I took this photo of Jody in a nest in the greenhouse this afternoon:
and when I looked over a few minutes later Annie had taken her place:
Nesting
Comfort
A few nights ago while the chimpanzees were being served dinner in the greenhouse, I entered the playroom for a quick spot clean and found this nest in Negra’s current favorite spot in the loft. The photos really don’t do it justice. It was about four feet wide and beautifully put together. The next morning when we (reluctantly) deconstructed it during cleaning, we counted 23 blankets! It was only four years ago that Negra and the other chimps were sleeping on bare concrete in the lab. To Negra, I think sanctuary means comfort.
Role Reversal
Jackie got some excellent footage of the chimps switching roles the other day. As many of you know, The Cle Elum Seven chimps all have unique personalities. Negra usually keeps to herself, is quiet, and likes to rest a lot. Missy is super playful, loves to run, and tries to get the other chimps to chase her. Foxie (not shown in this video) is a troll connoisseur. In this video, we see Negra initiating play, holding trolls, and stealing nests. Missy forgoes play with her best friend Annie in order to take a nap Neggie-style. Even though they all have their individual personalities, they definitely continue to surprise us!
The Queen of Relaxation
If Negra is the Queen of the Cle Elum Seven, Jody is the Queen of Nest Building and Relaxation.
Jody is hands down the best nest builder I know. She is definitely an artist about it, and will often use as many as 20-30 blankets. We put out tons of new straw and alfalfa hay in the greenhouse yesterday, so Jody forewent the blankets and made herself an amazing nest right on the ground.
Spring!
We brought springtime inside this morning to celebrate the equinox in memory of our friend Katie Gieser. The chimps had a lovely forage with lots of lettuce (always a special treat!). Plus paper flowers and decorations galore! Here are a few highlights:
Missy (tho I wouldn’t have known it was her unless Jackie told me!) feasting away:
Mister B amidst the spiderweb of yellow ribbon:
Jamie with her collection from the forage:
And Jamie again, posing perfectly for the camera in her springtime nest (note the boot in her hip pocket):
Foxie, the closet nester?
When Foxie arrived at CSNW almost 4 years ago, she wanted nothing to do with toys and especially blankets. While in the lab, the chimps weren’t given much, if any enrichment so it would make sense that after 30 years of living in barren cages, a toy or a blanket would seem a bit foreign to her. When we discovered her love of troll dolls, her distaste for other toys faded some, but she would still toss aside a blanket that was in her way and preferred to sleep on the concrete floor. It’s only been in the last year that we have witnessed her making rudimentary signs of nesting behavior with blankets. I haven’t seen her nest too much lately, but last night, after locking up the chimp area, Elizabeth and I were on our way out the door when we happened to look up and see Foxie laying in the loft playing and nesting with a small blanket. Perhaps she’s a closet nester?
Napping
Negra is the queen of many things, including getting cozy. Here she is snuggled up on one of the benches high up in a front room.
She actually got around quite a bit today – mostly moving from one napping place to another. In this photo Negra is in front of a window on the catwalk of the playroom – one of her favorite spots. I got up on a ladder to take the photo:
Jamie used the afternoon to siesta in the greenhouse. I climbed a ladder to get the photo below too. In their natural habitats, chimpanzees almost always sleep in the trees high off the ground. Most chimpanzees in captivity also prefer to be up high when they sleep.
I love the bits of lighter skin on Jamie’s eyelids in this photo:
