Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Nesting

Negra Chimpanzee

by

Age: 42ish…Her exact birthday is unknown since she was captured in the wild, presumably in 1973, although she could be older than that. We celebrate her birthday on June 13 each year, which is the anniversary of her and the other chimpanzees’ arrival to the sanctuary.

Nicknames: Neggie, Queen Negra

Favorite foods: Peanuts, lettuce, fresh spring grass
What she is known for: elaborate blanket nests (usually with one pulled over her) and clapping during meals.

Distinguishing physical characteristics: Her round “Buddha” belly, dark freckles on her face and she is missing half of her left ear (we do not know how this happened; she arrived to the sanctuary this way).

Favorite things to do: napping, resting, sleeping
Personality: wise, dignified, cranky
Other: she likes her caregivers to dance for her!

web_Negra_profile_sit_tire_look_at_platform_GH_kh_IMG_8749

web_Negra_profile_sit_tire_look_up_GH_kh_IMG_8751

web_Negra_profile_sit_tire_look_up_GH_kh_IMG_8752

Click here to read more about Negra’s story before coming to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and here to see how she has changed since then.

Negra’s Favorite Thing

by

One thing that’s quite clear about the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees is that they are each unique individuals with different tastes, activity levels, and habits.

Though for most of their lives they didn’t have these things, it’s hard to fathom Foxie without her troll and Dora dolls, Jamie without her boots, and Negra without her blankets, which she puts over her head and shoulders – something she’s done from her first day in sanctuary.

Today I tried (fairly unsuccessfully) to get a photo of Negra as she lay on the heated catwalk with a Halloween blanket wrapped around her. Here’s the best photo I got:

Negra under boo blanket

 

As I was watching her, she got up suddenly. Curious about the suddenness of her motion, I followed her. She traveled down from the catwalk, across the playroom, and into the front rooms, then went out into the greenhouse.

Negra in motion

 

She was clearly on a mission, and was still moving quickly as she climbed up to the top of the platform in the greenhouse.

Negra climb structure

 

And this was the result of her mission:

Negra under blanket

 

Apparently she knew of another blanket with her name on it.

Because she seemed to be in a black and white mood today, here is a black and white photo of Negra after she got the blanket just how she wanted it:

Negra b&w under blanket

Long live Queen Negra. We hope she has many more years and many more blankets in her future.

 

Rainy day activities

by

Today’s forecast called for rain and cooler temperatures, so we thought about what sorts of rainy day activities we could set up for the chimpanzees. The enrichment theme for the day was Fort Day, which seemed more than appropriate, so staff and volunteer caregiver Lizz set about building forts in the Greenhouse and Playroom with blankets.

web_blanket_fort_day_enrichment_GH_kh_IMG_7608

web_blanket_fort_day_enrichment_PR_kh_IMG_7616

web_blanket_fort_day_enrichment_PR_kh_IMG_7615

Jody is usually the one to take the forts apart in order to gather blankets for her nest, which is exactly what she did.
web_Jody_dismantle_take_apart_blanket_fort_PR_kh_IMG_7618

Jamie took it upon herself to find the perfect rainy day activity in one of the Front Rooms. Notice the boot and magazines within her nest.
web_Jamie_rest_blanket_nest_FR_kh_IMG_7612

Grooming is another perfect rainy day activity.
Jody
web_Jody_groom_self_arm_with_lips_GH_kh_IMG_7641

web_Jody_closeup_groom_self_arm_with_lips_GH_kh_IMG_7644

But, it didn’t take long before the weather changed. Instead of more rain, the skies cleared up and the sun came out. So much for rainy day activities; the chimps moved on to foraging and spending time on Young’s Hill instead.

Burrito
web_Burrito_forage_YH_kh_IMG_4124

Foxie
web_Foxie_forage_YH_kh_IMG_4083

Jamie
web_Jamie_look_for_food_forage_treat_mound_YH_kh_IMG_4120

Don’t forget to check out the Summer Biddin’ online auction, which ends on September 1st. Bid on your favorite items and donate to help us exceed our fundraising goal!!

