Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Nesting

In the comfort of your own home

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It may be sunny and beautiful right now, but this morning was very chilly and gray. It was definitely one of those mornings where all you want to do is curl up on the couch with your favorite blanket and watch a movie. So, it was no surprise when Missy decided to skip breakfast and stayed in her giant nest in the playroom. I certainly don’t blame her, but that meant cleaning the playroom was slightly delayed. Being behind in our routine did not stop the chimps from being adorably distracting. Jamie was looking quite bored, so I poured a little bit of (non-toxic) soapy water on the floor in one of the front rooms and gave her a couple of brushes. She cleaned a very large portion of the room and worked on it for nearly an hour (am I losing job security?). As if that wasn’t cute enough, Burrito spent some quality time with blankets today, which is something that we just don’t see from him very often.

The first blanket I saw him “cuddling” with is one that has a skull and crossbones on it 🙂

Then, Missy distracted him with a playful game of chase. He later returned to the same spot with a different blanket:

And then it got chilly, so he moved into the front rooms. I would say it was a very good morning to curl up with a blanket!

How to Nest by Jody and Missy

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Jody and Missy are master nest-builders. I managed to get some recent photos of them making midday  nests.

Jody’s step one: stand in the middle of the nest and build it around you.

Jody’s step two: include both sheets and blue paper in the nest for full comfort

Jody’s step three: dive face first into the bed (this movement often accompanied by a “Jody happy noise”)

Jody’s step four: enjoy the comfort you’ve created

Missy’s step one: first see if someone will play with you if you put a blanket over your head

Missy’s step two: if no one takes the play bait, proceed with nest-making by placing blankets around you where you sit

Missy’s step three: unfold and place blankets carefully

Missy’s step four: do a headstand

Missy’s step four: roll into a comfortable position and enjoy

Summer Loungin’

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Yesterday was hot, hot, hot here in Cle Elum, so the chimps spent quite a bit of time lounging around their indoor playroom. As you can see, Jamie is still rarely caught without a pair of cowboy boots (notice she has one by her head and another in her hip pocket).

Jody’s sweet face

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Diana took some pretty awesome pictures of Jody cuddling with a giant stuffed dog the other day. You may have seen it on Jody Chimpanzee’s facebook page, but I wanted to share them here. So adorable!