Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today’s enrichment theme was “tea party” so we took that literally and made two types of tea for the chimps to enjoy after we had finished cleaning their castle.
Post-tea time was spent on important things like diving into the nesting position, staring at a troll doll, and some lazy play with friends. Watch the video with sound.
Who can resist being thoroughly charmed by these chimpanzees?
Evenings are a special time at the sanctuary. With their bellies full, the chimps choose spots to settle in for the night. They make elaborate nests with the 70 fresh blankets we give out each day. Their nest grunts are a chorus of contentment – a series of soft “hoo” sounds and low breathy vocalizations that signal to each other that all is well. Beside them or buried within their nests you can see some of their favorite things: For Burrito, his wooden toys; for Negra, her food puzzles; for Jamie, her cowboy boots; and for Foxie, her beloved troll and Dora dolls.
If you’re having a bad day, this should make you feel better:
Amazingly, this is only the second best video of chimps holding hands that you will see this week. If you haven’t yet, check out this story about Terry and Jeannie from our friends at Save the Chimps.
This post may reflect what I would like to be doing on this cold and damp day…
In any case, below are some photos – some oldish and some newish – of the chimpanzees getting snuggly with blankets. We give out at least 60 blankets a day. Sixty is a somewhat arbitrary number, but it’s based on the amount that we can successfully get washed in a normal day with our current washer. We (and the chimps) like fleece blankets, because they are very comfy and the wash and dry fast and easy.
As you probably know, Negra is never far from a blanket, and she often has one draped over her head and/or shoulders:
The photo above is on the holiday card available for purchase in our Zazzle merchandise store!
Missy sometimes “imitates” Negra’s blanket style, even nesting in Negra’s usual spots:
Always the athlete/acrobat, however, Missy incorporates interesting moves when she is nesting. For the full nesting sequence the photo below was taken from, see this post:
Jamie also occasionally sports a blanket over her head when nesting:
though she often chooses a sheet instead of a blanket for the job:
Jody is known for her nest making (she also likes straw nests – see this video from 2009 as an example):
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jody with a blanket over her head, but she still looks darn cozy when she’s curled up in her blanket nest:
Annie is also a nest builder, and can frequently be found gathering nesting material and moving it to another area:
Once she’s made her nest to her liking, she always strikes me as very satisfied:
Burrito and Foxie are not much into building nests. Though nesting has a strong instinctual component, it seems there is a period of learning involved. Both Burrito and Foxie do mostly what we call “phantom nesting.” Once in a while, Foxie will actively nest with blankets:
but more often than not, she has a more passive relationship with all of the blankets we give out:
Burrito is also more on the passive side of the spectrum when it comes to nesting, though he does like to snuggle up, particularly when someone else has done the work of making the nest:
Let us not forget, blankets are not just for nesting, but can also be great props when playing too:
I hope this inspires you to get snuggled up in your own nest tonight, or maybe play a game of ghost with a friend?
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!
I do not jest
Jody loves to nest
For chimpanzees a nest is a bed
A place to put a heavy head
It’s a joy everyday to create a spot to lay
with blankets,
paper,
or hay
Sanctuary for Jody is the best rest
It’s a literal nest fest
When free-living chimpanzees prepare to bed down for the night, most build nests high up in the trees. The reason they do this, as far as we know, is to protect themselves from ground-dwelling predators (though one adventurous researcher discovered some other advantages). Captive chimpanzees, while not at risk of predation, also build nests. The methods for building a nest are culturally learned, but the urge itself is instinctual.
Sometimes I try to imagine what that urge feels like to them. They seem to thoroughly enjoy the process and the ritual of nest-building. Jody, in particular, seems like she is in a state of meditation when she is folding and weaving her blankets. Missy spins 360 degrees as she makes her nest to ensure that each section is symmetrical. Jamie weaves some of her blankets through the caging, as if she is anchoring her nest to the building. The details are different in each case, but each portrays a sense of calmness and comfort throughout the process.
When we sleep we are vulnerable, and nests help chimps feel safe and secure. It’s interesting to note that captive chimpanzees build nests with high sides just like their wild counterparts do to keep from falling out of the tree in the middle of the night. But captive chimps are usually sleeping on the floor or on platforms where there is no risk of falling. And often their nests consist only of sides – there is no bottom. Sometimes the nests look like a doughnut with bare floor in the middle. It’s obvious that the nest is not serving the function of a mattress, to cushion them from the hard ground. Instead, I think it’s fulfilling an instinct that probably goes back millions of years – the urge to be safe and secure, the urge that keeps a sleeping chimpanzee up in the tree where they belong.
This also explains why chimpanzees usually make nests in areas where they feel at ease. You want to close your eyes knowing that nothing strange will happen while you are asleep. At CSNW, the chimps almost always make their night nests on the second story of the playroom or on the benches high up in the front rooms. In the first year that the chimps had access to Young’s Hill, not once did we see someone make a nest outside. But this morning, Jody decided to be the first, and dragged her blankets outside.
This was a big step for Jody, and I think it demonstrates a level of comfort on the hill that we haven’t seen yet. You’ll notice that she made her nest next to the vehicle access gate – the only section of caging on the two-acre enclosure. We often talk about the chimps making gradual transitions, and I think this is a good example. She wants to make a nest outside, but she insists on the security and familiarity of caging as her backdrop.
She didn’t stay in her nest very long, but we are thrilled that she has taken this first step.
