Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
We miss Jody very much, and we are so glad that we now have a beautiful statue of her thanks to donors and artist Austin Smith.
We won’t likely have statues made of all of the chimpanzees as they pass, but it’s fitting to have one of Jody. She was always looking out for her group and now she watches over all of us.
Our big celebrations on June 13th got me thinking, once again, about resiliency.
I was thinking about Negra and Terry and their resiliency, and the incredible resiliency we have witnessed in all of the chimpanzees who arrived seventeen years ago after decades of use in biomedical research.
This was the first time Animal Sanctuary Caregivers Day fell on June 13th, so that caused me to think about the resiliency that is required of caregivers who work in animal sanctuaries.
The caregivers at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest are incredible human beings in all regards and would be regardless of where they worked. Working as a caregiver, however, has a way of testing a person in numerous ways.
A lot of what caregivers do is very physical work, so being in good physical shape and bouncing back from inevitable injuries becomes more important than in other occupations.
Keeping in shape mentally and emotionally is perhaps even more important.
Caregivers are faced with many challenges in a given day that are often decisions that don’t have right or wrong answers. Caregivers are constantly weighing different welfare considerations against each other (for example, do I take more time scrubbing to provide an extra clean environment or do I do a quick clean so the chimpanzees can have access to the space sooner?). Living in gray areas can be uncomfortable, and it takes a lot of communication and ability to see fellow caregivers’ perspectives to avoid misunderstandings or division.
That’s just the day to day. Then there are the really big events like chimpanzees getting injured, sick or passing away that is part of the job of a caregiver. There’s the worry and grief and doubt that comes with that, and then there’s having to continue on with the daily routines for the sake of those who are still relying on that daily care.
It’s a joyful, uplifting, satisfying job; and it’s a hard job. There’s no way to do it long term without developing resiliency.
Huge kudos and gratitude and admiration and love to all of our caregivers at the sanctuary, our current staff especially, and also all of our past staff and volunteer caregivers. I have learned, and continue to learn, so much from all of you. I truly and deeply appreciate all that your bring and give to this work.
The chimpanzees are able to be their amazing selves and build their resiliency every day because of you. It’s a loop of resiliency from them to you and back again, and it spreads outward from there.
In addition to hundreds of other moments, today Negra was able to forage on Young’s Hill and bring some celery to the greenhouse to crunch, on her 6,207th day of sanctuary.
Last month, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) held a fun little contest for a sanctuary to win a brand new Looky Lou enrichment mirror and feeder that was generously donated by Wildlife Toybox.
We won the contest because Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest donors are always so generous and caring!
Today, Ellen was George’s caregiver today and she set it up to see how George would react. He was very interested, as you can see from the video she took!
Thanks to NAPSA, Wildlife Toybox, and our donors for enriching George’s life!
Every day, he seems to be coming more and more out of his shell as he relaxes at the sanctuary. It’s a joy to see him get more comfortable and to hear stories from all of the caregivers each day.
I mentioned this incident in a comment on my blog post from last week. There was some interest from blog readers to see the footage of this fight in which Dora is interested enough to go onto the Bray, but apparently only wanted to watch, not participate, as she made a break for it when the intensity increased.
Dora can be a force when she does get involved in conflicts, so it’s just as well that she chose to stay out of it this time.
While fights are not uncommon, even in groups like Cy’s that fight more than the average, the amount of time they spend in conflict is minuscule compared the amount of time they spend in friendship.
Most of their days are filled with comfort and joy… which is why we are holding the third annual Comfort and Joy Quid Pro Throw online auction from October 31 – Nov 20. We will be adding items throughout, so check in daily.
*New this year* – if you register for the Comfort and Joy online auction, you’ll be a guest (virtually) at Lucky’s birthday on November 6th! So, don’t delay, register today.
On Sunday, August 18th, the first episode of a new four-part documentary called Chimp Crazy will debut on HBO and stream on Max. You may have already seen the trailer or seen promotions about the series.
It was produced by Eric Goode, who also produced Tiger King.
I am guessing a lot of you are now saying to yourself that there’s no way you will be watching it.
I completely understand that response, especially after watching the trailer, which includes some difficult clips:
Though it will surely be sensationalized and is meant to bring in viewers who are watching for entertainment, we’ve heard that it also tells the story of why primates should not be pets. It has the potential to make a positive difference, reaching people who don’t already care about this issue. See the page on the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) website about the documentary.
We want to know if you plan to watch, if you’d be interested in joining a discussion group about the series, and if you are aware of a bill in Congress right now, the Captive Primate Safety Act, that would protect primates from these types of exploitative situations.
Fill out this questionnaire to let us know your thoughts.
I know regular readers will want to know that Willy B is doing fine after his little procedure yesterday (does the fact that chimpanzees bite each others digits off provide a reason why they do not make good pets??!!).
I went up to check on him through the window of his private suite last night and we were also watching him on the security cameras. He had a long and deep sleep.
Chad reported that Willy B was raring to go back with his group this morning, against Dr. Erin’s orders. Willy B is notoriously difficult to give medication to, but the determined and creative staff managed to get him to take his meds in sweetened peanut butter today.
Here’s a photo Ellen just took of him in his recovery room, looking at his reflection in her phone (and, full disclosure, licking his stitched up toe, not pictured):
Happy World Chimpanzee Day. I’m so glad there is a day to think about and celebrate our closest living relative, and it’s so fitting that July 14th is the anniversary of when Jane Goodall arrived to what was to become Gombe. Dr. Goodall has changed the world for chimpanzees, and has made millions of people aware of how extraordinary they are as a species and as individuals. We are all part of her legacy of scientific discovery and advocacy.
I was going wax poetic about chimpanzee toes, but I think the video does it for me.
