Posts by J.B.
Thank you
We just wanted to take a moment to say how grateful we are for the support you have shown us. In the chimp sanctuary world, we tend to have two different types of conversations. With our colleagues, we are blunt and direct. We talk about illness, conflict, injury, and death, and the constant challenge of…
Read MoreUpdate
When you begin the process of chimpanzee group formation, you do so knowing that 10-20% of all introduction attempts do not succeed. Sadly, this is the fate that we have now come to accept for our efforts to integrate Willy B, Honey B, and Mave with the Cle Elum Seven. For the last week, Burrito…
Read MoreThe Hug
Burrito and Willy B have now been together for nine days. This past Tuesday, we added Negra and Honey B – who get along unexpectedly well – creating a group of four. Upon entering the group, Negra did as Negra does, which is to say that she waltzed back into the playroom and made a…
Read MoreGetting along
At this point some of you may be wondering what it is exactly that makes the process of captive chimpanzee group formation so difficult, so I thought we could take a step back and look at some of the challenges. It starts with biology. Free-living chimpanzees live in large communities ranging from just over a…
Read MoreRebuilding
The result of our final introduction was disappointing, to say the least, but all hope is not lost. I’m sharing this short clip so you can see how Burrito and Willy B got along while separated by mesh. It was a 45-minute love fest. And this was the morning after their conflict. This is a…
Read MoreBecoming Mave
An old friend shared a story with us recently that moved me so much I felt compelled to share it with you. As some of you know, Diana and I worked at the Fauna Foundation in Quebec in the late ’90s and early 2000s. During that time we got to know a few of the…
Read MoreProgress
Have I told you how much I like Mave? Today, as I was cleaning, I watched Honey B and Annie start to play. At this point in the process we are thrilled when previously unfamiliar chimps engage in play, but this made my heart stop. Annie is extremely insecure and she has a tendency to…
Read MoreFirst meeting
Our efforts to integrate Willy B, Honey B, and Mave into the Cle Elum Seven family began yesterday by introducing them to Missy, Annie, and Jody. The day included a couple scrapes and bruises and a lot of frayed nerves (both humans and chimpanzees), but overall it was a success. The first challenge was moving…
Read MoreGetting to Know You
Honey B, Willy B, and Mave have officially completed their 30-day quarantine period, but we’re still waiting on results from a fecal exam before we move on to introductions. As we wait, we are carefully observing the interactions between the two groups for cues to help us develop our introduction strategy. Jamie and Burrito will…
Read MoreFirst sight
On Wednesday, Mave, Honey B, and Willy B were able to access the chute for the first time. This is the overhead tunnel that will connect the Phase 1 enclosures to Young’s Hill once we finish extending the electric fencing. Prior to Wednesday, the three new chimps had only gotten glimpses of the Seven from…
Read MoreLending a Hand
It’s amazing how much Honey B, Willy B, and Mave have changed since they arrived on Sunday. No matter how much it benefits a chimpanzee to be relocated to a sanctuary like CSNW, it is still a stressful and bewildering experience. A certain amount of anxiety or even fear is understandable until they become familiar…
Read MoreGrooming Party
Grooming sessions like these often serve as a counterweight to growing tensions within the group. One measure of how well the Cle Elum Seven are getting along is how well they shift between enclosures. For example, at times Negra might think it wiser to stay in the playroom and forego a portion of breakfast than…
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