Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary for primates.

Nesting

The day after the party

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All of the chimpanzees slept in this morning. While it’s not unusual to come in and find a few people still in their nests, it’s a little unusual to find everyone not only still in their nests, but most of them sound asleep. Even as I began quietly unlocking doors and starting the morning task list, it was a few minutes before anyone woke up.

Foxie was curled up on the heated floor with her doll, still in dreamland, and when she eventually stirred she sat up sleepy-eyed, hair on end in excitement, and trundled over to say good-morning, eyes barely open, but full of joy. Negra even skipped the first part of breakfast and chose to take advantage of having the greenhouse all to herself to get a few more minutes of sleep. But I think we can all relate to the day after an exciting party event.

And yesterday’s birthday lady, Jody? Well, see for yourself…

After the Storm

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The days after a snowstorm (or series of snowstorms) are so wonderful, aren’t they? It’s like reawakening to a changed world.

J.B., with the help of volunteer Jonathan, made some pathways in the snow for the chimpanzees today. The chimps watched the work being done for them from the greenhouse. When everything was ready for them, they went outside to stretch their legs a bit, take in the landscape, and get some snow to snack on.

Burrito following Annie:

Jody:

Jody and Missy:

Foxie:

You may have already guessed that Negra wasn’t with the first expedition of the morning, but instead stayed inside until afternoon:

Jamie, meanwhile, was preoccupied with a couple of magazines. In fact, she’s more preoccupied with photos of boots than with boots themselves lately.

She did take the time to go outside to grab a big chuck of snow after lunch before returning to a magazine:

When Jamie Makes her Bed

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As many of you know, Jamie is a very intricate nest builder. Her nests are often woven in the caging, tied to objects, and she is even known to build a fort or two. Jamie also must have her boots incorporated in her nest. Sometimes her boots are weaved into the nest and sometimes the boots have to be even closer to her like in her pelvic pocket. All these examples can be seen in the video or the photos!

Jamie’s finished work:

However, Jamie had to also watch the volunteers clean and lay on her barrel:

Jamie’s other nest today had her tool play set tied to it:

 

A time for lounging and a time for adventure

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If we were to do a poll of the caregivers, or you all reading this (if you’ve been following a long for a bit), I would be willing to put good money down that Negra would be chosen as the chimpanzee at CSNW most likely to be found nesting.

Who do you think would be the second runner up?

I’m going to go with Jody. Is that what you thought?

There is no question that Negra and Jody know how to truly relax. Here are two of my favorite photos of them demonstrating their lounging prowess.

Negra:

Jody:

This morning was another GORGEOUS fall day, and most of the chimpanzees headed right outside, literally disappearing into the hill:

You will probably be able to guess who remained under her blanket, though (thanks to Earth Rated for donating these green lovely blankets to the chimps!):

If you guessed Negra, you would be correct.

Jody, despite her love of leisure, does like a morning adventure, so she went out, then back to the greenhouse, then out again, until she finally came back with a procured bamboo snack:

She stopped at the raceway to keep an eye on the other adventurers:

By the time lunch rolled around, Negra too was ready to emerge from her cocoon and soak up the fall air:

The addition of baked pumpkin to the lunch forage may have played a motivating factor:

It’s so satisfying to be able to see the chimpanzees making choices about how they spend their time. I’m glad that everyone got outside and enjoyed this beautiful day and also fit in a little quiet time for napping too.

Blankets

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It’s the time of year when everyone just wants to curl up with a blanket or ten, chimps included. Earlier today, I posted this photo of Negra to our Facebook page:

This gave me the idea to go through some of our older photos and collect some of the chimps cuddling up. Negra is the biggest blanket enthusiast, but the others enjoy getting comfy too.

Negra:

Jamie:

Jody:

Missy:

Jody Feeling Better

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Yesterday was the day after Jody’s eyelid repair surgery. She spent most of the day sleeping off the anesthesia after making a giant nest. Yesterday she wasn’t so interested in food or drinks, but was taking sips of water.

I know that chimpanzees are known for their quick healing and tough spirits, but even I was surprised what a difference a night made for Jody. This morning, the swelling around her eye had gone down considerably, and she was alert, active, and hungry! She was especially happy to be offered some lychees that an old friend brought her and was eager to dig into some pineapple. She took a little smoothie too:

It was also clear that she was very interested in being back with the rest of the chimpanzees:

Dr. Erin Zamzow came to assess things and decided it would be best to give her another day of healing on her own without the drama and focused attention of the other chimps.

Jody decided maybe another day alone wasn’t so bad…

Her friends still got to visit her while she was in her private quarters. She and Foxie played a little game of tag:

and Burrito gave her a kiss:

We made sure that Jody had lots of food puzzles and other interesting things to do and that the other chimpanzees were able to go about their daily activities, like Missy running:

Jamie hanging out in the tunnel on the hill:

and Burrito allowing me to photograph his handsome self: