Sanctuary

It’s Betsy’s birthday!

July 20, 2020 by Katelyn

Whew! It’s near triple digits today and not the slightest of breezes. We arrived bright and early to find the construction crew already hard at work, breaking ground on the second phase of our expansion and until about 5 minutes ago, the day hasn’t slowed down once! But the upside of that is I feel fairly confident that the chimpanzees and bovines enjoyed their very decidedly summer day and all it brought their way. How does it get better than that?!

First of all, today we celebrated Betsy’s 13th birthday! This endearing little bovine family of four bring smiles to our hearts every day. They continue to surprise us with their unique, increasingly independent personalities and we’ve been loving watching their wild mountain cattle sides emerge as they explore their summer pastures and even more space to do as they choose.

Chad and Anthony made Betsy a birthday bowl of oats, corn and alfalfa and well, the birthday lady nearly knocked Anthony over to get to it!

Betsy, her son, Nutmeg, and Meredith getting every last bite:

Betsy and Nutmeg:

If you look closely, you can see Jamie in the background. We’ll just go with the thought that Jamie was wishing Betsy a happy day. 😉

Outside of Betsy’s birthday party in the pasture, much of our time was spent thinking of ways to help the chimpanzees feel a little respite from the heat. They had frequent ice cube breaks, buckets of Gatorade, AND! We broke out the snow cone machine! Shaved ice in paper boats with a dash of blue Gatorade and a couple frozen raspberries. The seven are well acquainted with the joy of snow cones, but I’m not sure if Mave, Honey B and Willy B have had them before. They were met with the three’s usual level of suspicion and deadpan looks over what crazy thing the humans may be trying to serve them/poison them with. Once they tentatively tasted them, they seemed to be on board with the idea. Apologies for the lack of photos of the snow cones, but they tend to disappear as fast as we can make and serve them.

Foxie and Orange Blossom waking from a nap in the beyond toasty greenhouse:

This joyful guy makes all our hearts soar. Just because it’s sweltering doesn’t mean he can’t flail about with France Dora while lying down:

The rest of the day was busy humans cleaning and chimpanzees in puddles, resting in cool spots. The chimps are all in their night nests as I type this, but in the cameras I can see Honey B nesting in front of the fan, and Jody, Foxie and Annie with their legs up in the air against the caging. But of course, the boss lady, Jamie, is busy, still enjoying the evening enrichment of peanut butter, seed and raisin pine cones. As I told the chimpanzees goodnight, Jamie asked for her still beloved book of Salmon Sisters Xtratuf boots and without fail, whenever I hand it to her, she hoots with joy and hugs it close. She is holding it with one foot while the other foot and both hands are busy with the pine cones. Some of which she may or may not have stolen. It’s good to be boss.

Intermission… of a Sort

July 19, 2020 by Anthony

Today functioned as a brief intermission… of a sort.

Yesterday, the team wrapped up a major facelift of the existing playroom. Yesterday’s blog showed it best, but additional snapshots make it clear that the chimps were just as interested in the demolition, reassembly and repainting as they were in the finished product: a clean and bright playroom.

Tomorrow, we will finally break ground on Phase 2 of the Chimp House expansion. CSNW co-directors J.B. and Diana have been working tirelessly to make sure we have the permits, funding, plans and specialized contractors required to pull off such an endeavor. Thanks to their hard work and the support of selfless donors, this vision is being incrementally converted into a reality. Just after dawn tomorrow morning, a crew will begin digging the foundations of the new playroom- and greenhouse-type enclosures that will enable us to give the sanctuary’s chimpanzee residents some additional spaces to explore, relax, and socialize. Sometime in the hopefully-not-so-distant future, these enclosures may also provide space for other chimps who are also waiting for a permanent sanctuary home.

Of course, there was still a lot on our to-do list today. Early this morning, Dr. Erin and her sons helped J.B. to transfer a few dozen bales of hay to the barn. Around here, hay is a necessary dietary supplement for the cattle in autumn and winter, so we’re starting to stockpile now. By November, the entire barn will be filled with a pyramid of orchard grass, Timothy hay, alfalfa and straw.

After stacking all that hay, J.B. and volunteer Adam made some modifications to the perimeter fence that will allow the contractors to access the Phase 2 area without getting too close to the chimps and staff. Meanwhile, the rest of today’s personnel did the routine cleaning, caught up on some housekeeping, and set the stage for another busy week. Inside the Chimp House, Katelyn (Office Manager), Chad (Enrichment Coordinator) and Lisa (Level III Volunteer) were the supporting caregivers. Together, we made chow bags and enrichment for the upcoming week, organized the kitchen and foyer, cleaned the enclosures, took care of the cattle, and provisioned the chimps with meals, blankets and toys.

Amid all of these projects and tedium, I am feeling incredibly appreciative of our donors who have, per usual, been extremely generous with their timely gifts. Through our Amazon Wish List, amazing people donate some pretty cool items that are subsequently delivered right to our front gate. I’m a dork and tend to geek out over office paraphernalia, organizational tools and miscellaneous supplies, so opening these packages always feels like Christmas morning. This past week, we received some new hose attachments for spraying disinfectant, tape refills for the label-maker, organizing racks for the vet clinic’s pharmacy cabinet, a second whiteboard for the foyer (which J.B. has already graced with one of his informative cartoon drawings), and lots of new toys, puzzles and nesting materials for the chimps.

We look forward to updating you all on the progress of the new construction and all of the related projects!

Jamie Helps with Renovations

July 18, 2020 by Diana

Today was full of excitement. It started with a breakfast forage on the hill for the group of seven. While you might not choose to eat lettuce for breakfast, the chimpanzees were pretty thrilled with it.

