In contrast to the Negra-style play mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, when Foxie and Jamie play, they are completely uninhibited and just down right goofy. I could watch them (and laugh with them) being silly all day long.
Posts Tagged ‘chimp rescue’
Seriously Playful
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011Chimpanzees in the News
Sunday, August 14th, 2011Last week was a banner week for newspaper articles about chimpanzees and their protection.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest was the subject of a great article published yesterday (front page of the print edition) in the Yakima Herald Republic. Read it here and be sure to share it with others by sharing the link or scrolling down to the bottom of the article and clicking on the “share” button.
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On Friday, a compelling guest column by our friend Debra Durham was published in the Seattle Times. Debra wrote about her take on a recently released film and the realities within the fictional story in the column Depiction of lab animals in ‘Planet of the Apes’ disturbingly accurate.
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Recently, a very important op-ed in the New York Times appeared from Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett which eloquently described his change in opinion about the use of primates in biomedical research and the reasons for his co-sponsorship of the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Here’s a quote from that article:
“Continuing innovations in alternatives to the use of invasive research on great apes is the civilized way forward in the 21st century. Past civilizations were measured by how they treated their elderly and disabled. I believe that we will be measured, in part, by how we treat animals, particularly great apes.”
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And finally, the Washington Post tackled the story of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) meeting that convened last week as part of their investigation into the need for the continued use of chimpanzees in biomedical research. The investigation began in response to protests about moving chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) to a laboratory in Texas where they faced being put back into invasive research.
If you’ve been following this story through our blog and e-newsletters, you know that Jody’s son Levi is one of the unlucky 14 chimpanzees already transferred to Texas. Foxie’s son David, Negra’s daughter Heidi and Jody’s daughter April remain at APF, and their future is in the hands of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH commissioned the IOM to examine the scientific value of using chimpanzees in research, but, as the Washington Post article pointed out, and as we all know, the ethical questions of using great apes in invasive research cannot and should not be separated from the discussion.
For the sake of Heidi, David, April, Levi, and all chimpanzees who are currently considered merely tools and test tubes by some in the biomedical research industry, we are grateful for Jane Goodall, Laura Bonar and others at the IOM meeting who insisted that ethics be included in the discussion and ultimate decision by the NIH.
Negra's daughter Heidi
Troll bonanza
Friday, July 15th, 2011In preparation for Foxie’s birthday and the Troll Olympics, several supporters have been gathering troll dolls. Foxie and the town of Roslyn, where the Troll Olympics will be held, have no idea what’s in store…
Just take a look at the dolls that Monica found for Foxie! This photo was taken before she packed them up and shipped them to the sanctuary:
If you’re local, I hope you’ll join us at the Troll Olympics on July 30th. Let me know if you’d like to volunteer.
If you’re not local, well, perhaps you can create your own troll celebration and let us know about it.
Big thanks to our partner ARRF Animal Rescue who is having their 2nd annual Doggie Olympics before the Troll Olympics at the same location – you should definitely come to both!
And thanks to sponsors of the Roslyn games: Abbott’s Printing, Inc., KXA 93.7 The Wind (if you know the area, you know why the local radio station is called The Wind!), Roslyn Downtown Association, Cascade East Animal Clinic and Jeb’s Pet Supply.
Watermelon Bowls
Sunday, July 10th, 2011We have some pretty creative folks around here at the sanctuary, but volunteers Stephanie and Katelyn are definitely two of the most creative people I know. Yesterday, the two westsiders (what we Washingtonians call folks from Seattle, or west of the mountains) stayed all day and spent part of the afternoon making watermelon bowls. They cut out the center of the watermelon and filled it with all types of fruits and veggies. I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that Burrito, who literally could not stop food squeaking the whole time, slept good last night.
And from the photos, I think it’s also safe to say that Annie was pretty pleased with the watermelon bowls, too:
4th of July Forage (finally)
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011If you “like” us on Facebook, you probably know, yesterday we had some technical difficulties with our website, so I was unable to get the video of yesterday’s lunch forage out to you– until now! The chimps had such an exciting day with lots of yummy treats. The weather was perfect and the food matched the holiday to the T. For lunch, they had corn on the cob (a favorite among everyone), whole raw onions (another favorite, believe it or not), cherries, and (of course) watermelon! The outdoor area was decorated in red, white, and blue, and the afternoon was spent lounging, grooming, and sleeping. Then, that evening, we gave the chimps Field Roast vegan dogs from volunteer Jeani (which resulted in squeaks, squeaks, and more squeaks) and more corn on the cob! Debbie set up a rose and tea forage in the playroom while I served dinner. When we left, they were back to lounging and seemed very content with the day.
