Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
Today, Jody was caught lounging in the cabin on the hill. It’s great to see her so comfortable in there! We may have built it with Negra in mind (and nothing made me happier than seeing her in it a couple weeks ago!), but I suspect that with some more warmth, extra sunshine, straw, and a few extra blankets (or maybe a few 100 extra blankets), we’ll be seeing a lot more of Jody nesting in the cabin over the next few months!
Today’s enrichment theme was “pre-made nests”, meaning the caregivers built nests based on the things each of the chimps typically incorporate into their nests, including the items in the nest, types of blankets, blanket placement and nest location. It was a lot of fun to set up! While the chimps love to build their own nests, it’s fun to mix things up a little bit every once in a while and do something kooky. All of the chimps went to their “correct” nest, which was very satisfying to us goofy humans! I would love to give you all the details, but we thought it might be fun to see how well YOU know the chimps instead. Can you guess who’s nest is who’s? While some are trickier to guess than others, there is a solid hint in each photo.
We are having another spring-like day at the sanctuary today. I can’t tell you how great it feels! I just got back from playing a very exhausting game of chase with Jamie. She wanted me to chase her while I was holding a very specific pair of boots that her friend Wanda T. sent her recently. While I was being run around the outside of the fence by Jamie and then Missy, J.B. was taking some photos. And, guess what? Annie was making the first nest we’ve seen anyone make in Negra’s cabin!
Annie was repeatedly distracted by Missy, who kept coming by and inviting Annie to chase and wrestle, but J.B. said Annie went back a few times to work on her nest.
Today is just the kind of day that is perfect for Negra’s Cabin. With the lexan walls blocking the wind and maximizing the warmth of the sun, it’s the coziest spot on the hill. We definitely still have some winter ahead of us, but the first nest in the cabin is a hopeful sign of spring days to come!
Speaking of the cabin – the sign is almost done and will be installed soon! The sign has all of the names of those who donated towards our 4th Anniversary Fundraising, helping to exceed our goal amount so we could spend a little of that raised to build Negra’s cabin. Thank you to everyone who contributed to that fundraising campaign. It’s probably one of the most unique cabins ever built, and we can’t wait to see the chimps, maybe even Negra, spending time out there soaking up the sun. It’s truly amazing what we’ve been able to give the chimpanzees since their arrival, and it’s all because of you.
Here are some sneak peak photos of the sign:
It sure is a busy time of year for a nonprofit. With the holidays and the end of the year, I’m really grateful to say that we process a ton of donations in December. And we need them! If you haven’t given yet this year, and you have a little bit to spare, please consider making a donation today (sorry, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t include a little pitch!).
Anyway, the Cle Elum Seven are fortunate to have so many devoted supporters. That means you! Although we rely on financial donations to keep us in bananas and night bags, there are plenty of things you can do to keep us going without spending a dime:
Have other ideas? Please share them in the comments!
And, just for kicks, here’s an oldie but goodie. Almost 4 years ago to the day, the chimps experienced their first snowstorm (before Young’s Hill and the greenhouse). Check it out.
I love to watch Jody nest. It’s such a science to get the blankets just right so that you feel safe and comfortable in your bed – and Jody is a master at getting comfortable!
Hopefully you have heard about our Team Chimp Fundraiser, but if not check out this link. Team Jody is in last place! Give her some love and join her team!
When free-living chimpanzees prepare to bed down for the night, most build nests high up in the trees. The reason they do this, as far as we know, is to protect themselves from ground-dwelling predators (though one adventurous researcher discovered some other advantages). Captive chimpanzees, while not at risk of predation, also build nests. The methods for building a nest are culturally learned, but the urge itself is instinctual.
Sometimes I try to imagine what that urge feels like to them. They seem to thoroughly enjoy the process and the ritual of nest-building. Jody, in particular, seems like she is in a state of meditation when she is folding and weaving her blankets. Missy spins 360 degrees as she makes her nest to ensure that each section is symmetrical. Jamie weaves some of her blankets through the caging, as if she is anchoring her nest to the building. The details are different in each case, but each portrays a sense of calmness and comfort throughout the process.
