Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

J.B.

Greenhouse Update

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We’re getting closer! Volunteer Jim Spencer has been coming all the way from Whidbey Island to help with construction, and together we’ve nearly completed the framing.

1-12-10 greenhouse from pasture IMG_5299

1-12-10 greenhouse north and east IMG_5280

1-12-10 greenhouse south and east IMG_5295

The greenhouse won’t be heated, but the polycarbonate panels should trap enough solar heat to make it comfortable on a sunny day. This morning, Annie spent a little time outside, despite the temperature being in the 30’s. With the greenhouse, she should be able to hang out in the outdoor area a lot more often.

1-12-10 annie_MG_5293

Also, while the chimps love to eat snow, they don’t like to walk in it. Foxie will appreciate not having to tip toe through the cold snow to get to where she wants to go.

1-12-10 foxie 1_MG_5309

1-12-10 foxie 2_MG_5313

A nest with a view

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The other day, someone made a beautiful nest by one of the upstairs windows with a mix of blankets and timothy hay. I am guessing this was Missy’s. She is a nesting perfectionist and often builds the walls so high that she disappears into them. Many chimps will lay directly on the floor and build the nest around them, but Missy makes sure hers has a nice cushioned bottom.

What always amazes me about chimp nests is that everything is so interwoven that you can almost pick them up whole. This, of course, comes from the instinct to weave branches together securely to keep from falling out of the trees at night. Jamie often builds her nests next to the caging, and she will take the ends of the blankets and weave them through the wire mesh. Her nests take a lot of time to deconstruct!

12-8-09 Nice nest_MG_4899