Nesting

Jamie in repose

July 21, 2015 by Katelyn

If you’ve been following the blog for awhile, you are probably aware that as boss, Jamie has a lot of responsibility and she doesn’t take this lightly. If there aren’t humans to supervise or fellow chimpanzee politics to stay abreast of, there are projects to complete, and of course, perimeters to walk. I doubt there is enough time in the day for Jamie to complete everything she might be interested in doing.

But even the boss needs a break sometimes. Once she was sure we humans were busy cleaning the chimp house this morning as we were supposed to, she decided to take advantage of the blissfully cooler day (cool breeze included) and have a rest after breakfast. A cozy nest with her favorite sheets, one of her boots as a pillow, and the dozing commenced.

After enjoying a couple of walks around the hill with her caregivers later in the day, she decided an afternoon nap was in order as well and built a nest in front of the barn doors which look out over the chimps’ garden. Warm sun, a cool breeze, a troll, and a boot pillow make for a well deserved rest for a hard working lady.

Nests

July 19, 2015 by Keri

Each day we give out at least 60 blankets for these chimpanzees to use as nesting material. It’s not uncommon for some of the chimps to use over 20 of these blankets and sometimes even 30 for a single nest (Negra)! However, nests are not limited to just blankets. Often times paper, bamboo and other plant material brought in from Young’s Hill, straw, a variety of clothing, stuffed animals and even some of the fire hoses in the various enclosures will be incorporated into these nests as well.

In the wild, individual chimpanzees construct a nest each evening to sleep in. Nests can also be made during the day as a place to rest. Youngsters that are not yet weaned will share a nest with their mother, from whom they learn to build their own nests. Most often, nests are made in trees by bending and lacing together branches from one or more trees. Leaves are then used to line the nest, perhaps to add comfort, provide insulation in cooler temperatures and protect from insects.

In the following photos Katelyn took yesterday, Jody demonstrated that a comfortable nest can be made with fresh straw to get the same effect as a blanket nest here at the sanctuary. Of course, the key to any nest is the testing phase, which Jody seems to have perfected in the last photo.

A Place to Rest

May 3, 2015 by Keri

These photos of Annie really stood out to me as I was going through the photos taken of the chimpanzees from today. There is something about Annie’s utter relaxation that shines through. I mean, granted, I’m a sucker for watching the chimps resting and sleeping; I don’t know many people who wouldn’t be. But what really gets me, is the thought of them in their cages before they arrived at the sanctuary and the fact that most of them probably never got the chance to lie down and rest like you see in the photos below. There were no blankets or fresh air or even the space to be able to stretch out while they were in the labs. It’s truly heartbreaking to think about what it means to not have the space, both physically and mentally, to rest and truly relax.

For everything these chimps have been through, they deserve a place they feel safe and secure in, a place where they can lie down and close their eyes, relax and just be.

Annie enjoying a quiet moment in the Greenhouse this afternoon.

The perfect nest

April 22, 2015 by Katelyn

A super cozy nest in the sun with a beloved cowgirl boot tucked under her chin. And a troll doll for some extra pizzazz. This may be a perfect nest for an afternoon rest in Jamie’s eyes.

The favorite spot

February 3, 2015 by Debbie

As I was walking around Young’s Hill with Jamie the other day, I was thinking about how she’s created a trail for herself (JB does mow the grass down during the summer, but there’s still a beaten path where Jamie walks several times a day) and it reminded me of when I visited the Louvre in Paris many years ago. One of the stairwells had worn down on one spot on each step because so many people walked that path every day. The favorite spot. I’m not really sure why I was thinking about that, but maybe because it’s just another way chimpanzees and humans are alike—we find a path we like taking, and stick with it.

The favorite spot phenomenon doesn’t just apply to pathways, but also places to rest or eat. Jamie has a few favorite spots, depending on the activity at hand. For her morning snack in the front rooms she likes to sit on her barrel in room 2, and she almost never strays from that spot for that activity. Foxie and Burrito both like to sit up on the lazy susans, and Negra will sit on a blanket just below.

Missy, Jody, and Annie all sort of move around during meals, but they do have favorite spots for resting. Annie and Missy like the catwalk by the bridge—it’s a popular spot for grooming. Negra has two favorite spots—her summer spot in front of one of the catwalk windows, and her winter spot in the middle of the loft. Jamie likes to rest in the corner of room 3 against the fencing, or near the playroom door. And Jody likes the bench in room 4—as we’ve dubbed it, “the portrait studio” because it has really great lighting. We have lots of photos of Jody lying down in this spot, both snacking on browse like cattails or bamboo, and taking a quick nap in a blanket nest.

Whatever it is that motivates us to find our favorite spots—they represent comfort and safety, which is something that is so valuable for ex-biomedical chimpanzees. This is their second chance at life, and what better way to spend their day than in the comfort of their own home.

Watch the video below to see more ways the chimpanzees find comfort in their sanctuary home, and please Share the Chimp Love!

Snuggling up with blankets: A retrospective

December 6, 2014 by Diana

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: