Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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The apple of his eye

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Today was another big milestone for our guy, Willy B! And it took so much courage! If you’ve been following along with Willy B’s amazingly brave progress in venturing outdoors for the first time (there are several posts in the past days and weeks), you’ll know we’ve been using food as a motivator to help him feel more comfortable outside and to challenge him to go just that little bit further each day. One of Willy B’s favorite things, a whole apple, was placed in the grass of the courtyard and while this wasn’t entirely new, it was placed quite a bit outside his comfort zone requiring him to not only let go of the safety of the boardwalk and climbing structure, not only to place both feet and both hands on the ground, but also to take many steps away from the comfort and safety the structure provides.

After foraging for a few veggies here and there, it didn’t take Willy B long to spot the apple:

He was beside himself wanting that apple, but just wasn’t ready to venture that far. It was asking a lot. A little more than we intended. He was so vexed he worked himself up into a small display about it. Then he proceeded to blow raspberries and clap his hands at me which was Willy B speak for, “Get me that apple!!” I sat out there with him for well over an hour watching his wheels turn, his heart grow braver, trying to balance remaining nonchalant with him, but throwing in the occasional pep talk. He’d place one foot on the grass, consider the distance, then return to the safety of the boardwalk. He went back and forth and back and forth, all the while looking at the apple, then to the firehose, the structure, and all the enrichment trying to figure out a way to get that apple and still feel safe. Knowing everything it’s taking for him to overcome his very understandable fears, it was equally exciting and heart-wrenching to watch his every amazingly courageous step.

And then…after numerous attempts, he did it. He DID IT!! I wanted to squeal out loud and cry at the same time

After enjoying his well-deserved reward, Willy B surprised me by not heading back indoors, but climbing to the top of the structure where he proceeded to LIE DOWN! Considering that a low-flying plane had gone over earlier prompting him to climb down, it was incredible to watch up go back up and have a relaxing moment. Who is this guy?! King of the Courtyard, that’s who.

And here’s a very blurry bonus photo of Mave popping her head out of the chute! She continues to touch the boardwalk and spent more time reaching out of the chute than we’ve yet seen, even picking some grass to snack on. But she continues to wait for the right time for herself. And that’s what sanctuary is all about, after all.

Mave continues to be marvelous

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What with Willy B venturing outside and Honey B really loosening up to be the unique and silly chimpanzee she is, perhaps we haven’t been highlighting Mave as much as the other two members of her trio lately.

Have no doubts, Mave continues to be marvelous.

We will be celebrating Honey B’s birthday on June 11th and Queen Negra’s on June 13th as part of The Queen’s Brunch virtual celebration and online auction.

I should pause here to mention that you should all go register (or log in if you’ve participated in past online auctions) RIGHT NOW to receive updates about the event.

I’ve just begun adding items to the site, including this original 16″ x 16″ oil painting of the one and only Mave by the one and only Margaret Parkinson!

More items will be uploaded in the coming weeks. You can pre-buy a VIP Party Box today with a chance to win something special, so definitely check that out!

Ok, back to Mave. We will be celebrating her birthday this Wednesday (May 27th)! This will be her first birthday at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, and we can’t wait to honor her.

Speaking of honor, here are some photos that Mave allowed me to take of her today:

Just because

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Each day at the sanctuary, staff put out special forages in the courtyard to encourage Willy B’s continued exploration of his outdoor space. We’ve seen his confidence grow significantly as the weeks have rolled by.
Here Willy B stretches away from his “safe space” (the boardwalk) to pick up an orange slice:

You will have to forgive me for the following unfocused photo, but you can see Willy B with all four limbs standing on the grass:

Like so many of us, Willy B is motivated by food to initiate his trip into the great outdoors.

But we are starting to see an exciting shift in him. After he makes his first move outside, he seems to be spending more time doing other non-food related activities. Like just hanging out and taking in the view:

And even grooming himself:

Over time we plan to put out less food for Willy B in hopes that he wants to continue his outdoor adventures, just because he can.

Negra can Play!

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If you follow the blog regularly, you will know Negra’s favorite hobbies are making nests and napping. Now some of you are nodding your heads and you’re thinking same Negra, same. What you might not know about Negra is that when she does decide to play, Negra is known to play rough! That may shock some of you, but she doesn’t go easy on anyone. For the past couple of weeks right before the seven are about to go back into their freshly clean Playroom Negra gets downright silly. As you will see in the video she has a very loose lower lip, meaning she is relaxed and you can hear her breathy panting, which is like a laugh. It could be that she is excited for the lettuce forage in the Playroom, maybe it’s the spring weather, and it could be a little bit of everything. We will never know for sure, but man watching Neggie play is the best!

I am sorry to say I only have videos of Neggie and no photos. So, I hope you all are okay with some pictures of Burrito!

 

 

 

Thank you, Thyra and David!

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Today was sponsored by two long-time friends of the chimpanzees, Thyra and David Rutter, in celebration of the five year anniversary of Arte for Elephants!

Thyra and David are the founders of this wonderful organization which was created out of their desire to do whatever they can to help elephants who are suffering in captivity. Five years ago they sold most of their belongings and set out in an RV, traveling to raise awareness of the issues captive and wild elephants face, selling artwork, donating funds and inspiring other artists to take action. Since that time they’ve donated over $45,000 dollars to support sanctuaries around the world that are rescuing and appropriately caring for captive elephants. They also work with those communities to create programs which promote humane and ethical travel and tourism opportunities, as well as an educational scholarship program. In 2019, Arte for Elephants was able to award their first two Big Elephant Magic Scholarships which are paying for a full year of education for two young girls in northern Thailand and subsequently, have expanded to include three young girls in Kenya.

If there were ever a time when reading something inspiring, hopeful, and community-centered was much appreciated, it’s certainly now. Thanks so much, Thyra and David, for the impassioned work you do and for including the chimpanzees in that good magic.

If anyone can attest to the intrinsic value of living a life of dignity, respect and love for exactly who they are, particularly after decades of use in the entertainment and biomedical research industries, it’s Jamie:

Jamie leading Missy, Jody and Foxie on a perimeter check around Young’s Hill:

A throwback to Jamie and her elephant friend napping by the old barn doors of the playroom (pre-expansion) in the springtime breeze:

Old Tools, New Ideas

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Chimpanzees are known for their ability to evaluate situations and find some pretty novel ways to handle the task at hand. Everyday, the chimpanzees are provided with numerous items throughout the day as enrichment. One of these items is a long, plastic tube. Jamie generally uses it to reach items just beyond her reach, or to groom the human caregivers. Burrito uses it to play tug-o-war. And every body uses it as a straw when we provide them with buckets of diluted Gatorade. At the end of each dinner service, we also provide the chimpanzees with nighttime food puzzles. The purpose of these puzzles is to exercise their cognitive functions, help promote natural behaviors, and to try to alleviate boredom. And every so often, they surprise us when two-and-two are put together.

Last night’s evening food puzzle were small PVC tubes. The purpose of this puzzle is to promote one of chimpanzees’ natural behaviors: fishing. In the wild, chimpanzees have been found to fish for termites, grubs, and honey. They will find a stick and modify it to suite the situation. They will adjust the length, girth, and the leaves depending on what they are fishing for, and where it is hidden. Here, caregivers put a smear of peanut butter, smashed fruit (bananas, avocados, etc) applesauce, or honey in PVC tubes for the chimpanzees to fish out. The chimpanzee’s are also provided a tool in the form of a chopstick. Some just use their fingers, while others use the chopstick they are provided. Last night, we were pretty amazed that Honey B decided she had an even better tool: the long plastic tube. It was so efficient, she waited patiently for Willy B and Mave (who were using chopsticks and fingers) to be done with theirs, collected them up, and got the peanut butter missed by both of them.

As mentioned before, the chimpanzees use these tubes as straws as well. Usually for buckets of diluted Gatorade or sometimes for their breakfast smoothie. Annie is one who is more likely to use a straw for her smoothie. That is, until caregiver Anthony witnessed her using the tube to siphon smoothie from Jamie’s cup as Jamie was drinking from it!

These chimpanzee people never cease to amaze and surprise us with their actions!

Lastly, an update on Jody. Jody was recovering so well and wanted nothing more to be back with her group, we decided she was well enough to be brought back into the group. She flew into the playroom and was greeted with a sincere hug by Annie.