Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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young's hill

The Chimps and Young’s Hill

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When I think of the chimp that spends the most time in the chimps’ 2 acre outdoor enclosure, I think of Jamie. On any given day, she’s busy walking, watching, inspecting, patrolling and sometimes even just taking in the views, all from Young’s Hill. And when the weather is right, she stays out late until the last bit of sunlight fades into darkness. So, it seems appropriate that I associate her with Young’s Hill.

Here’s a picture taken of Jamie last week on her solo trip around the hill.
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But, as I walked out to meet Jamie for her first perimeter walk around Young’s Hill this morning (I, safely on the outside of the electric fences and her on the inside) almost all of the other chimps were already on the hill. Annie, Foxie and Burrito were already climbing to the top of Jamie’s Lookout at the uppermost part of the hill. Missy was busy running around and Jody was on the lookout for plants to forage.

When I saw the other chimps already on the hill this morning, it really dawned on me how much each of the chimpanzees at CSNW have changed throughout the past eight years. Each and every one of the chimps is growing more confident and adventurous as they choose to spend more and more time exploring their open air, outdoor enclosure.

And now, when I think about Young’s Hill, I think about Negra staying out late to forage on the wild plants on top of Young’s Hill. I think about Burrito climbing to the top of the highest structures and Annie and Foxie spending more and more time exploring on their own. I think of Missy’s acrobatic moves off of any and everything she can find and Jody’s never-ending search for wild plants to forage upon. Of course, I’ll continue to think about Jamie and her perimeter patrols, but I’m so glad to think of Young’s Hill and every one of the chimps now.

Annie on top of Jamie’s Lookout.
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Foxie joined Annie on top of the tower.
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And so did Burrito.
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After looking around, the chimps started making their way back down the structure and back toward the building.

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Once the girls made their way down the ladder, Burrito quickly followed.
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Missy was a blur most of the time she was on the hill this morning, but I was able to catch her as she sat for a minute (more like a couple of seconds) on top of one of the structures.
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Jody grabbed a bite from the spruce tree that JB planted on the hill (it was used as a Christmas tree a few years ago.)
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Foliage with Foxie and a friend

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Each day this month, Autumn seems to get just a bit more vivid at the sanctuary. This morning dawned with a new icy snap in the air and thick frost on caregivers’ car windshields. After the chimpanzees ate breakfast, the inviting sun took the edge off the chilly air and Young’s Hill became a warm golden playground.

Foxie carried her “Kate” doll with her this morning as she explored. Kate’s red hair fits right in with the views of the fall foliage.

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Running with flair!

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Sometimes the chimpanzees choose to incorporate enrichment into their usual games (for added fun). This morning, Missy raced around Young’s Hill while wearing a white infinity scarf. Speaking of enrichment… have you checked out our Database of Chimpanzee Enrichment? We are still looking for ideas from other chimpanzee care facilities. If your organization has an idea they wish to contribute, check out our submission guidelines!

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The Boss Goes Solo

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Jamie is one of the bossiest people I’ve ever met. She holds the alpha position here at the sanctuary, but even for a dominant chimpanzee, she is a force to be reckoned with. She runs a tight ship; both the humans and the other chimpanzees at the sanctuary know better than to get on her bad side. After decades of powerlessness in research labs, Jamie seems determined to have things her way for once.

But Jamie is not a confident leader by any means. In fact, it seems to be her insecurity that causes her to overcompensate. She would probably earn a lot more genuine respect from the other chimps if she loosened the reins a little.

One of Jamie’s most important jobs as boss is to make sure her home is safe from intruders. She knows every time a volunteer arrives for a shift. She knows every time the UPS truck pulls up. She knows what the neighbors are doing.

Like her wild counterparts, Jamie goes on patrol regularly to check the perimeter of her habitat. She does this anywhere from twice to over a dozen times a day. She almost always requests that a caregiver go with her; she seems to just like the company, but it’s also likely that she’s a little nervous to go alone.

Lately, though, we’ve seen Jamie braving it on her own more and more. While we will always love walking with her, nothing beats seeing a strong, determined chimpanzee slowly become a strong, determined, confident chimpanzee.

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Missy in her sanctuary

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At Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, each of the chimpanzees have found their own personal happiness and comfort. Sometimes happiness comes in the form of an object like cowboy boots for Jamie or troll dolls for Foxie. Sometimes happiness comes in the form of an activity, like Burrito playing chase with his caregivers. For Missy, happiness is truly apparent when you see her sprinting outside on a crisp Autumn day. This morning she was in constant motion, a blur to catch on camera.

