Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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young's hill

Send in the troops

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Chimpanzees naturally are very territorial. This is something universal for both wild and captive chimpanzees. When we see territorial displays in the Cle Elum Seven, it’s really wonderful because it means that they are not only exhibiting what we call species-typical behavior, but it also means that they see this is their home and it is worth protecting.

In the wild, individuals within a group will split off from the main group and go on a patrol to check the boundaries of their territory. They move silently through the forest to make sure there are no intruders. In most cases, these patrols are exclusively males. Watch this video from the Jane Goodall Institute to learn about male patrols:

Burrito is the only male at CSNW, so we don’t see a lot of the typical social organization of chimpanzees groups that we learn about in school. In captivity, the same rules don’t apply, especially when the group is comprised of an unusually large percentage of females compared to males. It’s one reason why in the wild, males are always the dominant figures within a group, but in captivity many times females are dominant (which is the case at CSNW with our boss lady, Jamie). So even though we see natural territorial behaviors from all of the Cle Elum Seven, we don’t really see patrols.

Today however, we saw a troop of chimps band together and defend their territory against the neighbor elk, who decided to pay us another visit today.

You’ll never believe who was leading the gang.

OK, maybe you will. It was Burrito. In the wild this would seem obvious—dominant male chimps would definitely be front and center in a patrol. But Burrito is not a typical male chimp. He never had older males to learn from and was never in a typical social group. After being in the lab for over 20 years, it’s really not surprising that he never developed the same way wild male chimps do. So this is why it was especially exciting to not only see the chimps on a patrol this morning, but for Burrito to be in the lead. The chimps continue to surprise us as they develop into their sanctuary life.

First, Jody started to follow Burrito (with a cattail in tow of course!)

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Jamie joined in, followed by Annie, and eventually Foxie as well:

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Words and Pictures

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think, perhaps, that depends on the picture. I am still learning to use the cameras to capture the chimpanzees’ lives in sanctuary. Generally, I prefer to use words to express myself especially as quite a few of my pictures turn out to be worth quite a lot less! However, I have been practicing and these two recent photos capture the dignity and serenity of the chimpanzees who are the focus of each. Even though the weather is turning, the mornings are chilly, and the wind hints at snow, the chimpanzees enjoy the opportunities of Young’s Hill to the fullest each day.

Missy keeping watch from one of the climbing structures on Young’s Hill:
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Jody pausing to look back over her shoulder during her explorations of Young’s Hill:
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Sky above, earth below

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Outside of the entrance to the chimp house we keep one of the protocol cages that the chimpanzees lived in, in a windowless basement, during their decades being used in biomedical research. We must pass it each day as we unlock the door. It provides an opportunity for people who visit the sanctuary to envision to some degree what the chimpanzees’ lives consisted of before coming here. And it helps me remember every day why I’m here. It’s heartbreaking, of course, to look at. Imagine having spent every day of your life for over three decades living inside this (minus the scenery):

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You never see the sky or green grass, you never feel the sun or the breeze, and for the most part you are unaware that anything exists outside of this view:

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I spent several minutes today sitting inside this cage. I couldn’t stand up to my full height. It was hard to balance on the floor made of bars. And there is only a small, cold metal bench to sit on. The chimpanzees would not have had blankets to build nests with and no enrichment to engage their intelligent and active minds. I thought of my seven dear friends having lived every day this way in so much fear, uncertainty, boredom, and at many times, pain. You can imagine the wave of heartfelt sorrow and anger I felt for all they have endured. And what so many still do.

And then I looked out to the view of Young’s Hill from the cage:

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Earlier today I told Jamie we would walk around Young’s Hill to her heart’s content. And boy did we. Around and around, up one side and turning to retrace our steps back down the other way. I lost count of how many times we went around. And for the first time that I’ve experienced, Burrito joined us in our patrol of the perimeter the entire way! Foxie and Dora, and even Jody came along for part of the way, while Annie and Missy chased each other up and down the hill. (It was cold today and Negra chose to stay in the comfort of  her warm, cozy nest). Finally, after several laps around Young’s Hill, I suddenly lost sight of Jamie and had to go looking for her. This was a first! I eventually found her back in the front rooms, waiting for me to give her the cowgirl boot (which I had of course been wearing). I guess she had indeed walked to her heart’s content.

Imagine what it must feel like to these seven chimpanzee people to be able to see the sky above and feel the earth below, unobstructed.

Burrito:

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And to MOVE for the sheer joy of moving like Missy:

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Several days ago Jamie gifted me with an amazing moment. During a walk around the hill she had me wait while she foraged and climbed over every inch of the structures. At one point she suddenly climbed up a post, stood bipedally on the very top with her arms hanging at her sides and threw her head back as she stared up at the sky for several seconds. A simple, yet profound moment. Then she turned and looked at me, climbed down and raced me all the way back to the greenhouse with a huge play face. I am immeasurably grateful that the chimpanzees have the chance to call a sanctuary home. And I remember all those languishing in cages and labs who are still in need of their sanctuary.

Though that moment with Jamie will forever be burned into my mind, I unfortunately didn’t get a photo. But this is one of my favorites and I think it speaks volumes all the same.

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Can I get a witness?

