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bed

The Eternal Dilemma

December 3, 2021 by J.B.

Each morning, Negra is forced to choose between her two greatest loves: food and bed.

The arguments in favor of food are myriad. Let’s start with the obvious – we all need to eat to survive. So put a point on the board for breakfast. In fact, maybe this isn’t such a difficult decision after all.

On the other hand, bed is really soft and comfortable.

But food is so much more than just sustenance. Nothing tastes better than fresh fruit, peanuts, and a hard boiled egg from the caregivers’ rescued hens.

Bed is warm.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skip breakfast and you’ll get off on the wrong foot.

But you’re already in bed! And you know, Newton’s first law and all…

A little sunshine along with breakfast doesn’t hurt either, does it?

Outside has snakes and the sun shines perfectly well through windows. That’s the whole point of windows.

The longest we go between meals is the time between dinner and the next day’s breakfast. By morning, our bodies need to refuel.

Bears go a whole winter without eating…

 

Filed Under: Negra Tagged With: bed, chimpanzee, Food, Negra, northwest, rescue, Sanctuary

What’s in a Nest?

June 25, 2016 by Diana

An intriguing article is making the rounds about a primatologist named Koichiro Zamma who has developed a bed, called the humankind evolution bed, that is based on how chimpanzees construct their own beds in the forests. Apparently he tried out a chimpanzee-constructed nest  while tracking chimpanzees in the wild and found it to be very comfortable, waking up quite refreshed after his night of nesting.

A prototype of his invention is currently on display at Kyoto University Museum in Japan. Articles say this about the bed: “The mattress features a depression in the centre to replicate the natural dip in a chimp’s treetop bed and has a raised periphery for the head, legs and arms. It is supported by a frame made from woven paper string for maximum breathability, and eight curved legs that are designed to allow the bed to rock almost imperceptibly.”

humankind evolution bed
Megumi Kaji of the Research Association of Sleep and Society takes a nap on the humankind evolution bed. Photograph: Koichiro Zamma

 

As we’ve written in the past, chimpanzees in captivity make similar constructions for their nests as their free-living counterparts, building up walls of material (blankets, straw, paper, etc), and laying in the middle.

Jody is a master nest-maker:

 

Missy makes a pretty mean nest too. This was one of my favorite photos from the early days of the sanctuary:

 
Missy in tire nest

In fact, these two were featured in this tutorial-style blog post about how to nest.

Here are some more photos of nesting from the Cle Elum Seven:

Jamie's paper nest

Missy constructed nest

Missy sleeping in a big nest

Negra nesting

 

I have to admit that I wonder if perhaps Zamma’s restful night of sleep was due to being particularly exhausted after a day of following chimpanzees around the forest, but I remain intrigued.

What do you think – are chimpanzees on to something that we should be paying attention to? Should we ditch our flat mattresses? Would you want a humankind evolution bed?

 

Filed Under: Chimpanzee Behavior, Free-living chimps, Nesting Tagged With: bed, chimp, chimpanzee, csnw, humankind evolution bed, kyoto univiersity, Nesting, research, Sanctuary, welfare

Everybody Nest Now

June 7, 2014 by Diana

I recorded several clips of happy nesting today. Like wadging, which was the subject of yesterday’s blog post, nesting is a fundamental behavior for chimpanzees both in the wild and in captivity, which is why we make sure that the chimps always have lots of materials (blankets and straw are favorites) so they can choose to create their beds no matter where they are. Watch the video below!

Filed Under: Annie, Jody, Missy, Nesting, Play, Sanctuary Tagged With: bed, behavior, blankets, chimp, chimpanzee, csnw, Enrichment, nest, Nesting, northest, Play, Sanctuary

Burrito and a Superhero

September 1, 2009 by J.B.

I’ve heard from some readers that Burrito doesn’t get as much attention on our blog as the other chimps, so here are a few recent photos of the big man hanging out and enjoying his chow.
9-1-09-burrito-1_mg_3598

9-1-09-burrito-2_mg_3621

9-1-09-burrito-3_mg_3652

In this photo, Jamie was just moving her bed from the hammock to the platform, but she looked like she was about to rescue someone.

9-1-09-jamie-superhero_mg_3721

Filed Under: Burrito, Enrichment, Food, Jamie Tagged With: bed, Burrito, chimpanzee, chow, eat, Food, Jamie, nest, northwest, rescue, Sanctuary, sheets, superhero

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PO Box 952
Cle Elum, WA 98922
[email protected]
509-699-0728
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EIN: 68-0552915

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