Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
I had no idea what today’s blog was going to consist of, then I caught Annie starting to build a nest and I just knew it was going to be something I should capture. Enjoy her nest building with some guest appearances by Annie’s special bird noises.
Bonus photos from The Bray!
Cy out on The Bray:
Lucky out on The Bray:
Willy B out on The Bray:
On the eighth day of Christmas, the chimps received cozy blankets. I think you all can guess who put these blankets to good use!
Special thank you to:
CeeCee M. for bidding on cozy fleece blankets for the chimps!
And thank you to everyone who has donated blankets to us over the holiday!
It’s Negra, of course:
Negra in her morning nest. She greeted me and then went back to sleep :).
The chimpanzees spend more time resting and socializing in the heated indoor areas as the weather gets wetter and colder.
We’ve recently been focusing much of our content on the chimps’ outdoor enclosures, especially Young’s Hill and The Bray. Large outdoor habitats are irreplaceable because they provide chimpanzees with unique opportunities to engage in “natural” behaviors such as climbing, foraging, and patrolling as a group. The greenhouse-type enclosures, including the new Riverview and Oakwood Greenhouses, also have certain characteristics that the chimps can take full advantage of at their leisure.
Even so, chimpanzees living in sanctuary also need clean, climate-controlled, enriched indoor spaces. These are locations where they can be cozy, entertained and secure, regardless of the conditions outside. It would be easy to look at the artificial interiors and think that these enclosures are inferior to the outdoor ones, but the chimpanzees don’t seem to think so. Instead, the residents seem to utilize the various spaces differently so that together they provide one expansive, complex, multi-functional home.
Sofia highlighted the indoor front rooms in her September post “Back to Front Room 7” and Anna wrote about them again in last week’s post “Small space, big fun“. I thought it might be fun to share some additional video clips of the chimpanzees enjoying that same space today!
During introductions it was hard tell who Honey B would become friends with. We knew Honey B enjoyed her alone time, but still appreciated the company of her chimp and human friends on her terms. When Honey B first re-met Dora they were both so excited to see each other! However, Terry and Honey B had to put the work into rebuilding a friendship. Recently, Honey B has been hot commodity with her new group. It seems like everyone wants to “mall walk,” groom, play, or just be around her. If we had to predict which chimps would bond with Honey B, Dora and Rayne would really be my only guesses. Lately, we find Honey B and Terry hanging out a lot. We have been seeing some play with her and Cy and even Gordo gets a little quick play session in from time to time.
Words can’t express the feelings I have when watching Honey B build connections with her group. It’s everything they worked so hard for and why a bigger social group is so important for chimps, especially one like Honey B.
Cy grooming Honey B:
Rayne grooming Honey B:
Honey B in the middle of a grooming train:
A series of different Honey B nests:
And one more picture for fun! Can you guess who was wearing this accessory as an anklet?
Look below for the answer!
If you said Burrito, you would be correct!
When people ask us what our job involves here in the chimp house, of course we talk about the relationships we have with the chimps, cleaning, and meal / enrichment prep. What often doesn’t make the list, or at least not my list, is laundry. Our laundry machines are full time employees here at CSNW, working about 8 hours every day. You might ask- why do you have so much laundry? Good question. The answer, short and sweet, is blankets.
We provide both groups of chimps with enough for everyone to have at least ten blankets. Some people use these blankets for play (ahem, Burrito), but most often they are used for nesting. Chimpanzees, both in captivity and the wild, build nests for sleeping. In wild populations, chimpanzees will build nests from branches (sometimes from more than one tree) by weaving them together. They will also use leaves in their nests. Captive chimpanzees are provided blankets to support this species typical behavior and everyone has their own unique preferences!
While some individuals don’t spend a lot of time nesting, they are given the choice to do what they want and some choose to sleep in extravagant nests (Negra), on top of a few simple blankets (Burrito), or without blankets around at all (Foxie). Some also include other items in their nests, which always makes it interesting for caregivers the next day during cleaning! 🙂
Check out today’s video for more!
In other news, tomorrow is a big day- it’s Giving Day for Apes! If you receive our e-newsletter, then you already saw Diana’s email about it (if you’re not subscribed and you would like to be, click here). Diana said it best-
“Tomorrow is Giving Day for Apes, a big day for sanctuaries and rescue centers across the world caring for apes. We are already behind in this competition, and we could use your help!
Make a donation now AND during the 3-4pm PT / 6-7pm ET Power Hour tomorrow.
During that hour, thanks to a generous and loyal donor, all donations up to $15,000 will be matched, plus you’ll put us in the running for additional prizes given to the organization with the most unique donations during that hour (your donation will count as unique even if you gave previously).”
Big things have been happening here at CSNW over the last few years, and it’s all thanks to our generous donors and supporters. Now we’re asking you to help us give both groups of chimps new outdoor areas- which is particularly special, as this will be the first time the Lucky Six (who arrived last year from Wildlife Waystation) will be outside in an open-air enclosure. Thank you in advance for your support!
Annie: in a greenhouse nest that used to be Negra’s, then was Burrito’s at breakfast, and now it is hers!
Burrito:
Dora:
Honey B:
Lucky:
Terry:
For once there wasn’t a lot going on today for the chimps or the humans. That happens very rarely in this chimp house now a days! The chimps spent most of their day napping, grooming, lazily playing, or working on some enrichment.
Jody grooming a pile of blankets… oops I mean Negra!
Jamie and Missy spent most of the day coaxing their caregivers over to the small garden where the tomatoes and grape vines were ready to be picked! Of course, we had to oblige!
Terry was a hot commodity today! As I walked by with the camera, Lucky and Terry began grooming.
I took a series of photos of Terry Bronx Cheering (or blowing raspberries) when he and Lucky were grooming. Terry is always Bronx Cheering- whether he is grooming, trying to get our attention, and he even does it when he is working up into a display.
A few minutes later Rayne passed by to join the party. Terry began grooming her and then Rayne reciprocated the grooming.
I found Honey B relaxing on one of the tree leaves. She looked content, but also up to no good all at the same time.
Jamie also found sometime in the day to kick back and relax too.
Sweet sweet Lucky lounging in Oakwood.
There’s something so sweet about chimpanzees making nests.
In the wild, chimpanzees use branches and leaves to create their beds. In captivity, blankets are a favorite of everyone who nests.
Watching the cameras over these last several weeks, I’ve learned that some chimpanzees are more creatures of habit than others. Gordo, for example, definitely has “his spot” on the catwalk in the Lupine Playroom. He’s not much of a nest-maker, so he usually has just a couple of blankets and some paper, but he also pulls up a fire hose hanging down near his spot and sometimes incorporates that into his nest. Some of the other chimps, on the other hand, stake out different nest sites on different nights. Rayne made a big nest in the Oakwood Greenhouse last night and stayed out there for quite a while before coming in and nesting on one of the “leaves” of the “tree” in Marmot Mountain Playroom.
Mave, Honey B and Willy B, from day one of the integration, claimed the Front Rooms as their bedroom. Just in the last couple of weeks, though, Mave has, once in a while, opted to sleep in the Lupine Playroom in the mix with her new group-mates. And sometimes Honey B will begin her nesting in the Mezzanine and later move down into the Front Rooms, like you see Mave doing in this video.
It will be so interesting to see how their chosen nesting sites evolve as time goes on!
I know you all likely want an update on Jamie, given J.B.’s blog post yesterday. Right now she is nesting in the front rooms on her side of the building. She’ll probably be isolated for another day or so as we monitor her surgical site, but she’s doing great! She rested a lot today, but clearly was interested in getting back with her group soon.
