When the weather is just right, Negra likes to make a nest in one particular corner of the upper platform in the greenhouse. After breakfast when the other chimpanzees head out onto Young’s Hill, Negra grabs an armful of blankets and climbs up to her spot.
Sometimes she sleeps, and sometimes she just lies there and gazes out over the valley. This is her view:
I often wonder what the chimps think of the outside world. Most of the chimps were in their thirties when they arrived at the sanctuary seven years ago. We believe that most of them had never been outside before. After decades in cages inside windowless buildings, the first glimpse of the outdoors must have been startling and a little awe-inspiring.
By now, Negra is accustomed to fresh air and sunshine and the wide open spaces at the sanctuary. But the view never seems to get old for her.
Still, one does need to sleep occasionally.