We just got back our long telephoto lens that supporter Kathy Cochran donated to us many years ago. We’ve been having trouble with the focus so I sent it in to be repaired. It was expensive, but so worth it. They must have cleaned everything too because the photos are not only in focus but vibrant.

J.B has been working really, really hard this last week repairing and renovating the playroom. The other staff have lent a hand here and there, but he’s put in the bulk of the work and all of the worry about whether it will withstand the test of Jamie (see video above).

I decided that the chimpanzees needed something special for dinner after putting up with us all week, so I made some waffles out of the “dust” from their primate chow mixed with blended bananas, raspberries and soy milk. According to Kelsi and J.B, the waffles received 9 out of 10 thumbs up from the chimps. Willy B politely took a bite, but then just as politely put his waffle on the floor.

I keep looking at the camera monitor and having to do a double-take on the playroom. The light is streaming in and I hear Jody ripping up blankets to make her nest.

That’s probably my cue to get out of here and, like the chimpanzees, have a nice long sleep tonight after a long week.

Caught!

July 17, 2020 by Kelsi

When the humans are cleaning that is when the chimps have the most fun! Sometimes you will catch a glimpse of their play session and get the chance to capture it on film and often once they have noticed you noticed, they will stop. Luckily, for us Honey B and Mave kept on playing even when they noticed me watching them. If you have your volume on you will hear them breathy panting. Have a great weekend and stay safe!

The Queen of Chill

July 16, 2020 by Anna

This afternoon, as Willy B enjoyed himself in the courtyard, the other 7 chimps decided to cause some commotion. Foxie lead the charge, working her friends up into a flurry of pant-hoots and raucous displays. I always think of it as them yelling a mix of “GET OFF MY LAWN,” and “Oh my -that guy is DREAMY!” at their neighbors. Chimps have complicated emotions and equally complicated relationships.

Through all that noise, I found Negra, alone in her Zen bubble. She had better things to do than get herself worked up over some silly guy.

*Bonus* Annie and Jamie during a few moments of calm:

A Day Outside

July 15, 2020 by Kelsi

Yesterday was World Chimpanzee Day! If you missed Chad’s blog yesterday, make sure you give it a read! Currently, we are doing some much needed revamping in the playroom. So the chimps have been spending quite a lot of time in the green house, front rooms, and Young’s Hill. They are patiently waiting so far, but these chimps are really looking forward to going back into the playroom soon! Thankfully, we have been blessed with some warm weather! I think the chimps approved.

Annie:

Jamie:

Jody and Jamie grooming:

Negra enjoying the warm green house breeze:

Foxie got a new orange blossom doll today:

Honey B in what seems to be her favorite spot, in the shady part of the Chute:

Mave sprawled out on the floor cooling off:

And look at this California dream boat:

Happy World Chimpanzee Day!

July 14, 2020 by Chad de Bree

Together we can ensure that captive chimpanzees have a better life. Together we can save wild chimpanzees in their forest homes.

– Jane Goodall

Today marks the 60th anniversary Jane Goodall first stepped foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. Jane Goodall and researchers who have followed her footsteps have studied the members of the Kasakela Community for 60 years at what is now called Gombe National Park. The research station now holds a Guinness World Record for the longest-running study of any wild mammal.

What set Jane Goodall apart from her colleagues at the time was she held no formal higher education degree. She was a woman. And she committed a scientific crime at the time: she named the Kasakela chimpanzees instead of assigning them numbers. Researchers were adamant about not giving chimpanzees names because it would indicate chimpanzees had things such as feelings, choice, and personalities. Flash forward to present day, there are few who would argue a chimpanzee does not posses these qualities.

I think about my entrance into the Pan troglodytes world and where I have been to where I am now. I was originally studying political science during my undergraduate studies. Long story short, I took an anthropology course, found out primatology is a sub-branch of the field, found out even further there is a lot of crossover between political theory and what we now know of primate social behavior, including chimpanzees of course. After I bit the bullet and took on another degree in anthropology, I applied to be in the Gombe Chimpanzee Lab at Arizona State University. My job was to receive photos coming in from the field and use a new state of the art process to gather measurements of the individuals of the community. The process (known as photogrammetry) is a way researchers can now track the growth of particular individuals without using a darting method. Even at my inception into chimpanzee studies, I have never known a chimpanzee by a number. They have always had names, and asking those who have studied them longer and in the field, each one was unique in their own personality and decision making process.

Though I had a grasp of this thought early on into my studies and career, it wouldn’t really hit me until 2017 when I was an intern here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. It’s one thing to hear and sort of know each chimpanzee is uniquely different from the next, but to see it firsthand is another story. Personally, I don’t think anyone can mentally prepare themselves to truly comprehend just how individualistic each chimpanzee is until they spend some time with them. It is that individual factor that makes being a chimpanzee caregiver at a sanctuary such an incredible joy, yet at the same time a challenging task. Trying to balance and cater to 10 individual personalities is a very tricky feat, so we try extremely hard every day to find that balance. Some days are a great success, other days we may fall completely flat.

Knowing them as individuals affects how we care for them on a day-to-day basis. We, as staff, spend everyday with the 10 unique individuals who reside here. Since we know them, we want to make sure we clean their enclosures not just quickly, but thoroughly as well to give each of them access to as much clean area as quickly as possible. We do put a lot of thought into what we prepare for their meals and try to think of what each individual likes and doesn’t like to find a balance among all 10 so everybody is happy. And we brainstorm to think of enrichment puzzles that are not too hard for some, but also not too easy for others to help them not become bored. We do this because we want to do better for them.

So to every caregiver who has had the honor of knowing a chimpanzee, to every researcher who has had the privilege of studying chimpanzees, to every person who has ever supported a sanctuary chimpanzee, to Jane Goodall, but especially, to every chimpanzee past and present, Happy World Chimpanzee Day!