Chimpanzees tend to appreciate access to vertical space. The outdoor habitat (Young’s Hill) at the sanctuary, since it’s built on a hill and has several climbing structures, is prime lookout territory.
It seems particularly important for Missy, Annie, and Foxie to get up high and survey the land in the morning. With all that’s changing lately, there’s a lot of new stuff to view!
Here’s Jody, Foxie and Annie in the early a.m.:
Foxie took her new bright-haired Strawberry Shortcake doll with her to all the lookout points this morning:
Missy and Annie found their own private perches:
Here’s one view they had:
OMG….I wonder what they think about the new Cows?
After ten years of having this beautiful place all to themselves (well, with the exception of Ellie and some of the neighbors meandering horses that is) this curious threesome must be very curious over the four new cows who appear to be here to stay…….after all, Missy, Annie and Foxie can see that you are building them a permanent structure. What must they be thinking?! Ha ha, oh how I wish I knew.
When Jamie was watching the barn construction the other day, I imagined her thinking – but how am I going to get over there?! Since she’s a little “me” focused, I thought perhaps she would surmise we were building something new for her. 🙂
Since chimpanzees typically build their nests high up in the canopy of the forest, have any of the chimps ever shown any interest in dragging their blankets and or foliage up on any of the outdoor structures for nest making or napping out there? I’ve never seen any posts of that nature but was just wondering if they ever had any interest in “camping outdoors” 🙂
I’m sure they feel much more secure sleeping indoors, especially at night!
Good question. No, they haven’t. We’ve put blankets outside a few times and that hasn’t resulted in nesting. They definitely seem to view the outdoor habitat as a place of activity and vigilance, and not so much one for lounging and nesting. Perhaps if they had grown up with access to a large outdoor space (or any outdoor space) they would view things differently.