Archive for the ‘Construction’ Category

Challenge gift for a new window!

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Anna K. is pledging to give $1000 towards a new chimp proof window if we can raise the remaining $1500 to cover the costs of installation. Come on blog readers!! All of us staff will tell you what a huge difference the window makes. It lets in so much more light and the chimps absolutely love it. There are a lot of windows in the playroom with caging that we could replace with clear chimp-proof glass. Imagine seeing Negra looking out at the valley without having to look through bars.

Share Anna’s challenge (below) with others and let’s see how quickly we can give the chimps another view!

From Anna:

Ok – I’m thinking grandly here. But sometimes if you have high aspirations, the universe surprises you by coming through! :-)

One of the b-i-i-i-g things on CSNW’s wish list is another chimp-proof window. And it’s so heartwarming to see how much the chimps are enjoying the one they have – wouldn’t it be great if they could have another?!

It costs about $2500 total to acquire all the parts/materials/labor to install a chimp-proof window. I’d be willing to seed the pot with $1000. I’m wondering if there might be 15 folks out there each willing to throw in $100?

Any takers? Could we gather enough money by Christmas to collectively give the chimps another window this winter? If you’re interested in participating, please reply here in the blog or contact me off-line at kirchera at hotmail dot com.

Kudos and cyber-hugs will be freely distributed to partners in this venture – I’ve got my fingers crossed for another cage-less view of the world for the chimps!!

The new door

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

On Sunday, the chimps got to use the new door for the first time. We do our best to keep things interesting around here, but the facility itself doesn’t change that often, so the chimps are always very excited and very curious to see the improvements. 

Anytime there is a major change, whether in the social group or in their environment, the chimps like to reassure each other and seek comfort amidst the excitement. You’ll notice a lot of greeting, hugging, and submissive behavior in this video (Foxie kissing Burrito, Jody greeting me with a “genital bounce”, Annie kissing Jody, Annie and Missy submitting to Burrito who is off-camera). 

We serendipitously discovered that the chimpanzees appreciate having fire hoses hanging just outside the door. The hoses were there previously, but once we installed the door, many of the chimps used them to climb from the door up to the the platform outside without setting foot on the wet ground. That’s one of the strange things about caring for ex-lab chimps (any captive chimps, really). Wet ground is a fact of life for free-living chimps, but it can be unpleasant and even terrifying for individuals who have spent a lifetime indoors. We used to place tractor tires outside so that Foxie could use them as stepping stones, but now we’ll have to hang some more fire hose by the other door.

More construction!

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

We spent the last two days installing the new pneumatic door that will allow the chimps to go from the front rooms directly to the outdoor area. The door is in, but there’s a little more work to be done before the chimps can have access to that area. Hopefully we will be able to post photos of the chimps using their new door this weekend.

I’d like to thank the very generous – and very patient – donors who made this project possible. It took a little longer to complete than I had anticipated, but thanks to you, the chimps will soon have more freedom to move around the sanctuary as they please.

Construction volunteers needed

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Construction continues this week on the greenhouse project, as we prepare to pour the concrete floor for what will be the 6′ x 10′ human area of the chimps’ winterized outdoor enclosure. Once our final building permit has been issued, we will begin constructing the framework for the polycarbonate greenhouse panels…weather permitting!

We are currently looking for more volunteers to help with construction. If you have building experience, or if you are simply willing to do manual labor in cold weather, we would appreciate your help! Please email jb@chimpsanctuarynw.org for more information.

New view

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

The chimpanzees got to check out the new window today. The window replaced an extra door that went from the playroom to the outdoor area. J.B. still had some work to do on the outdoor area side, so we went out to say hello to the chimps through the window. In the meantime, the Poppoff crew was still hard at work in the mud (but no rain today) getting things ready for the foundation that will be part of the greenhouse structure going over the outdoor area. Workin workin again!

Jamie, of course, was the first to inspect the window

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Jody was also very curious

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It’s difficult to see, but Jamie and J.B. are “touching” hands through the glass in the photo below

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For context – here is a zoomed-out view. The new window is to the left, the chimp door that we use from the playroom to the outdoor area is to the right. The two windows on top are just above the catwalk in the playroom.

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Foxie likes the new window too

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Many of the chimps watched J.B. working all day. Below is Jamie making sure J.B. is doing a good job (or maybe seeing how things come apart!)

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Workin workin

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Today we’re under construction! We broke ground on our greenhouse project (enclosing the outdoor area in a removable greenhouse so that the chimps can use that space more in the winter months) and we’re replacing one of our pneumatic doors with a clear glass window. That means that the chimps are closed in the front rooms only today, so we’ve been busy entertaining them. Right now, Burrito is watching a video. Jamie just finished some art projects, after watching Jackie paint the wall in the playroom. Missy is eager to play (as always!) and I just got done playing chase with her. Negra and Jody have been nesting all day and Foxie has been busy playing with her trolls. Earlier Missy lifted Annie off her feet in a game of wrestle! We’ve had raisin boards and seed forages and all kinds of healthy treats.

Here are some photos of the work in progress. First, here’s Matt Poppoff working on the concrete prep for the greenhouse. It’s a yucky rainy day so we’re especially grateful to Matt and Poppoff Inc for helping out today.

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Getting ready to take the door out:

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It’s out!

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The window is installed in this picture, though it’s so clear you can’t even see it:

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And here are some pics of the chimps. Missy working on a raisin board:

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Jamie with her raisin board:

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Behold the shed

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Convenient storage (for blankets, enrichment, etc) is at a serious premium at the sanctuary. So, we are really, really excited about the donated shed being built today! Jim (who donated all of the materials and carpentry skills) and Brian are spending the day working on constructing it right outside the kitchen of the sanctuary building. They couldn’t have picked a nicer day to work outside.

I doubt the chimpanzees were excited about the shed, but they sure were in good moods today – I’ll post some photos of them playing after I serve dinner :)

Jim and Brian constructing new shed

Jim and Brian constructing new shed

Two months & a big announcement

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

A few days ago we reached a milestone – the chimpanzees have been at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest for two months. Decades in research, and now two months in sanctuary. So much has happened in that short time. We’ve learned so much about each of the chimpanzees, and they seem to be changing every day. Jamie has stopped plucking her hair, Foxie now handles enrichment and has displayed rudimentary nesting behavior, Burrito has been working on some really great displays in his expanded space, Jody’s hair is growing back in and she’s developing some muscle, Missy is playing all of the time, Annie is coming into ‘her own’ and standing up for herself, and Negra is enamored with the views out of the windows.

And now the big announcement – the chimpanzees will be in their outdoor area on August 26th!! I can’t wait to share photos and experiences of the chimps touching ground for the first time. Thank you all for you support – you’ve helped make all of this possible!

Outdoor Area Platform

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

Keith and Jim got a good start on the outdoor area platform today. The logs, lumber,  and composite decking were all donated by our wonderful supporters. Tomorrow, a second level will be added – we can’t wait to see the chimps up there! 

Burrito’s instincts

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Stuffed animals aren’t just for snuggling, as Burrito demonstrates. After playfully hitting this teddy bear on the head and throwing it up in the air numerous times, Burrito groomed the teddy bear’s head.