First Impressions: Negra

by

We had a slight sprinkle of rain and a breeze as we put out the forage on Young’s Hill this afternoon. This seemed like appropriate weather for Negra to venture out and collect some tomato slices.
web_Negra_negra's_cabin_yh_aw_IMG_7515

web_Negra_sit_negra's_cabin_yh_aw_IMG_7519

She quickly returned to the greenhouse where she enjoyed her bounty under an orange fleece blanket. This photo and the weather remind me that fall is just around the corner.
web_Negra_tomato__gh_aw_IMG_7564

Negra reminds me of comfort. She has favorite foods, sleeping spots, and outdoor temperatures. An early morning ritual that caregivers enjoy with Negra is the wrist kiss and grass request. When temperatures are warm, we will usually find her sleeping under a blanket on the top platform in the greenhouse. She will usually greet us with a gentle kiss on the wrist (her prehensile lips extend outside the caging) and then immediately clap her hands. I learned early on that this was an appeal for a couple fresh sprigs of grass that are growing just beyond the chimpanzee’s reach. “Queen” Negra will munch on the grass and go back to bed where she waits in her nest for us to present her with an offering of peanuts. We have hopes that she will accept the offering and shift into the building so we can close off the greenhouse for cleaning. Negra knows what she likes and she sticks to it.

Nesting accessories

by

If you’ve been following the blog for awhile you are probably aware that we talk a lot about enrichment for the chimpanzees. Things for them to play with, nest with, investigate, use as tools, make projects with, encourage natural behaviors, or use for whatever comes to their minds. Even the best facilities for captive chimpanzees will never be able to fully replicate their natural lives in the wild. And chimpanzees, who experience the world in much the same way that humans do emotionally and intellectually, are going to get bored in captivity at some point, despite the best of care. Keeping their active minds busy and their days interesting is one of the biggest challenges we face as caregivers.

We provide a variety of items for the chimps each day and everything comes out each morning to be cleaned and is replaced with new items. For the humans, there are two enrichment calendars hanging in the chimp house, one for daytime enrichment and one for evening enrichment. Each day, thanks to Keri, our Enrichment Coordinator, notes a particular “theme” for the day and a particular food puzzle for the evening. For example for daytime enrichment it might be “trolls in socks” day, “yellow” day, or “garden” day. The themes are really a way for the humans to think outside the box and try to present the same things in a new and interesting way for the chimps.

The enrichment theme for today was “giant pile” meaning that after we cleaned the chimp house, we put their fresh blankets and enrichment for the day in a giant pile in the middle of playroom. The chimps each took turns collecting the items they wanted from the pile and went their way. Jody took her time and pulled together quite a array of items she needed to nest with. After choosing an armful of blankets, she found a paper bag and decided to make a lovely wadge as she looked out over the garden. A wadge is a ball of food or something fibrous that chimps like to place in their bottom lips to suck on.

web_jody_wadge_paper_bag_kd_IMG_7302

web_jody_wadge_closeup_kd_IMG_7303

web_jody_hold_blankets_watch_stick_out_kd_IMG_7304

Once Jody had her blankets and wadge situated, she chose the dolls she needed. She decided on two trolls and a Dora doll, sticking two in her pelvic pocket and carrying one. Then she headed upstairs to find a quiet corner to construct her nest.

web_jody_hold_troll_kd_IMG_7305

web_jody_bite_troll_kd_IMG_7306

But it can be precarious carrying all of that stuff upstairs and once Jody reached the loft, she dropped one of the trolls down below. Much to my surprise, she came all the way back downstairs, rescued the fallen baby, and decided while she was at it she should grab some more blankets. Then she headed back upstairs with another precarious load covering her head. It’s hard work gathering the perfect nesting accessories.

web_jody_collect_more_blankets_trolls_kd_IMG_7309

web_jody_carry_more_blankets_upstairs_kd_IMG_7310

Jody to the rescue

by

In order to help Burrito’s recovery from his recent dental procedure, we have been giving him and all of the chimpanzees soft foods. So, today we roasted a variety of fruits and vegetables for all of their meals. And to take advantage of the cooler temperatures we’ve been having, we put out a forage on Young’s Hill for lunch. Let me just tell you, there has been a ton of food squeaking going on over these roasted treats!

