let one slip and it’s amazing!

I tried to supplement it with someone who almost always has a smile on his face and can be heard throughout the sanctuary laughing nearly 95% of the day.

Though Burrito spends nearly the entire day laughing and playing, it actually can be difficult to get photos of his smile. But this is what I could get.

Hopefully these smiles brightened up your day as they do ours!

And remember:

When you’re smilin’, keep on smilin’ and the world smiles with you.”

-Louis Armstrong

Reconnaissance

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Jamie almost always walks around Young’s Hill with a purpose. Sometimes her goal is to lure a caregiver away for some private bonding time. Other times she is eager to race. This afternoon, as I was walking around the hill with Missy, Annie, and Burrito, I saw Jamie emerge from the greenhouse and plot a slow, deliberate course up the hill to her tower. On this occasion, she was determined to see what was happening on the roof of her home.

The roofers were finishing their work on the Phase 2 addition, adding flashing to the six skylights above the new playrooms. While the noise from the construction has been a bit intrusive at times, this did not seem to be Jamie’s concern. I think she just wanted to be in the know. Plus, we know she appreciates a good tool belt.

The chimps have a number of different vantage points from which they can watch the addition take shape. Sometimes the best spot is in the old playroom, especially if you bring your own popcorn (or chow).

Honey B, Willy B, and Mave have front row seats to the show. It’s their new playroom, after all.

At some point I plan to write a post addressing a question from our Q&A post about how we go about designing a chimp sanctuary, but for today, let me just say that chimps always want to know what is going on, so this has to be considered in the design brief for any chimp facility. One of the ways we can accommodate this need is by adding lots of windows, both to the outside and between different parts of the building, so that they can see what’s happening all around them. Our new addition contains twenty large chimp-proof windows for this reason. While we hope to add some simple murals to the walls at some point, anything we paint on the walls will pale in comparison to the enrichment that those big windows provide.

Sunrises and grazing cattle are great, but what interests chimpanzees even more than their natural surroundings is human activity. In fact, as I write this on the computer in the central foyer of the chimp house, I’ve got the clinic doors open so that Honey B can watch. Of all the things she could be doing, she’s chosen to sit in the medical enclosure, which is small and rather bare by design (for safety during anesthetic induction), just so she can keep an eye on the humans.

It’s the same story on the other side, only those guys have a direct view into the kitchen.

If you don’t prep dinner fast enough, Negra will let you know. Hurry up, Anna! (if Negra could speak, she would almost certainly add some obscenities).

When you have two groups of chimps in close proximity, things get really interesting. There’s been a lot of drama in the group of seven lately, and on top of that, Annie is at full swell. So Willy B is consumed with the soap opera next door and he is refusing to shift enclosures so that he can keep an eye on things. Visual access between groups can be incredibly enriching, but it certainly cuts both ways. Hopefully Willy B will return to his senses once Annie is out of estrus. If not, we’ll have an interesting problem to work through at our next staff meeting. If the chimps don’t shift, we can’t clean!

I’ll leave you with a few more photos of the chimps enjoying the view from Young’s Hill this afternoon.

Missy:

Annie:

Missy & Annie:

Burrito:

Jody: