Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

young's hill

Summer mornings

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Our recent heatwave is on the down-slide, but it’s still quite warm and the chimps and humans are each enjoying the summer days in their own way. After breakfast, most of the chimpanzees headed for the still cool grass of Young’s Hill (with the exception of Negra who took a break from her adventures for the day and made a nest at the top of the greenhouse where she could enjoy the morning breeze). Annie chose to take a walk up the hill bipedally to join Foxie and her troll. If you look closely you can spot the troll’s red hair on Foxie’s back.

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Missy took her breakfast chow and literally ran out to climb up a structure where she could enjoy it with a view:

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Jody was the first to head out onto Young’s Hill this morning and quickly disappeared into the tall grass to forage for wild greens before her buddy, Burrito, could catch up with her. So he opted to sit in the raceway which leads from the greenhouse to the hill and enjoy the morning sun with me, remaining on the lookout for Jody’s return.

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After a busy morning on the hill, by late morning things got pretty warm and Jamie sprawled out in a comfy nest to cool off and doze in the summer breeze.

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How profoundly grateful we are that the chimpanzees’ days are filled with such serenity, comfort and peace. Thanks to all of you who make the hours, days and seasons of their lives so beautiful.

After Hours

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After dinner each day, most of the chimps grab their blankets and bed down for the night.

Jody:

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Negra:

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But for Jamie, the day is just getting started.

Jamie likes to be in control. It’s hard to say whether this is a result of spending decades in a research lab where she was absolutely powerless, or whether this would have been her personality regardless of the circumstances she was born into, in which case it’s even sadder to imagine her stuck in a cage with no choices and no control over her life.

But not to worry; Jamie is making up for lost time. One of the ways she exerts her newfound power is by keeping the staff at work after hours. Before we go home each night, we close the door to Young’s Hill and make sure all the chimps are safe inside the building. As long as the door to Young’s Hill remains open, the staff are required to stay at the chimp house. Jamie is aware of this policy and will often run at top speed to throw her body into the doorway to prevent us from closing the door. This serves the dual purpose of buying her extra time outside in the evening, as well as extra time with her human friends/minions.

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Until recently, Jamie has been the only one to take advantage of this “loophole.” She will keep her caregivers at work until 9 or 10pm some evenings, while the other chimps are snoozing away inside. But this summer Jamie has had some company during her after hours adventures. The other chimps are starting to see the appeal of warm, peaceful summer evenings outside.

Burrito:

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Annie:

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Year Four

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In celebration of CSNW’s 8th Anniversary, we are taking a trip down memory lane. Today we look back on the chimpanzees’ fourth year at the sanctuary.

By the beginning of Year Four, we had a long-standing dream of expanding the sanctuary and giving the chimpanzees a spacious, open-air outdoor habitat, unlike anything they had experienced in their lives.

Young's Hill – The Dream from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest on Vimeo.

By the summer of 2011, thanks to help from supporters Karen and Don Young and so many others, Young’s Hill was nearing completion.

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The chimpanzees were able to watch the construction from the greenhouse, but it’s hard to say what they thought of it. We hoped that they knew it was for them. They were certainly curious.

As the big day approached, we all tried to predict how the chimps would react to the door to Young’s Hill being opened for the first time.

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For most of them, this would be the first time in their long lives that they would feel grass under their feet and have an unimpeded view of the sky above. We guessed that they would probably be too apprehensive to stay outside for long on the first day, and that some of them would likely be too afraid to venture out at all.

We should have known not to underestimate them.

On the day that the door to Young’s Hill was opened for the first time, all of the chimpanzees showed astonishing courage by stepping eagerly into the great unknown. Watch video of their exhilarating first moments outside. It was an emotional day for the chimps and for all the humans who love them.

The opening of Young’s Hill set off a series of firsts for the chimpanzees that year. It was the first time they were sharing a habitat with other creatures, and they had to deal with a lot of strange noises.

Having lived in indoor or partially-indoor enclosures for their entire lives, they had never fully experienced weather or seasons. On Young’s Hill they encountered sun, wind, rain, and snow.

Despite their burst of courage and adventurousness on the first day, not everyone felt immediately at home outside. We saw the more confident chimps support and encourage the more hesitant individuals.

We all got chills seeing the chimps behave like a wild troop for the first time, now that they had a territory to patrol.

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And we continued to be amazed as they stretched their legs and their horizons.

Then and Now

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For lunch today, we set out a forage on Young’s Hill.

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Life is so dramatically different for the Cle Elum Seven these days than it was just eight years ago. Gone are the days of climate-controlled, windowless buildings, hard surfaces, and cramped spaces. Life now is bright green grass, warm sun, gentle breezes, and roses for lunch.

Missy:

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Jamie:

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Negra:

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Annie:

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Foxie:

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Burrito:

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Jody:

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The sound of Sanctuary

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One of the great things about Young’s Hill is that each morning it has something slightly different to offer the chimpanzees as far as enrichment goes. Some days the chimps might find a snake that causes alarm , while other days there might be a new plant in season to be sampled. Or maybe, there might be something as simple as a noisy cricket to grab your attention. Make sure to have your volume on when you watch the video so you can hear the sounds of Young’s Hill first thing in the morning!

Snake alarm!

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Chimpanzees are very territorial and they are quick to respond if an “intruder” is spotted in their territory. If the intruder is someone who elicits fear or concern in the chimps they will respond by a vocalization known as “alarm calling.” This morning while the humans were cleaning the chimp house we suddenly heard loud alarm calls coming from Young’s Hill. When I ran out to see what all the hubbabaloo was about I could tell the chimpanzees had discovered a snake basking in the warmth of “Negra’s Cabin” and were banding together (well, with the exception of Burrito and Negra who watched from the safety of the greenhouse) to handle the situation.

After the crisis was averted everyone gathered in the doorway to Young’s Hill, their heads sticking out to survey the hill. But fierce Foxie bravely marched out all on her own, stood bipedally a safe distance from the cabin and gave things a final look to make sure the coast was clear for her family. Foxie may be little, but she is fierce.