When we sleep we are vulnerable, and nests help chimps feel safe and secure. It’s interesting to note that captive chimpanzees build nests with high sides just like their wild counterparts do to keep from falling out of the tree in the middle of the night. But captive chimps are usually sleeping on the floor or on platforms where there is no risk of falling. And often their nests consist only of sides – there is no bottom. Sometimes the nests look like a doughnut with bare floor in the middle. It’s obvious that the nest is not serving the function of a mattress, to cushion them from the hard ground. Instead, I think it’s fulfilling an instinct that probably goes back millions of years – the urge to be safe and secure, the urge that keeps a sleeping chimpanzee up in the tree where they belong.
This also explains why chimpanzees usually make nests in areas where they feel at ease. You want to close your eyes knowing that nothing strange will happen while you are asleep. At CSNW, the chimps almost always make their night nests on the second story of the playroom or on the benches high up in the front rooms. In the first year that the chimps had access to Young’s Hill, not once did we see someone make a nest outside. But this morning, Jody decided to be the first, and dragged her blankets outside.
This was a big step for Jody, and I think it demonstrates a level of comfort on the hill that we haven’t seen yet. You’ll notice that she made her nest next to the vehicle access gate – the only section of caging on the two-acre enclosure. We often talk about the chimps making gradual transitions, and I think this is a good example. She wants to make a nest outside, but she insists on the security and familiarity of caging as her backdrop.
She didn’t stay in her nest very long, but we are thrilled that she has taken this first step.
This morning when I walked into the chimp area, everyone was super quiet (usually it’s a little noisy first thing in the morning) and I saw Negra sleeping in her favorite spot on the catwalk beside the window. The nest she was lying in was huge—way bigger than any nest I’ve seen before! It made me smile so much, just knowing how comfortable and content Negra looked. I took a short moment while everything was still and greeted Negra by reaching my arm out and nodding my head. She gave me a quick head nod in return and then shifted in her nest a little bit. A couple minutes later, the other chimps started to get up and it became the usual noisy morning, but Negra stayed in bed. This is typically how it goes—while everyone else is eagerly watching the humans prepare breakfast and get ready for the day, Negra sleeps in until we are about to serve. But today especially, her nest was so expansive and comfy looking, I thought she might stay in bed all day! But as soon as she saw the peanuts we were serving as a breakfast appetizer, she quickly jumped out of bed and headed to join the rest of the chimps in the greenhouse. The pictures we got of her nest were a little dark, and I did my best to brighten them up but I apologize for the poor lighting due to the sun in the window! The first picture shows just how big the nest was (24 big, fluffy blankets in all) and the second is a close-up of our Queen’s beautiful face.
Negra simply enjoying her big nest this morning started making me think about how awesome it is that she can do that now, after 30+ years in a lab. I thought about it all during cleaning, and as soon as I had a chance I went to our blog to find an entry from before the chimps ever arrived—one about Negra trying to make a nest with scraps of newspaper in the lab she was in before coming to CSNW. It was written almost exactly 5 months before the Cle Elum Seven arrived at their forever sanctuary home. It’s here if you want to read it, but be prepared to get teary-eyed. As Diana says in the post, “Negra deserves to be forever free from the fear of life as a laboratory subject. She deserves to have choices in her life. She deserves to have room to walk, run and climb. She deserves to have access to the outdoors. She deserves a daily supply of a wide variety of food. And she deserves lots and lots of blankets so she can finally make the bed that will truly make her feel content.”
I am so happy that her new sanctuary life has given her the opportunity to build a bed that Diana thought she might enjoy. It’s days like today that make me realize how amazing and resilient chimps are, after all they’ve been through that they can still find joy and contentment in life. It’s admirable.
