There’s something about rainy days that make contemplation, napping and relaxing seem like the perfect things to do.
Foxie
Jamie
Negra
Annie
Nesting
A Moment of Peace
Negra is not normally a “greet the morning with gusto” kind of a person. Like myself, she is more of a, “can I please have just 10 (make that 20) more minutes of quiet before getting out of bed” kind of a person.
In the summer months, she changes her morning routine, though. Often before the humans arrive in the morning, Negra drags herself out of the nest she’s slept in on the catwalk or the loft of the playroom, and makes a new nest on top of the tall structure in the greenhouse.
For some reason, most of the other chimps remain in the building, which allows Negra to have some glorious peace and quiet and alone time before the ruckus of the day begins.
This morning, she even had a little snack leftover from the night enrichment the previous evening.
Being able to witness moments like this is what makes my heart burst out of my chest for the love I have for Negra and the gratefulness I feel for everyone who shares this love.
Maybe we could just have 10 more minutes?
What’s in a Nest?
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.”
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:
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:
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?
Jamie’s “bed”
Sometimes chimpanzees find the most curious ways to relax…
So much light
If you are new to the blog, something we write about often is the chimpanzees’ enrichment. One of the biggest challenges we face with captive chimpanzees (and all animals really) is keeping their intelligent and active minds busy. In the wild chimpanzees are busy patrolling large territories, foraging for food and navigating the dynamics of large families. So even the best captive situation cannot provide the mental stimulation chimps receive in their natural wild lives.
We have two calendars in the chimp house, one for daytime enrichment and one for evening enrichment. Daily enrichment is given a theme such as “blue things,” “troll scarves,” or “beach day” and is really to help us caregivers think outside the box a bit and keep things interesting for the chimps by presenting their enrichment in different ways each day. Evening enrichment is provided each evening after dinner and consists of some kind of food puzzle which keeps the chimps engaged in an activity as we close up the chimp house for the night.
Today’s enrichment theme was “giant pile” day meaning we deposited all of the chimps’ toys, activities and blankets into a giant mountain of a pile in the playroom after cleaning. Jamie was thrilled and promptly took over the entire pile (much to Negra’s chagrin who was sitting above her on the catwalk, looking disgusted with the humans’ “bright idea,” waiting for the opportunity to steal some blankets away for her nest).
But the boss lady had no shame in making the coziest nest ever (with 30 blankets) and loved being able to check everything of interest all within arm’s reach. She spent some quality time relaxing with her beloved boot, reading her new books, and occasionally glancing outside the barn doors to this beautifully peaceful spring day.
As I gaze at these photos Jamie allowed me to take I can’t help but think of the past she, and all the chimps, came from and the contrast of their lives now. What must it feel like for them to be at peace? To be surrounded by comfort, love and respect? To spend their time doing what feels best to each of them? The look of well-being and contentment and the light in Jamie’s eyes speaks volumes. And it makes my heart sing for her.
Jody Chimpanzee
Age: 40ish. Her records indicate she was born in 1975, possibly in the wild. We celebrate her birthday on Mother’s Day each year to honor the nine children she brought into this world, all of whom were taken from her in the labs.
Nicknames: Jo, Jo-jo, Farmer Jo, Jody the Harvester
Favorite things to do: Foraging for wild plants and bamboo on Young’s Hill, making elaborate nests with blankets, sheets, clothes, straw, bamboo and other plants she’s harvested from Young’s Hill. She’s also an expert lounger!
What she is known for: Caregivers know her for her bouncy greeting mostly in the morning. Her foraging strategy includes gathering food in her hands, arms and mouth and bipedal walking with all of it. She also likes to lie on her belly while eating and is known for rounding everyone up for meal times. She’s also known for spitting out tomato seeds.
Distinguishing physical characteristics: Droopy bottom lip, knobby swelling, missing parts of some of her toes from old injuries, endearing face with expressive eyes, which are a little closer together than those of the other chimps.
Personality: serious, independent, kind, confident, earnest, self assured
Other: She makes what we refer to as “dinosaur sounds” (after she completes her nest, she often dives face first into it and lets out a loud “ahhhh” sound). Also, we’ve noticed that she seems to be quite fascinated with bearded men!
Jody was one of the first chimps to go out onto Young’s Hill this morning.
Here’s a good example of her droopy bottom lip.
Read more about Jody before arriving at CSNW here.
Missy Chimpanzee
Age: 41ish. Her birthday is unknown, but it’s estimated she was born in 1975. We celebrate her birthday on September 23 each year.
Nicknames: Miss, Miss-Miss, Little Bigfoot (we often joke that she resembles Bigfoot when she stands bipedally on Young’s Hill)
Best friend: Annie
Favorite foods: Tomatoes!
Distinguishing physical characteristics: distinctive white patch above her upper lip on the left side of her face, somewhat square body with no neck (she does have a neck, it’s just short).
Favorite things to do: Running, jumping, sprinting, climbing and other various acrobatic feats (including, but not limited to, firehose walking, leaping and balancing), building big nests and playing with Annie. She is also pretty serious about grooming sessions, including grooming herself with a tool.
Personality: active, energetic, graceful, adventurous, good sense of humor
Other: First to offer support/back up to the other chimps and she almost didn’t make it to sanctuary.
You can find out more about Missy’s story before coming to CSNW here.
