Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Sanctuary

taking care of the boss

by

As we’ve mentioned before, grooming is an important aspect of chimpanzee culture. Between lunch and dinner in the afternoon is probably the most popular time for grooming among the Cle Elum Seven.

Even though she’s the boss, Jamie is not always the center of grooming. Missy grooms Jamie fairly often (see some photos from about a year ago on this blog post).

Missy grooming Jamie

But Burrito is a less frequent grooming partner to Jamie.

Today Burrito and Missy were both grooming Jamie at the same time as they all sat in front of one of the windows on the catwalk of the playroom.

web burrito jamie missy groom pr catwalk IMG_1328

 

Burrito kept looking at me while I was taking photos.

web burrito jamie missy groom closer up fr catwalk IMG_1324

web Burrito jamie groom look over shoulder pr catwalk IMG_1321

 

Foxie and her dolls

by

I can’t imagine Foxie without dolls. She is almost never without one, and they obviously bring her a lot of comfort and happiness. What many people may not realize is that dolls can also be an outlet for Foxie’s frustration.

In the past, Foxie has “adopted” troll dolls, Dora the Explorer dolls, Bratz dolls, and some Madame Alexander Happy Meal figurines. But most other dolls tend to get ripped to shreds immediately, especially stuffed primate dolls. And even her beloved trolls and Doras are not always treated with care.

I think it’s easy to read too much into her behavior, but some things scream out for interpretation. Clearly, Foxie shows some displaced maternal behavior with her trolls and Doras. She had five babies in the lab, and all were taken from her. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that she enjoys getting a chance to care for her dolls in a way that she never did with her real children. But most of the other female chimps at CSNW had children in the lab too, and they don’t show the interest in dolls that Foxie does. Maybe Foxie just has a more active imagination.

We’ll never really know how Foxie feels about her dolls. In school, we learned about chimpanzee behavior, but this is more like psychoanalysis. At some point, most chimpanzee caregivers stop trying to explain every detail of behavior in the chimps they care for and just accept what they see. Foxie loves her troll dolls. She also beats them up from time to time. That’s the Foxie we know and love.

Playing it cool

by

A couple of weeks ago, Diana wrote a blog post about Jamie’s complex personality – sometimes bossy, sometimes playful, sometimes (well, usually) mischievous, but always cool. For example, she probably has the coolest head nod of any chimp I’ve ever met. In terms of chimpanzee behaviors, a head nod means pretty much exactly what it sounds like – approval. Jamie’s head nod is often almost like a chin tip you’d see between bros, almost like what you would do if you were to say, ‘sup. But that’s not all that surprising, because Jamie is pretty much cool at everything she does. I would expect no less from the boss.

Here’s another example of Jamie “playing it cool”. The other day I spotted her in a comfy nest, surrounded by boots and troll dolls – classic CSNW.

web jamie lay in nest sheet blanket troll boot enrichment pr IMG_0709

Then, she noticed a Dora the Explorer doll nearby and very slowly, very casually pulled it over to her nest.

web jamie lay in nest sheet blanket troll boot enrichment pr IMG_0714

web jamie lay in nest sheet blanket troll boot enrichment pr IMG_0715

She seemed pretty happy to have Dora with her, but certainly didn’t want anyone to know she purposely pulled a doll into her nest. In her eyes, it would be way cooler if it just “happened” to be there.

web jamie close up lay in nest sheet blanket troll boot dora enrichment pr IMG_0721

web jamie close up lay in nest sheet blanket troll boot dora enrichment pr IMG_0724

Share the love (for free!)

by

It sure is a busy time of year for a nonprofit. With the holidays and the end of the year, I’m really grateful to say that we process a ton of donations in December. And we need them! If you haven’t given yet this year, and you have a little bit to spare, please consider making a donation today (sorry, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t include a little pitch!).

Anyway, the Cle Elum Seven are fortunate to have so many devoted supporters. That means you! Although we rely on financial donations to keep us in bananas and night bags, there are plenty of things you can do to keep us going without spending a dime:

  • Your enthusiasm is contagious! Reading this blog and sharing it with your friends and family (especially on Facebook) makes a big difference. The more people who know about the Cle Elum Seven, the better!
  • Likewise, share our newsletter with your friends and family.  And bug them (politely!) to sign themselves up by telling them what you love about the chimps and how much they mean to you. Many nonprofits spend tons of money building their lists, so helping us build our supporter base for free is a truly valuable “donation.”
  • Add a tagline to your email signature to share why you love the chimps. The more personal connection the better, and be sure to include a link to our website!
  • Give us a review on Guidestar, where many donors do their homework before donating. Let the world know what you think we do well and why you’re in love with the Cle Elum Seven.
  • Get involved with Eyes on Apes.
  • Send us your old printer cartridges, cell phones, and small electronics. We can recycle them through a responsible company that sends a donation back to us. Contact Jackie if you have questions about what types of things they take ([email protected]).
  • Volunteer your time or skills. Did you know we have a wonderful bunch of folks in the chimp house washing produce, doing laundry, helping us clean enclosures, and even (after a ton of training) serving meals to the chimps? We also need event volunteers. Contact Elizabeth to find out more ([email protected]).
  • Do you work for a company that might be able to donate something fabulous for our auction? Or do you have a friend who owns a store that might pitch something in? Are you an artist? Contact Diana for more information about our event and the types of things we need ([email protected]).
  • Remember us in your will, trust, or life insurance policy. It’s a lot easier than you might think, and can make a huge difference. Usually all you need is our name, address and tax ID number (68-0552915). Please let me know ([email protected]) if you honor us with such a gift so that I can thank you and add you to our legacy circle.

Have other ideas? Please share them in the comments!

And, just for kicks, here’s an oldie but goodie. Almost 4 years ago to the day, the chimps experienced their first snowstorm (before Young’s Hill and the greenhouse). Check it out.

Burrito Love

by

I can honestly say that Burrito puts a smile on my face every day. He has a certain mischievous yet vulnerable charm that is impossible to resist.

Burrito has a big day coming up right after the holidays. He’s turning 30 on January 6th! There are several ways you can wish the man a happy birthday: you can become his Pal and support him monthly by clicking here, join Team Burrito here, or sponsor his birthday (here) to make sure he has the best party ever.

web Burrito lie down lean on elbow playroom PR IMG_1261

web Burrito playroom PR IMG_1268

web Burrito look at camera playroom PR IMG_1266

Negra in the snow

by

Just 3 days ago, Debbie mentioned how we haven’t really had that much snow this year. She even said “I don’t want to jinx it”. Well, it’s been snowing almost constantly since Friday, so I think we can consider it jinxed! The humans may not be 100% excited about it, but the chimps are! Even Negra has been spending time on the hill eating snow.

web Negra YH snow in background IMG_1117

web Negra eat snow YH IMG_1112

web Negra snow on lips YH IMG_1071

web Negra eat snow YH IMG_1069

web Negra eat snow YH IMG_1033

web Negra eat snow YH hand in mouth IMG_1027

web Negra could have been good photo YH IMG_1019