Each day we give out at least 60 blankets for these chimpanzees to use as nesting material. It’s not uncommon for some of the chimps to use over 20 of these blankets and sometimes even 30 for a single nest (Negra)! However, nests are not limited to just blankets. Often times paper, bamboo and other plant material brought in from Young’s Hill, straw, a variety of clothing, stuffed animals and even some of the fire hoses in the various enclosures will be incorporated into these nests as well.
In the wild, individual chimpanzees construct a nest each evening to sleep in. Nests can also be made during the day as a place to rest. Youngsters that are not yet weaned will share a nest with their mother, from whom they learn to build their own nests. Most often, nests are made in trees by bending and lacing together branches from one or more trees. Leaves are then used to line the nest, perhaps to add comfort, provide insulation in cooler temperatures and protect from insects.
In the following photos Katelyn took yesterday, Jody demonstrated that a comfortable nest can be made with fresh straw to get the same effect as a blanket nest here at the sanctuary. Of course, the key to any nest is the testing phase, which Jody seems to have perfected in the last photo.
If Jody was born in the wild she might remember her mother building a nest for them. She takes comfort in big beautiful nests doesn’t she?
I find nesting habits to be so interesting (in all species, from bird to dogs) but with chimps living in captivity it is really sweet to see what they create. Look how please Jody is in her natural nest! Now that’s comfort.
It is hard to imagine chimpanzees in the wild building nests, intertwining branches to hold their own weight safely and comfortably, and securely for an entire night! It seems as if they would fall out or the nests wouldn’t hold them midway through. Astounding.
That is a lot of laundry!
Very interesting. Rebecca has mentioned that Negra is the master nest builder. I was wondering what is your blanket supply like? Do you have many on hand, do you receive them as donations, how do you keep up? Do they use the same blankets for a while and do they build a new nest each night or nap time? Thank you.
Hi Roger and Sherri. Yes, Negra is quite a master nest builder. As for our blanket supply, we do receive most of them as donations and currently we have plenty of them! We give out 60+ blankets each day and they are gathered and washed the following day. So, each night they do build a new nest. But, they also use the blankets to build nests for napping during the day as well. Often times, some of the chimps will use various plant materials they have gathered while on Young’s Hill, sometimes also including enrichment items in their nests, straw, fire hoses and burlap sacks. Thanks for the great questions!