When free-living chimpanzees prepare to bed down for the night, most build nests high up in the trees. The reason they do this, as far as we know, is to protect themselves from ground-dwelling predators (though one adventurous researcher discovered some other advantages). Captive chimpanzees, while not at risk of predation, also build nests. The methods for building a nest are culturally learned, but the urge itself is instinctual.
Sometimes I try to imagine what that urge feels like to them. They seem to thoroughly enjoy the process and the ritual of nest-building. Jody, in particular, seems like she is in a state of meditation when she is folding and weaving her blankets. Missy spins 360 degrees as she makes her nest to ensure that each section is symmetrical. Jamie weaves some of her blankets through the caging, as if she is anchoring her nest to the building. The details are different in each case, but each portrays a sense of calmness and comfort throughout the process.
When we sleep we are vulnerable, and nests help chimps feel safe and secure. It’s interesting to note that captive chimpanzees build nests with high sides just like their wild counterparts do to keep from falling out of the tree in the middle of the night. But captive chimps are usually sleeping on the floor or on platforms where there is no risk of falling. And often their nests consist only of sides – there is no bottom. Sometimes the nests look like a doughnut with bare floor in the middle. It’s obvious that the nest is not serving the function of a mattress, to cushion them from the hard ground. Instead, I think it’s fulfilling an instinct that probably goes back millions of years – the urge to be safe and secure, the urge that keeps a sleeping chimpanzee up in the tree where they belong.
This also explains why chimpanzees usually make nests in areas where they feel at ease. You want to close your eyes knowing that nothing strange will happen while you are asleep. At CSNW, the chimps almost always make their night nests on the second story of the playroom or on the benches high up in the front rooms. In the first year that the chimps had access to Young’s Hill, not once did we see someone make a nest outside. But this morning, Jody decided to be the first, and dragged her blankets outside.
This was a big step for Jody, and I think it demonstrates a level of comfort on the hill that we haven’t seen yet. You’ll notice that she made her nest next to the vehicle access gate – the only section of caging on the two-acre enclosure. We often talk about the chimps making gradual transitions, and I think this is a good example. She wants to make a nest outside, but she insists on the security and familiarity of caging as her backdrop.
She didn’t stay in her nest very long, but we are thrilled that she has taken this first step.
Carrie says
Simply amazing, Jody.
Julie H says
Another video that brought tears to my eyes! Thanks for that, J.B.!!!
Doreen says
OMG! How emotiional is this !?!
Erin Johnson says
I have been dreaming and hoping for this day…
Marcia Douthwaite says
Lovely, Jody, such determination. Wonder if some of the other will soon follow her lead while the sun is still out and the weather warm.
Lisa says
Wow! Just wow! Do you need blankets?
Patti says
This is amazing! Simply amazing! You guys must have been so excited to see this happening before your eyes!!! So happy you captured it on film to share with all of us!!!
Angela Derriso says
Another great step! 🙂
It’s odd that they don’t cover the bottom of the nest. Do you think chimps who were in the wild a longer period than these 7 would actually create a bottom part of the nest with blankets? Are there any captive chimps that have done that?
As always, thanks for the work you guys do. 🙂
J.B. says
Some of the chimps do cover the bottom of their nest – Negra likes to sleep on a pile of blankets, and Missy often spreads one blanket out flat to build her nest upon. But in all cases, the majority of the blankets are used to create the sides of the nest, which to me reinforces the idea that the purpose of the nest is to give them the feeling of being “locked” in place, rather than to cushion them from the hard ground.
lynn says
yay Jody!
Meg says
Would the chimps ever be allowed to spend the night outside in warm weather?
JB says
We are going to play it by ear. For now, since the enclosure is fairly new to us, we are closing it off at night while the chimps are asleep inside.
Because we are in a high desert/mountain climate, nights are always cool here, even in the summer. The daytime highs might be in the 90’s, but the overnight lows will remain in the 50’s. So even now, when the chimps have access to the greenhouse overnight, no one sleeps out there. Jamie might stay out there until early evening, but they all move inside to bed down for the night.
Annie Norris says
The gradual transitions taking place at CSNW make me think of this quote by Samuel Smiles:
“Progress, of the best kind, is comparatively slow. Great results cannot be achieved at once; and we must be satisfied to advance in life as we walk, step by step.”
Congratulations to Jody for making one more step towards her progress in healing.
Jeani Goodrich says
What a day! There are no words to describe the joy that I feel for Jody. Just WOW! ThanKs so much for sharing, JB.
Peggy S says
I just knew it was going to be Jody when I saw the name of the post. Go Jody go!