Posts by Anthony
A Break in the Action
Nothing exciting or noteworthy happened today. That’s an exaggeration. We do, after all, have to manage a newly integrated group of chimpanzees and even the most stable groups of chimps have their drama. Compared to the last few days, however, today was quite calm. There were some short bouts of screaming and slapping and lots…
Read MoreDominance(?)
Among captive chimpanzees, the concept of dominance can be a bit of an enigma. As we attempt to integrate the two groups of chimpanzee residents here at the sanctuary, we are having many discussions about the dominance hierarchy. Dominance isn’t the only important thing during this stressful time, but it’s still important. In the Merriam-Webster…
Read MoreNobody Puts Bubba in a Corner!
Today was a chilly autumn Sunday. Many parts of the Inland Northwest received their first snowfall last night, and much of the Cascades was covered in a dusting of white powder. Down here in the canyon, the weather was damp and cool and the skies were gray. The chimps were slow to perk up this…
Read MoreHoney B’s Style
As highlighted in a recent post, Honey B is already known for her intelligence, energy and creativity. Not only is she an engineer and a philanthropist, but she is also a fashion enthusiast. Yesterday, she decided that the cloth headbands we provide as enrichment are better suited as waistbands. Interestingly, she isn’t the first chimp…
Read MoreSummer’s End Begins
The rain today did not feel like a passing summer shower. It felt like summer’s end. Besides the rain, many smaller changes have become evident this weekend. As the temperature dipped, the mountains shrouded themselves in chilly fog and gray drizzle. The larches are abandoning their greenish hue in favor of warmer tones. The bucks…
Read MoreGreat Expectations
We caregivers have been incredibly busy lately, but we make a point to read comments on our social media content and we attempt to respond appropriately whenever possible. Lately, most of our followers, donors and volunteers have been overwhelmingly focused on one topic in particular: social integrations. More specifically, everybody wants to know about our…
Read MoreWon’t You Be My Neighbor?
It’s been a few weeks since Honey B, Willy B and Mave arrived from Wildlife Waystation, but it’s only been a few days since the Cle Elum Seven got their first glimpse of their chimpanzee neighbors. As a staff, we’ve already noticed and discussed interesting patterns of behavior between the two groups. For example, Jody…
Read MoreA Tale of Two Pineapples
“A day wasted on others is not wasted on one’s self.” – Charles Dickens ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Volunteers Miranda and Elizabeth prepared breakfast this morning, with the centerpiece being a pineapple-strawberry-protein smoothie. The chimps ate their raw fruit and then drank every last drop of the bright pink smoothie. Of course, we couldn’t just throw the prickly…
Read MoreDoor Drama
The seven resident chimps have something new to occupy their time: neighbors. With Willy B, Mave and Honey B settling in next door, Burrito and the gang were busy trying to peer through the cracks above and below the Howdy Door. Last week, we locked a metal insert into place so that the door is…
Read MoreStructural Enrichment
I have occasionally heard the word “enrichment” defined as items that are given to animals once their basic needs have been met. In contrast, I think of enrichment as an entire philosophy, not just something extra that we do when our other work is done. For these chimpanzees and all other captive animals, enrichment is…
Read MorePitter-Patter
Today was all about hustle. It began with few solid hours of continuous serving, shifting, checking, cleaning, and enriching. The morning team of volunteers (Keri, Jon and Miranda) made sure that tasks got done swiftly and thoroughly. The Playroom was scrubbed and disinfected, the meals were prepared and served, and the laundry was washed and…
Read MoreWatching from a Distance
Hanging out with chimps is fun. Watching them hang out with each other is even better. For sanctuary personnel who are trained to engage in protected contact with the chimpanzees, developing close relationships with the individual chimps is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. I cannot think of another experience that…
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