Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

Nesting

Looking back

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I snapped these photos the other day of Jody nesting in the front rooms:

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and they reminded me of an early photo of Jody, taken in the same spot, in one of her first nests at the sanctuary shortly after the chimpanzees arrived here.

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I didn’t yet work at the sanctuary when the above photo was taken a little over five years ago, but I followed the blog closely as the chimps arrived from the lab and got settled into their new home. When I saw the first photos of them, I remember thinking how beautiful they were. Now looking back, they all look like ghosts to me. I couldn’t have imagined, seeing those first photos, what the chimps would become with a little good food, freedom, and love.

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The Rainy Day

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The weather has been volatile today as you can see by the clouds menacing the sanctuary with the promise of rain.

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What better way to spend a rainy, blustery Sunday than curled up in a nest with some of your favorite things? I certainly can’t argue with that!

Annie nesting in the greenhouse:
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Missy in a nest on the catwalk in the playroom:
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Jamie inside with her boots:
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Jody peeking out from a nest on the catwalk:
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Negra from underneath the blankets:
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And while I personally would prefer the nap, I have it on good authority that although rain is threatening, that’s no reason to cancel a perfectly good walk around Young’s Hill!

Foxie on her 37th birthday

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10 am: Party in the greenhouse, featuring frozen banana in troll heads

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10:45 am: Explore Young’s Hill

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11:30 am: Build a nest in the playroom

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12 pm: Lounge in the greenhouse with favorite dolls…

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…and pal Jamie

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1 pm: Lunch: cucumbers, snap peas, celery, and lemons

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2:30 pm: Afternoon quiet time

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Thanks again to Foxie’s friend Tracy Headley for sponsoring today, and to everyone sending happy wishes to the birthday girl. Foxie’s feeling the love.

Paper dreams

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When is a roll of paper not just a roll of paper? When it’s been appropriated for use by the chimpanzees of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, of course! Yesterday’s enrichment theme was paper day and, in the spirit of things, Debbie and I covered the playroom floor with yellow paper from a large roll. Not only did it provide entertainment as we could hear the wrinkles and crinkles whenever the chimpanzees raced across the floor engaged in games of chase, but it also provided prime nesting material for Jamie in the heat of the afternoon.

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I was unable to get a good picture this morning but the yellow paper was choice nesting material today as well. Missy was seen earlier in the day using it to nest with in the loft of the playroom. I tried to capture the nest on film this afternoon and found that the paper nest had migrated in the loft. It appears that the paper roll was a successful choice for enriching the lives of the Cle Elum 7.

Want to know more about chimpanzee nesting behavior? This blog post is a good introduction.

In honor of Scooby and Sherri

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Today was sponsored by Holly Pagels in memory of Scooby and his human, Sherri Mudri.  Holly shared the following touching sentiment:  “June 16, 2010 is the date that Scooby passed away and his human loved him immensely, but she also loves the work that CSNW has done.”  Holly also shared that Sherri is the person who introduced her to CSNW.  Holly, what a lovely way to honor Scooby and Sherri.  Thanks so much to both of you for your support and kindness, and for sharing that with the world around you.

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Missy the distractor

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Thanks to Jackie Heinricher of Provitro Biosciences, the chimps have had the pleasure of having bamboo in the greenhouse. Jody has especially appreciated nesting in it. This morning, J.B. planted a couple more really tall plants, and Jody did not hesitate to take advantage of such valuable nesting material. She seemed pretty happy! Katelyn and I were commenting that it was interesting she chose the bamboo over her usual blankets, but Jody is an expert nest-builder and will use all sort of things like paper and straw in addition to blankets.

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While Jody was happily building her wonderful nest, Missy decided to interrupt her and try to engage her in play. Missy is able to bring the playful side out in just about anybody, even the generally less playful Jody. She entertained Missy’s need for playing for a little while, and then returned to building the perfect nest. Wait for the end of the video—you’ll see just how content and comfy she looks.

Thanks again Provitro Biosciences!

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