It seems proper that Missy is the star of today’s blog, because her story is also featured on our Great Apes Giving Day page (going on now!). We’ve just started the countdown for the last seven hours of the Great Apes Giving Day fundraising, with one chimp featured each hour. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter to see a highlight about each of the chimps.

Tiny chimp, big world

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We tend to equate mothers with maternity. But whether or not we find ourselves in the position of mothering children, I believe we are all mothers in some form, at some point. Maybe it’s mothering our animal friends, loved ones and family, ourselves, our plants, or even a creative project we’ve put our hearts into. It’s that innate sense we have to nurture, protect and care for someone or something we hold dear, or sometimes just a compassion and empathy that comes from witnessing a fellow being just trying to get through life the same as we are.

If you’re new to the blog or the chimps’ histories you may not be aware that Annie, Missy, Negra, Jody and Foxie were all used as “breeders” during their time in biomedical research. Each of them was forced to have child after child only to have their babies stolen from them shortly after birth, destined to a future as horrid as their parents. (To our knowledge Jamie has never had any children). You can learn more about the chimps’ histories on our Eyes on Apes page.

Foxie is mother to four children. Two daughters, Angie (who thankfully resides at Save the Chimps in Florida, and Kelsey (who resides at Alamogordo Primate Facility), and a rare set of twin sons, David and Steve (who are sadly both deceased now).

Foxie is rarely without at least one of her troll or Dora dolls and appears to have a tendency to carry two at a time. Maybe when Foxie chooses to carry two dolls at a time she can’t decide between favored dolls, perhaps two are the most she can comfortably carry, or it’s another reason I can’t possibly imagine. We can never say with certainty what the chimps are thinking, but I often wonder if it’s indicative of memories of her twins.

After breakfast yesterday the chimps headed out onto Young’s Hill and Foxie and her two Doras du jour headed off to explore on their own.

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Walking along the perimeter with Jamie, as we got to the top of the hill I thought I spotted Foxie and the Doras high atop “Jamie’s Tower,” but she wasn’t immediately visible. Then reaching the other side of the structure, I could see her spying through the slats, enjoying her own world.

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Gazing at her Dora dolls:

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I stood watching Foxie, utterly mesmerized by how tiny she appeared against the backdrop of the stunning views surrounding her sanctuary home. Then for the first time that I’ve seen, Foxie began “phantom” nesting (nesting behavior in the absence of nesting material) with her dolls on the tower. Foxie doesn’t build nests as most chimps do, but we often see her (and sometimes Burrito) engaging in this behavior in a corner of the chimp house during which she claps and clasps her hands together while moving her arms up, across, and down, almost in a figure eight. Similar to movements chimps in the wild make as they bend in and fold branches around them when they create nests, as well as chimps in captivity who use blankets and other nesting material to build their nests. We don’t know a lot about this behavior, but as far as we know it’s only been observed in captive chimps and is not commonly seen.

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We can’t know if any of the chimps would have been good mothers given their unnatural circumstances and the trauma they endured, but chances are had they not been deprived of the right to their natural lives, they would have been.

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I’m not sure if Foxie was mothering her dolls or mothering herself through the comfort and joy they provide her, both, or neither. And it doesn’t matter. In whatever form it takes, Foxie is a good mother.

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This tiny chimpanzee woman’s world has grown exponentially from what it was for the first 32 years of her life. But her heart and spirit can never be constrained by space.

Brave is brave

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Burrito’s courage might not always present as it does in many male chimpanzees, but I don’t think that makes it any less brave or valid. In fact, for a guy who spent the first 25 years of his life powerless to the whims of humans, living in fear and uncertainty with no respect for his needs or nature, and deprived of the nurturing and modeling that should have come from living with his chimp family, he shows endless courage every day.

It’s taken Burrito awhile to feel comfortable walking the perimeter of Young’s Hill with Jamie and investigating the climbing structures. With each passing year he’s taken further steps outside his comfort zone. When Burrito does decide to put himself out there on the structures, he still seems uncertain of his chimp status and moves very cautiously, hanging onto the fire hose or railings for security, sometimes fear grimacing the whole way, and often looking longingly back toward the safety and comfort of the chimp house. But he still gives it a go.

It’s not uncommon now for him to bring up the rear behind Jamie during our walks, but when she makes her routine stop to climb the Twister and check out the neighborhood, Burrito typically waits patiently below until Jamie says it’s time to move on. So on this occasion my heart swelled to see him decide to climb up the structure behind her.

Brave B:

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Feeling safe for the moment Burrito found a moment to look up at the sky and take in his home from up there, seemingly in awe:

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Our hearts are full of gratitude to you all for giving Burrito, and each of the chimps, the space for their hearts and spirits to soar and be brave.