Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Role Models

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One of the reasons why we chose to introduce George to Cy’s group, at least to start, is that he needs some good role models. Having lived alone or with only one other chimpanzee for most of his life, he never had the opportunity to fully develop his social skills. And that can have serious consequences. Failure to follow the rules of a social group can get a chimp into trouble pretty quickly, especially when entering the group alone. We love Jamie and Willy B as people, but as leaders of their respective groups, they each leave a lot to be desired. They might be tough, but they are also insecure, capricious, and generally self-interested. I have a hard time imagining either of them sticking their neck out to defend a naive newcomer like George.

Cy and Rayne, on the other hand, are exemplars of true leadership. In addition to being tough, they are also kind, fair, tolerant, and forgiving. One way to think about the process that George is going through right now is that this is his chance to make mistakes. I hate to see him get in scuffles or to be in distress, but I can’t help thinking to myself: Screw up now George, it’s only going to get more difficult from here! We want him to offend Rayne when Rayne gets to decide how to respond, and not Rayne trailed by four other screaming chimps. We want him to learn about the privilege of dominance, and the price paid for disrespect, when Cy is the one doing the teaching.

George has proven himself to be up for the challenge of learning to be a chimp—as long as he keeps paying attention to his teachers.

Bouncy Ball Mayhem & Mystery

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Willy B has always had an undeniable love for enrichment that makes a lot of noise such as slinkies, boxes, and his new love, bouncy balls. When he gets a hold of the bouncy balls, chaos ensues- bouncing erratically, rolling around, and a whole lot of noise. When Willy B’s group goes into the mezzanine we often give him 1 or 2 through the food chute, if he doesn’t have one already. It seems to be pure joy for Willy B! Recently, the bouncy balls have been mysteriously appearing outside the enclosures. And because we could not catch anyone in the act, we caregiver started coming up with our own theories!

  • Could it be that Willy B’s exuberant play is causing the balls to bounce through the gaps between the ceiling and the mesh? Some believed he was launching them with such intensity that they were escaping entirely, defying physics in the process.
  • Others theorized that the balls might be slipping out through the food chute, carried by the force of Willy B’s powerful throws.
  • But there was also a strong suspicion that his mischievous friend, Honey B, might be the true culprit, secretly tossing the balls out and enjoying the mayhem from afar.

At last, the mystery was solved when we watched Honey B on the security camera this morning. In the beginning, it seemed like she just wanted a little peace and quiet away from Willy B’s wild bouncing sessions, but as you’ll see in the video, she ended up having a lot of fun with those bouncy balls herself!

With Willy B’s 35th birthday just around the corner, we’d love to fill his space with all kinds of new bouncy balls to fit the theme of his birthday party “Bouncy Ball Mayhem”. You can help make his birthday extra special by adding to his collection through our Amazon and Chewy wish lists. Let’s make sure he has a chaotic birthday!

Bovine Birthdays, Pasture Pedicures, and a Trip to the Vet

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Today is Honey‘s 18th Birthday! To celebrate, Diana brought over a basket of special treats from the chimp house, plus some pears from our very own orchard.

The cattle recently underwent their biannual foot trimmings. To trim our cows’ hooves, we utilize the services of a professional trimmer who brings specialized equipment that lifts the cows onto their sides and briefly restrains their legs. If their feet are in good shape, the trimming takes less than a minute per foot and the cows are quickly back to their normal routine.

Here, Meredith gets medications and vaccinations before being released from the chute:

Facilities and Grounds Technician, Teresa, adjusts Honey’s halter while the trimmer works on Honey’s feet:

Most trimmings are uneventful, but during Betsy’s trim, we discovered an anomaly in the medial claw of her back foot. It turned out to be an abscess—a fairly common injury, but one that would normally result in lameness. Betsy had showed absolutely no signs of discomfort whatsoever. She is one tough cow!

The abscess was opened up and drained and Besty was given medication and a bandage tough enough for a cow (is there anything duct tape can’t do?):

Dr. Erin conducted further exams, complete with x-rays, in the days following. Here, she utilizes standing sedation in one of our barn stanchions to safely treat Betsy’s foot:

After getting Betsy’s hoof cleaned up and examined, we attached a block for her comfort. Blocks are wood or polyurethane prosthetics thay are applied with a high-strength adhesive to a cow’s good claw when they have an injury which may be painful—this allows their weight to bear on the good side of their foot and relieves pressure on the painful side.

Radiographs of Betsy’s foot showed the possibility of bone changes near the abscess, so Dr. Erin felt a trip to the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital was warranted, just to be safe. Besty was loaded into our trailer for a trip to Eastern Washington for the afternoon:

The team at WSU, led by Dr. Olivarez, is highly skilled at bovine medicine and, just as importantly, they are incredibly caring and compassionate:

Once in the hospital, Betsy’s is led down an alley and into a stall:

Similar to a foot trim, she is then tilted onto her side:

Besty was given a thorough examination and treatment. Thankfully, the pathology was determined to be limited to the hoof and the vet team thought that with a little rest in the barn and proper follow-up care, she would heal just fine. She was then given a new hoof block and bandage:

The folks at WSU thought that Besty, age 18, might have been the oldest cow they had ever treated in the hospital.

When we got back to the barn late that night, Betsy was immediately greeted by her long-time herd mates who very clearly missed her:

We are hopeful that Betsy will be able to rejoin the girls in another week or so. For now, she is happy to eat her extra feed without any competition from her bossy friend, Honey:

 

 

Being Friends with Foxie

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Being friends with Foxie means being friends with her dolls. To be accepted into their clique takes time, patience, and trust. You know you’ve entered her realm when she blows raspberries to get your attention, hands over a doll, and a whole new wonderful world of imagination is graciously placed before you. Now the fun begins!

George’s New Roommate!

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As Ellen mentioned the other day in her blog, the next step in George’s integration process is to have Cy join him. Well, as of yesterday, Cy is officially George’s roommate! And so far, as far as roommates go, they’ve been nothing but respectful of each other. The transition has been incredibly smooth.

They’ve shared meals, shifted for cleaning, and even had an overnight together—all without a hint of drama (which we can’t say for the groups surrounding them!). Cy has already done an amazing job showing George his dominance, but in true Cy fashion, that dominance comes with a lot of patience and guidance.

Cy showed a bit of chimp politics by politely stealing chow from George, which George didn’t make a fuss about. Since Cy loves magazines, they’re considered a high-value item for him. There was a moment where George was looking at a magazine when Cy displaced him so that he could look through the magazine first, moments like this send a message that Cy gets first dibs on certain items. George has also tried taking what seems like lower-value food from Cy, and Cy has let him have it, so far. Cy is known for letting others in his group steal from him occasionally, but if it’s something he really wants, like corn, he draws the line and has no problem correcting them.

George is a really smart guy and seems to understand what Cy wants or values most. Everyday, we are also more and more impressed by George and his social skills! So far, these two seem to be getting along swimmingly, and it makes us really hopeful for their future together.

Scenes from George and Rayne’s Day on the Bray

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George recently spent a full day with Rayne. Rayne is a wise, confident, and well-respected chimpanzee who gives George a lot of grace but isn’t afraid to hold him accountable when he gets out of line. George and Rayne have had many short meetings before, and while a few of those meetings began with brief conflicts, they always ended on a high note. This longer meeting was no exception. After a bit of arguing through the mesh, the pair got together and settled down for a day full of socializing, eating meals together, and running throughout the 2-acre habitat (both with each other and with the chimps next door!). Learning the rules can be tough for someone without much social experience, but George couldn’t ask for a better teacher.