Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
When I was watching this trio grooming, it occurred to me that humans differ from chimpanzees in the amount of physical closeness they have with each other, and that I don’t really know what it’s like to have so little personal space.
Then Honey B asked to groom me. She was including me in this important social behavior they were sharing.
I will never stop being humbled by this job.
Our Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest family has grown a lot over the last several years. With more chimpanzees and cows to care for and a larger staff and growing volunteer program to oversee, we decided it was time to split the Chimp House Manager position into two positions to better support the hardworking people that keep this sanctuary running. Anna will continue to manage our volunteers and interns, which means that the search has begun for someone to lead and inspire our amazing team of staff caregivers.
To learn more, click here. Please feel free to share this job posting with anyone who meets the qualifications!
Today, former staff member Anthony gave away a morning off to volunteer. If you were a fan of Anthony and his blog writing while he was on staff, you know that he had a certain fondness for Honey B, and she certainly reciprocates the sentiment – she’s always excited to receive a visit from her old friend.
Honey B is a chimpanzee who is very demonstrative – you can tell when she’s happy and you can definitely tell when she is mad.
I was sharing a story with Anthony about something that happened just the other day. I was sitting outside of the caregiver house where J.B. and I live when J.B. went up to see the chimpanzees for the first time after being away for two weeks. The house is not far from the chimp house, but it’s not right next door either. I’m not great at estimating distances, but I would say if were in in a city, the two buildings would be about a half a block away. When I heard an excited (and very loud) pant hoot coming from the chimp house, I knew exactly who was emitting the sound and why. Honey B had spotted J.B. and they were greeting each other as though they had been apart for a year.
This story led to Anthony and I talking about Honey B, Honey B’s preference for men, and the hazing that she does with some people, the results of which look like this:
For reference, if you don’t remember or haven’t seen the above photo before, that would be Krissy adorned with a mouthful of breakfast smoothie, care of benevolent Ms. B.
J.B. and I were trained that the humans who care for chimpanzees in captivity should consider themselves at the bottom of the chimpanzees’ hierarchy and should act accordingly, with proper deference and subservience. We have carried through a similar philosophy to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. However, you can read this blog post from several years ago about the complications of trying to place dominance in a linear line. Considering the social primates that chimpanzees are, an interesting question to ponder is what they themselves perceive in terms of the status of the humans within their social sphere, both in relation to themselves and amongst the humans as our own separate troop.
Honey B is known, probably even for a casual blog reader, for her mischievousness and her ability to state, in no uncertain terms, that she very much does, indeed, have a level of power over the lowly humans who look after her. I know from experience with chimpanzees I have known previously that it can be quite humbling to be put in this position, a mere peon relegated to the outer circle of affection. In truth, though I am not of her favored gender and are therefore not greeted with the same level of exuberance, Honey B seems to have placed me in her personal hierarchy above those who regularly receive her ire (THANK YOU, HONEY B!).
Honey B is not the only chimpanzee at the sanctuary who treats humans differently based on what appears to be either an internally-decided or an externally-perceived ranking. For those of us who knew Lucky when she first came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, we couldn’t have envisioned a chimpanzee with such a demeanor sweeter than hers.
As soon as we began training new staff and volunteers, however, another side of sweet Lucky came out that was quite a surprise. When I asked Krissy (the most recent trainee on door shifting) how she would describe this side of Lucky, Krissy replied, “out for blood.”
Lucky will jump at the mesh towards those who she deems below her. She will try to poke them, and she will vocalize her unhappiness if they do something displeasing to her, which is almost always the caregiver attempting to do something quite nice, like give her some food.
I don’t begrudge this side of Lucky or any other chimpanzee. I bet Krissy will be moving up in the ranks as soon as another poor human initiate comes along that is more deserving of Lucky’s scorn, and Krissy and Lucky’s relationship will be all the more precious for it.
As for Honey B, I’m not willing to wager.
A peek inside the busy day of our staff and volunteers!
First the not so good news from the sanctuary… Sofía has plans this summer to relocate to the east coast and continue her vet tech career closer to family. We wish her luck with the next chapter in her life and thank her for all her hard work and dedication to the cattle and chimpanzees’ health and well-being over the last several years. We are all so grateful! I will let her write her own goodbye on the blog in the next couple of weeks.
With Sofía’s departure, we have a specialized job vacancy on our staff. We are now currently hiring for a Full-Time Medical-Veterinary Assistant/Chimpanzee Caregiver. Please share the job posting on our website far and wide so we can find that certain person who wants to work as a chimpanzee/cattle caregiver, but also has medical experience to contribute to their healthcare.
Here are some photos of Sofía in action over the years!
Today is Animal Sanctuary Caregivers Day – a day to honor the hard work that sanctuary caregivers do every day.
J.B. and I would like to give a huge thanks to all of the caregivers at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, including current staff caregivers (all of whom contribute to this blog among their other varied duties!): Katelyn, Anna, Kelsi, Chad, Grace, Jenna, Sofía, and Sabrina; current Level III volunteer caregivers: Lizz, Keri, Elizabeth, Patti, Lisa, Anthony, Courtney, Krissy, and Dusty, and to all of the interns, volunteers and former staff and volunteer caregivers!!
Since expanding the sanctuary and welcoming the Wildlife Waystation chimpanzees over the last few years, we have also expanded the number of paid caregiving staff. This was necessary to properly care for the chimpanzees, but has also been a boon to the sanctuary because each person who has worked here brings their own unique ideas, experience, and perspective that help improve the care of the chimpanzees and bovines and advance the sanctuary in so many ways.
Caregiving is not an easy occupation physically or emotionally, and it takes a special kind of person to do this work. Burnout and compassion fatigue are serious issues amongst sanctuary caregivers, so it’s important that they know how valued and appreciated they are.
We are incredibly lucky to have this crew of talented and caring humans that have chosen to work for the sanctuary and have embraced the difficult aspects of the job along with the joyous moments.
Thank you all. We love you!
Katelyn with Dora:
Anna with Foxie:
Kelsi with Negra:
Chad with Burrito:
Grace with Cy & Lucky:
Jenna with Jamie:
Sofía with Nutmeg:
Sabrina with Lucky:
Hello all, my name is Sabrina and I am the newest caregiver here at CSNW!
As a Pacific Northwest native, I decided last year it was finally time to return home in order to be closer to my friends and family. Fortuitously, CSNW was in need of a new caregiver soon after my return home – it’s like everything aligned perfectly for me so I can continue to work with chimpanzees in sanctuary.
Unlike the other caregivers at CSNW, this sanctuary is entirely new to me since I’ve never volunteered or interned here before being hired on as caregiver. The last couple months I have had the pleasure of getting to know the chimps, the cattle, the humans and getting a lay of the land at the sanctuary
Prior to working with chimpanzees, I spent many years working with domestic animals, mostly dogs, in shelters and veterinary environments. In my 30’s I decided to return to school and obtained my B.A. in Anthropology from University of Massachusetts – Boston, which led me to an internship at Center for Great Apes in Florida. This was my first experience with great apes and I was instantly hooked! I was offered a job at Chimp Haven as soon as I graduated. I have worked with over 300 chimps in Louisiana over the last five years and during my time at Chimp Haven I filled several roles including Caregiver, Pharmacy Technician and Positive Reinforcement Training Coordinator for the Veterinary department; I’ve learned innumerable lessons from the chimps I’ve cared for and built enduring relationships over the years built on trust and respect and I am thrilled to be able to continue my work here at CSNW.
One more thing! Don’t forget to sign up for next Saturday’s Virtual Visit about medical care. It should be a fascinating look at the sanctuary’s veterinary care process.