As soon as we opened the door to give the chimps access to Young’s Hill at lunch, all seven of them quickly made their way outside, gathering everything they could find. I watched Jody gather roasted onions and beets and quickly put them in her mouth. She went after roasted carrots next and had her mouth completely full before making her way back to the Greenhouse with her treats. Then she stopped, paused for a minute and looked behind her, then turned around and went back up the hill a few steps. I thought maybe she spotted another tasty morsel, but no, she saw something else and quickly snatched it up and practically ran back to the Greenhouse. Can you guess what it was? Hint, take a look at the photos below.

web_Jody_gather_food_forage_treat_mound_rock_YH_kh_IMG_3168

web_Jody_bipedal_forage_food_mouth_dora_doll_in_hand_YH_kh_IMG_3188

web_Jody_forage_mouthful_food_dora_in_hand_walk_YH_kh_IMG_3189

web_Jody_forage_mouthful_food_dora_in_hand_walk_YH_kh_IMG_3191

web_Jody_forage_mouthful_food_dora_in_hand_walk_YH_kh_IMG_3196

web_Jody_relax_nest_platform_after_lunch_yoga_stretch_dora_doll_belly_GH_kh_IMG_6002

web_Jody_relax_nest_platform_after_lunch_yoga_stretch_dora_doll_belly_GH_kh_IMG_6003

web_Jody_relax_nest_platform_after_lunch_yoga_stretch_dora_doll_belly_GH_kh_IMG_6004

Recovery and Reunion

by

I’ve never seen a chimpanzee sleep so soundly and for so long as Burrito did after his dental procedure yesterday. He slept from mid afternoon yesterday straight through to this morning.

Burrito sleeping in recover room

J.B. and I decided to leave the playroom empty so that Burrito could have a peaceful rest without the girls disturbing him, They spent the day in the greenhouse and Young’s Hill. Around 7:00 last night I opened up a couple of the front rooms for the girls for the night, leaving one empty as a buffer between him and them.

Even with the noise of operating doors, Burrito continued to sleep soundly. Burrito’s position in Front Room One meant that the girls couldn’t see him. They sure did try, though. I had taken the photo above of him sleeping, so I decided to show that to whoever wanted to take a look. Jamie stared at it for a very long time – I’ve only seen her look at photos that long when they are of herself.

Jamie seemed reassured that Burrito was okay, and made her nest up on the bench in Front Room Three, with Foxie bedding down next to her. Negra was very eager to make a nest. She chose a spot on the floor in Front Room Three and used most of the blankets that were in that room, so I handed out more. Jody made her nest on the lower bench in Front Room Four, which allowed her to see down the hallway.

When Missy and Annie went back out to the greenhouse after trying to see Burrito, I went out to see what they were up to. It turns out they had decided to camp out on the top of the structure of the greenhouse.

Here’s Missy making her nest at the top of the structure:

Missy nesting in the greenhouse

 

And here she is, all covered up and ready for sleep:

Missy covered in sheet

 

I handed out more blankets to Annie, and she made her bed next to Missy:

Annie nesting

Annie nesting

 

When I went back a few hours later, Burrito was still sleeping, and either Missy or Annie had moved into the upper bench in Front Room Four. I didn’t want to disturb sleeping chimpanzees, so I don’t know who it was, but either Annie or Missy had a nice sleep out in the greenhouse, which was probably a first for an overnight!

This morning, Burrito was much more alert – all that sleep served him well!

He was anxious to get back with the group, but we wanted him to rest up some more, which was probably good because the ladies had a fight this afternoon, so it was just as well that he stayed out of that.

As is the routine after a fight, grooming commenced. Here is Missy, Jody, and Foxie:

grooming after a fight

 

Burrito was back to his usual self by the late afternoon:

Burrito holding toy

Burrito holding toy to mouth

Burrito with toy in mouth

 

By the time dinner came around, everyone was insisting that they be reunited. And so they were.

 

In the photo below, Burrito is standing bipedally and Foxie, Negra, Jody, and Missy are all rushing to greet him.

Jody and Foxie and Negra greeting Burrito

 

Foxie was particularly enthusiastic with her greeting:

Foxie greeting Burrito

 

And here’s Mr. B doing what he loves most – eating. He’ll be on a soft food diet for a few days, so there will probably be many more baked sweet potatoes in his future:

Burrito eating baked sweet potato