Sanctuary

Endless Fun

January 17, 2020 by J.B.

Willy B never seems to tire of playing with his slinky.

I was inspired to play a game today. In my phone I had this photo of a chimp, who I will not name, it is just of their eye mostly. The photo makes me laugh because this chimp is always so curious about taking pictures, so much that I can barely get a good picture. I thought this would make a fun blog! Can you guess this chimpanzee or farm animal? So I will give you an easy one first and than the hard ones. Good luck!

Chimp photo 1:

Cattle photo 2:

Chimp photo 3:

Travel Delays on Snowy Days

January 14, 2020 by Chad de Bree

To those far and away from Washington, we have been having some pretty rough weather. Those of you who are local to the Pacific Northwest probably know what I’m talking about. Some places had it far worse than others, even closing some highways due to snow accumulation. Some of that highway traffic was diverted onto the road that passes by the sanctuary today. Both Anthony and I were caught in a convoy of big trucks and were a little late getting in. Luckily enough, our co-directors were onsite to cover some of the morning tasks to ensure breakfast was made on time and things stayed on schedule.

During snowy days like today, we offer Willy B, Mave, and Honey B the option to go outside in the Chute. More often than not, all three decide to stay inside. Usually we find Willy B laying down on a bed of blankets on one of the platforms inside.

And we find Honey B and Mave in some prolonged grooming sessions near a window to gaze out onto the snow-covered landscape.

It was during a grooming session I noticed they both would continuously look out the window and just stare for a little while before resuming their grooming session. I took a peek outside to see what they would look at. It seemed the sun would make a brief appearances at times. On one of these brief moments, Honey B decided to briefly brave the elements and sit by the window that looks into the playroom of their neighbors. (As a side note: the headband fashion apparently is not just a seasonal style for Honey B like it is with Annie.)

Likewise on the other side of the Chimp House, we offer the Girl Gang the option to go out onto Young’s Hill every day, but so far they also have opted to stay inside most days. Annie though did go to the door that leads to Young’s Hill and waited to see if anyone else wanted to brave the snow covered hill with her. After a while, and after no takers, she later went inside to be with the others in the warm playroom.

Burrito is still in recovery and doesn’t have access to the outside quite yet. He does make numerous requests throughout the day for snowy treats though. On one of the occasions I did offer him a snowball. He refused to take it and tried to divert my attention to something else. It took me a little time to realize a new wintery bounty has started to form around the sanctuary: icicles!

He seemed pleased with the snowy icicle bucket we prepared for him after. His icicle treats didn’t last long and he was soon back to requesting more. Though the snow caused some travel delays, the caregiver in me secretly hopes it continues (not too much though!) so more icicles form for him and all the chimpanzees to enjoy.

Write Your Own Blog Post!

January 13, 2020 by Anthony

That may have come out wrong.

“Write Your Own Blog Post” is actually today’s theme. I wasn’t snapping. I promise.

Think of today’s entry like you would a self-serve car wash or one of those places where you can put whatever topping you want on your fro-yo. I literally want you to view this collection of images that I captured at the sanctuary today and use your imagination to fill in the blanks. The blog is in your hands.

The chimps, cattle and humans had a great day, but we caregivers didn’t have much time to write about it. I wasn’t lacking inspiration, especially since I had some thought-provoking conversations with caregiver Chad and volunteer/professor/board member Jessica as we swept, scrubbed, and served well into the afternoon. None of those thoughts found their way onto the page, though. Sometimes, a few snapshots say more than several paragraphs would, and I hope that is the case this evening.

I’m about to have a late-night bagel, go make a gigantic blanket nest and sleep until tomorrow morning.

Cheers from snowy Cle Elum!

The Yakima River meanders past the sanctuary.

Mave investigates the camera lens after breakfast.

With so much snow and ice, just getting to the upper barn was a challenge.

Honey led the herd around the pasture, waiting for me to unload their food.

Burrito was bright and chipper this morning, and had an afternoon grooming session with Jamie.

Winter Storm

January 12, 2020 by Anthony

Winter in the Pacific Northwest can be difficult to handle.

The landscape becomes dark, cold, and icy for several months. It’s beautiful in many ways, but it’s also challenging. In order to subsist in these surroundings, our team must make the necessary preparations and maintain a positive attitude about whatever the skies throw down on us. To visualize this, imagine how caregiver Chad and volunteer Fritz looked as they returned to the Chimp House this afternoon, soaking wet and freezing after driving through the blinding snow to feed the cattle and muck the barn. Of course, they laughed about it. Those smiles, paired with the appropriate clothing and equipment, ensure that we will make it to the spring in one piece.

As sanctuary personnel, our motive is to make sure the chimpanzees experience the wonders of the winter season without being subjected to its harsh conditions. Unfortunately, some inconveniences are unavoidable (e.g., Young’s Hill is buried under a foot of snow at the moment), but the chimpanzees can still choose to go outside and harvest snow or hang out inside on the heated floors. For some, an ideal day is spent in the loft of the Playroom, nibbling on roasted vegetables while submerged in a sea of blankets. This year’s new arrivals, for example, don’t seem enthused by the snowy surroundings just yet. For others, nothing seems better than darting outside, shoveling fresh snow into their chimpy mouths, and succumbing to the imminent brain freeze. To each their own, I guess.

We’ll continue to update everyone on the humors of the chimps through this ongoing winter snowstorm. Many of you are probably anxious for news about Burrito, but he has been bright and energetic for the last few days. You would never guess that he just had a toe amputated except he is still covered in distraction tape (and missing a toe).

You can all rest assured that the chimps are cozy and occupied, and the humans are having some fun, too.

Stay warm and safe, everyone!

A welcome distraction

January 10, 2020 by J.B.

I’m happy to report that our patient is doing very well. He’s taking his meds without too much cajoling, leaving his bandage on, and even playing with his caregivers. This last procedure doesn’t seem to have phased him much at all. It may even feel like a relief.

Typically, chimps in recovery require lots of distraction techniques to keep them from removing bandages and picking at their sutures. You can’t just stick a cone on a chimpanzee, so instead we stick random pieces of surgical tape all over their bodies and occasionally add “distraction sutures”, which are shallow absorbable sutures that the chimps can focus on without causing any harm to the actual incision. Overwhelm them with things to pick at and just maybe they won’t pick at the one that matters. At least not right away.

But none of this was necessary, because we woke up to a couple inches of snow this morning and it’s all Burrito can think about. Snow balls. Buckets of snow. Snow drizzled with juice. I don’t remember him being this crazy for snow in winters past, but it is a welcome distraction right now.