Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Willy B

Never Dull!

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It’s never a dull day when working with chimpanzees, each individual is so their own and also has their own agenda for the day! As you will see in the video, most days Gordo just wants to go on the Bray not giving his caregivers a second look, but on this day Gordo decided it was time to play chase with his caregiver from the chute to the Bray. While, Terry just wanted to give sweet kisses in the morning. I think we all know Honey B’s agenda is to derail the schedule for her caregivers as much as possible, as she should! But she also tries to carve out alone time with one of her close friends, Dora, which can often play into derailing her caregivers schedule, too. She is such a multitask-er :)!

Though somethings may “derail” our day, it’s also the fun part about our job. We don’t know what we are going to walk into, but what we do know is that everyday they are provided with as much choice as possible!

Gordo eating a pear series:

Bonus!!

Foxie playing a lazy game of poke the doll and maybe camera with me:

I just love her eyes in this one:

And a very snoozy Willy B! So snoozy I don’t think he even knew I took this photo:

The Learning Process

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Here at the sanctuary, we utilize Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) to work with the chimpanzees to participate in their own care. The possibilities of applications for PRT are nearly endless, and help us perform many necessary tasks here at the sanctuary in a way that the chimps enjoy and can actively participate in!

The uses of PRT range greatly…we use PRT to station Jamie during meals to allow everyone else in the group to enjoy their meal, ideally without stealing or intimidation. We use it to apply lotion to Willy B’s dry feet and Rayne’s dry forehead. We use it to teach the chimps to present different parts of their bodies for us to observe for a variety of reasons, including asking Willy B for his right foot currently so we can get a look at how his toe is healing (which is very well!). And very recently, we have started utilizing PRT to train the chimpanzees to provide awake EKG readings utilizing the KardiaMobile, as J.B. discussed in a recent blog.

Willy B on his first day of EKG training, not quite sure what the human wants yet, but looking handsome while he ponders it!

Training for awake EKGs with the KardiaMobile is such an exciting and rewarding process. While it may look and sound simple to hold one finger from each hand to the device for 30 seconds, it is far from simple when working with a chimpanzee (they aren’t really known for their patience…). Willy B has so far been our star student where KardiaMobile is concerned. He is eager to participate when he sees the KardiaMobile holder, and has obtained several EKG readings. However, progress is not perfect, and a regular part of the PRT process is regression. Just because Willy B has mastered the KardiaMobile during one training session does not mean he will always do so from now on. Recently, I asked Sabrina to come with me to film KardiaMobile training with Willy B, as I was excited about the progress he had been making and wanted to show you all how well he was doing. He presented me with the idea for this blog instead! He has racked up several completed KardiaMobile readings, but during this session, he seemed to have forgotten he needed to present both hands at the same time, and somewhat comically kept switching out one hand for the other when I tried to ask for both hands. He even once presented a hand and a big toe at the same time (because you never know, maybe that is what this silly human wants!). We prepare for situations like this to happen when initially planning how to train a new behavior, so we “went back to kindergarten” and I tried asking for one hand on the KardiaMobile and the other to be presented at the same time anywhere in the caging. From there, I could ask him to present his hand at varying heights until it is presented over the KardiaMobile at the same time as the other hand that he has been resting there. At this point, I can try again asking for both hands to be presented over the KardiaMobile using the normal cue for this, and if he does so correctly, provide him with a jackpot treat (like a handful of blueberries, or several peanuts).

Willy B starts to get the hang of this thing! Soon enough, he’ll be presenting both hands.

Some training sessions, we don’t get to the end result we were hoping for, and that is okay. It is part of the process. Sometimes an individual is too distracted to focus on the task at hand, or confused about what you are asking them to do for some reason. Sometimes their friends are crowding them and preventing them from having the space to participate, or the social setting is not conducive to them being able to participate (for example, if high-ranking Jamie is sitting right next to low-ranking Foxie, and neither Foxie or Jamie are willing to relocate, providing a high-value reward to Foxie could get her in trouble with Jamie and possibly even start a fight. I need to be sure I can reinforce Foxie for doing what I ask before I start a training session, and under these conditions I would not be able to do so safely. Training can wait until another time when an additional trainer is available to train with Jamie at the same time, or Foxie is in a better location where she can receive her rewards for a job well done). While we attempt to work through these hurdles and have strategies to help them understand what we are asking for, sometimes the best tool we have is to ask for a simple behavior we know that the individual can do successfully, reward them with a tasty treat for their success, and call it a day!

Five Years Later

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Five years ago to the day CSNW grew by three and welcomed home Honey B, Willy B, and Mave. After beginning their lives in biomedical research and then living at Wildlife Waystation, a wild animal shelter outside of Los Angeles that closed its doors after more than 40 years, they arrived here on August 18, 2019.

A lot has happened in five years- their group grew by 6 in their integration with Cy’s group and they gained access to and gained confidence exploring their 2-acre outdoor enclosure (The Bray). These are just two examples out of many. Their worlds have grown quite a lot since arriving here and ours have, too. Every day with them is exciting and we are so glad to know, and adore, them!

Check out today’s video to see how we celebrated (hint: pasta!).

But first! Thanks to those of you who filled out the survey from Diana’s blog post about the series Chimp Crazy. The first episode airs this evening (August 18th) on HBO and streams on Max at 10 p.m. PT.

The North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) and Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW), along with a special guest, will be hosting a discussion of the first episode. Join us this Tuesday, August 20 via Zoom at 6:00 PM PST/9:00 PM EST to explore Episode 1: Monkey Love. We will be discussing the contents of the episode as well as some history around the use of primates in entertainment and the pet trade, the legality of owning primates as pets, and the Captive Primate Safety Act. Register to join this discussion!

We understand that there may be scenes in the series that could be difficult for primate welfare advocates to watch. Our goal is to provide a space where people can openly share their thoughts and learn more about how they can help these remarkable primates.

Mave:

Honey B:

Willy B:

Jam Packed Week!

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Wow, have we had a jam packed week and it’s only Wednesday! We had a procedure on Monday, a presentation on Tuesday, and Foxie’s birthday tomorrow!

Speaking of presentations, some of our favorite outreach events are the ones in our community! Yesterday Jenna, Grace, and I participated in the Summer Reading Program at the Carpenter Memorial Library in Cle Elum, hosted by the Cle Elum Fire Department. The Summer Reading Program has an array of different guest speakers that cover topics from learning about bee keeping, to exploring the fire station, to learning about wildlife tracking from Fish and Wildlife, and of course learning about the chimps!

Grace, Jenna, and I had different interactive stations for the kids to go to. For the first station, we showed the kids how to make enrichment for the chimps like raisin boards, paper braids, and fire hose knots! The second station was learning how to build a nest, which is always so fun to learn about, but obviously we had a nest building competition. For our third station we taught everyone about chimp vocalizations & behaviors, which obviously we taught everyone how to pant hoot!

Jenna teaching how to make raisin boards:

Here is Grace showing everyone an amazing nest she built:

Anna had to work yesterday, but Luna stopped by and built her own nest. I would say Anna has taught Luna well:

Here I am showing different vocalizations:

Thank you to the Carpenter Memorial Library and the Cle Elum Fire Department for having us! We had such a blast being apart of the community and teaching everyone about the chimps we love so dearly!

Bonus photo of Jamie:

Here is Willy B in recovery today! He is doing well and enjoying his stories on the TV:

Chimp Crazy Documentary on HBO

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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):

 

It Takes a Village: Willy B’s Trip to the Clinic

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One of the amazing things about sanctuary work is how it brings together so many different people. Individuals with different skills, backgrounds, and interests collaborate to ensure that all the residents of CSNW receive the top-notch care that they deserve. From behaviorists, to veterinarians, to anthropologists, to dentists, to ultrasound experts, to fundraising gurus- it truly takes a village.

And, in this line of work, it takes a village of people who are always ready to step in and help- no matter the day, time, or situation. Today was one of those days where we needed the village. 🙂

During a fight yesterday, Willy B sustained a traumatic near-amputation of the tip of a toe on his right foot. In other words, someone bit the end of his toe off but it was still attached. This was clearly a wound that was not going to heal easily or comfortably on its own without surgical intervention. After seeing the wound, Ellen, Chad, and Krissy immediately worked together to get Willy B isolated in the front rooms to better assess it and contacted the staff who weren’t on site. Erin and JB got to work on the logistics of the procedure.

Unexpected plot twist: a caveat of working with nonhuman primates is that we have to take very seriously not exposing the chimps to any illness that we might have. If we feel like we are coming down with a cold, sore throat, etc., we are not in the chimp house until we feel better. You likely have seen photos of staff wearing masks, which is a precaution we take since chimpanzees are so susceptible to human illnesses. Sunday morning we learned that JB and Diana would be out due to illness and yesterday evening we learned that Erin wasn’t well either, so the three of them would have to avoid the chimp house if at all possible.

It’s for this very reason that Dr. Erin and the team here at the sanctuary have worked so hard to establish a network of veterinarians, physicians, technicians, and nurses that can lend a hand or even take over entirely when primary veterinary staff aren’t available. It’s also the reason why Dr. Erin includes roles for staff members in every procedure, even when she has enough support, so that we all feel comfortable jumping in to help when it’s truly needed. Like today.

While Dr. Erin worked to put together a team for the procedure, we were also navigating the logistics of staffing to meet the needs for the chimp house. We needed people in the clinic and we also needed people taking care of our three bovines and other 14 chimps- cleaning, laundry, meds prep, meal prep, enrichment, etc. Since today is Monday, half of our staff were also on their weekends. Kelsi, Jenna, and Anna all sacrificed their Sunday to come in and help with the procedure and also with the running of the day.

Dr. Erin is amazing for a lot of reasons- not just because she is so wonderful at her job. From last night to this morning, she was able to put together a team of experts from her network for today’s procedure. Today, we had the pleasure of working with Dr. Donna Mensching (DVM and CSNW board member!), Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Spencer Soffe (CRNA), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), and Jessica Mace (LVT). This was my first procedure that Erin hasn’t been on site for and I realized how much I’ve taken for granted the comfort that comes with having her here, because we all know she would do anything for these guys. I think I can speak for all of us, though, that as soon as the team she assembled arrived we all immediately felt like Willy B was in great hands. The team worked together to ensure Willy B got the best care. The last two bones in the injured toe were removed in order to get good wound closure and optimal healing and we will be keeping a close eye on him as it heals.

Dr. Donna Mensching working on Willy B’s toe:

Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), and Kelsi (Outreach Coordinator and also now X-Ray Technician?!) getting x-rays on his foot before toe amputation:

From left to right: Dr. Yousef Jafarey (DVM), Jessica Mace (LVT), Spencer Soffe (CRNA), Christin Burns (Vet Assistant), & Dr. Donna Mensching (DVM)

The procedure went smooth and Willy B has been recovering very well. As I write this, Ellen and Kelsi are by his room keeping an eye on him. 🙂

A huge thank you to everyone who helped today run so smoothly. This is a darn good village to be a part of.

Man about Town

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Willy B used to be very avoidant of the grass and dirt outside. Remember? Watch this video from May 8, 2020.

And look at these photos of him today!

Mave is also getting more and more adventurous outside. Today, she followed Gordo out and convinced him to give her two of the three whole red peppers he had found in the forage.

I didn’t get good photos of it, but Willy B was actually the last one on the Bray. He was out there for so  long that Mave eventually came outside and waited for him to come back inside – it reminded me of Jody doing the same for her friends when she thought it was time for them to return.

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in gifts from out wish lists for Christmas in July. There are still items to purchase for the sanctuary, mostly on our Jerrols wish list, which you can find here. Buying from the Jerrol’s list also supports a family business that is local to the sanctuary!

We are very excited about all of the items we have received and you’re sure to see them popping up on the blog in the next few weeks. Thank you again!!