Enrichment for who?
Saturday, June 25th, 2011Because of her extreme intelligence, Jamie is a hard chimp to enrich. But I am certainly up for the challenge.
As I know we’ve mentioned before, enrichment comes in many different shapes and sizes. It’s not just the toys, blankets, and clothing we put out each day. It could be the way they are put out, or what they decide to do with them that is the enriching part. It’s all about creativity, both the caregivers’, and the chimps’ themselves.
We put out new enrichment for the chimps each day, and we have an enrichment calendar to help keep things different and fresh. I try to update this regularly and to keep coming up with new ideas, either from volunteers, things I’ve seen at other sanctuaries, or more importantly, from what I’ve seen these chimps do, themselves. That, to me, is the most important part of being a good caregiver– knowing the individuals in your care. It’s truly a symbiotic relationship. And these guys inspire me each and every day.
The enrichment calendar can sometimes look like a joke to those preparing for the next day– “things that rhyme, aka Dr. Seuss Day”, “enrichment hanging from scarves”, “square things”, “troll heads in buckets”, “everything red”… A lot of it sounds crazy. But the point is not that the chimps particularly love “square things”, but to force us to “think outside of the box”, so to speak, and to shuffle around the enrichment that we have so that the chimps are always getting something new and different (we have A LOT of enrichment!).
Lately, I’ve discovered that if you leave the toys in a big pile (rather than scatter them), the chimps have a tendency to go through each and every thing- picking things up, smelling them, biting them, wearing them, etc… and that’s exactly what happened today.
Jamie made herself comfy and spent about an hour and a half going through the enrichment pile.
She carefully picked up each thing
and of course there were boots in there!
At some point, she decided to wear the apron that friends Margaret and Karen recently gave her, and has been wearing it all morning. While wearing it, I even caught her briefly sweeping up some nut shells with her hand!
Even a sheet became interesting:
I have to say it is very rewarding when you come up with an idea that actually entertains and even inspires the chimps to do something interesting with it. Today, I felt like I got a big pat on the back from Jamie.
and that’s a very special thing.
The boss
Monday, May 30th, 2011Even the boss has to kick back sometimes:
Another relaxing day for Jody
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
In mid-yawn:
Chinese New Year
Sunday, February 20th, 2011Here at CSNW, we’re always looking for reasons to party. Volunteers Jeani and Julie thought it would be fun to throw a (belated) Chinese New Year party for the chimpanzees, so they went shopping for food and decorations, and then prepared a Chinese feast. The puffed rice bowls seemed to be a universal hit — you’ll see Annie and Negra enjoying them in the video below.
Greetings
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010Chimpanzee culture is very political. In order to rise to the top of the hierarchy, or to stay on the good side of those at the top, a chimpanzee must know who to rub elbows with (so to speak) and when, and to what degree.
One of the ways a subordinate chimpanzee can show respect to a more dominant chimpanzee is by offering an elaborate greeting. These greetings occur when the two individuals meet after being apart from each other for some time. Most greetings involve some sort of vocalization (a breathy pant or a pant grunt, as you’ll see in the video) on the part of the subordinate chimpanzee. Generally, the louder the vocalization, the more tense the subordinate chimp feels.
Many of the chimp-to-chimp greetings here at CSNW are directed toward Burrito. Although he is not the most dominant chimpanzee here — he doesn’t quite have the skills, probably because he lacked a proper male chimpanzee role model growing up — his displays are pretty effective at intimidating the girls, so they try their best to appease him whenever they can. You might notice in the video that Burrito often turns his back or squeezes his eyes shut when he’s bring greeted. As much as he tries to show the girls who’s boss, the truth is he’s pretty nervous in social situations. Failing to graciously receive the other chimps’ greetings is probably one of the things holding him back from the dominant status he seems to desire.