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If you are familiar with Jane Goodall then you might also be familiar with the idea that chimpanzees use tools. In fact, you may remember that just last month J.B. posted an excellent blog about this subject. (If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, you should!) This tool use, exhibited by chimpanzees across Africa, is a skill acquired by social learning. Social learning, in simple terms, refers to the idea that we can learn by observing the example of someone else and applying this model to our own behavior. There have been many studies done with varying results that indicate that chimpanzees are competent social learners. This morning I snapped a series of photos of the observation stage between Burrito and Jamie on the treat mound. I’m excited to see Burrito put his knowledge into action although sometimes social pressure can influence decisions too and, today, neither Burrito nor I appeared to think that Jamie was interested in sharing!

Jamie using bamboo stalks to fish for applesauce in the treat mound while Burrito looks on:
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and on:
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and on:
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and on:
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Until giving up and moving on:
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All Agog

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You might notice by now that I often share blog posts about the things I have learned from my chimpanzee friends. It is my personal belief that a good caregiver is someone who, among other things, pays enough attention to the needs, wants, and moods of the individuals in their care to be able to provide the stability and flexibility that, I think, are so important to healthy and lasting relationships. It’s one of the things I value so much about the care-giving philosophy of CSNW as it allows the chimpanzees the opportunity to thrive and flourish even as living in sanctuary changes who they are and how they interact with the world. As an added benefit to this, I end up learning valuable lessons almost daily that I can (and try) to apply to the rest of my life. Today is no exception. Today I experienced the joy of allowing your companions to surprise you with their behavior rather than merely seeing what you have always expected to see. It’s awesome, and, for me, always a treat to be able to leave expectations behind. I love when the chimpanzee friends I have come to know surprise me with an unexpected request or an interaction like those I have included below and am grateful beyond measure for every chance I have to experience this.

I entered the chimp house in good spirits this morning to find Jamie in a similar state. Rather than the not unusual morning crankiness Jamie and I enjoyed a rowdy game of cowboy boot chase throughout the greenhouse, front rooms, and the playroom as a morning greeting. After chase, Jody approached me in the front rooms. She sat and looked directly up at the lights (which I had forgotten to turn on, being otherwise engaged in chase) and then looked directly at me. I looked up to see that the lights were dark and laughed saying, “I’m sorry, Jody, did you want me to turn those on for you?” When I returned from that task I found Jody sitting up on a bench delightedly inspecting the lights. Later, as I gave the chimpanzees access to Young’s Hill, I thought about how dismal the day seemed, threatening rain, windy and chilly and, to my mind, more than appropriate for the first day of autumn. To my surprise, all seven of the chimpanzees headed straight out on Young’s Hill taking advantage of the cool weather to enjoy a morning stroll!

Unfortunately, I was unable to capture these moments on film this morning but I’ve found a few pictures that I think best illustrate the feel of the morning to share with you.

Jamie wearing a boot in the playroom:
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Annie and Burrito on Young’s Hill:
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Jody looking as delighted in this picture as she did with the lights this morning:
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Young’s Hill party forage

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I mentioned earlier on the blog that today is the second anniversary of the opening of Young’s Hill. Watch the video of their first day out here and check out the previous post for some photos of the chimps on that very emotional and moving day!

Today we wanted to celebrate the anniversary in the best way we know how for chimps—a big food forage! The chimps usually are served their meals (so we know that everyone is getting appropriate portions) but a few times a week we do put out a forage for them to do what chimps would do in the wild. In order to scatter the food around and make the forages last for awhile, we usually cut up the food into small chunks so it takes some time for them to find everything.

This time, we not only included a fruit salad of some chopped peaches, raspberries, and grapes, as well as baby carrots and green onions—but we also included WHOLE apples and tomatoes. The chimps were so excited as we headed out to spread the food around! Mixing things up like that keeps the chimps super enriched and happy.

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Everyone really loved all the whole apples and tomatoes! Jody was the first to get a hand (and mouth) full!

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Jamie collected at least four apples:

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Annie:

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Burrito searching for goodies:

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And then taking a quick rest:

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Foxie:

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Missy:

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Thank you so much to everyone who helped with Young’s Hill, and to everyone who has helped the Cle Elum Seven along this amazing and considerable journey!

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The Last Days of Summer

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We are having a last burst of summer at the sanctuary this week with temperatures back in the 90’s. The flies and wasps are endlessly buzzing and the chimps and humans are all endlessly swatting. The chimp house is completely quiet as I type this. Negra is sound asleep in her window nest. Jamie is in her nest flipping through two new boot catalogs I gave her and filing her nails with an emery board. She is also making the occasional happy groan when she sees something she likes. (For those of you who are new to our blog, Jamie was raised in a human home by a trainer until the age of 9 and sometimes chooses to engage in more human oriented activities). Burrito, Foxie, Jody, and Annie are lying in the greenhouse with their feet propped up on the caging, arms splayed out to their sides. And Missy, always on the move Missy, just raced me through the chimp house to the window by the chimpanzees’ cherry tomato bush and asked me to pick some for her, and I of course was happy to oblige.

Autumn is definitely in the air these days although you wouldn’t know it right now. It’s hard to believe we will all be talking about cold temperatures and snow before long. But for now we can revel in the last lazy days of summer. We hope you are all enjoying the special days that only summertime brings as much as the chimpanzees. Here are a few photos of some of the chimpanzees during a forage on Young’s Hill this week:

Annie:

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Missy:

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Foxie and Dora:

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Burrito:

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