Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

nests

One Nest, Two Nest, Red Nest, Blue Nest

by

We have nests.  Every day, we have nests.  So many nests.  We have big nests, little nests, messy nests, tidy nests.  We have nests made exclusively with blankets. We have nests made with dolls, boots, paper, seeds, toys, firehose, books and magazines.  We have sparse nests, elaborate nests, stinky nests, flat nests, tall nests, cozy nests, double nests.

Most of our nests are made by the chimps, but sometimes we caregivers like to make nests.  Most of our chimps use nests, but some, like our little Foxie, prefer no nest.  Regardless of the type of nest each chimp chooses (or doesn’t), rest assured they are sleeping safe and snug like bugs in a rug!

Speaking of nests, my super cozy nest is calling to me RIGHT NOW!

I hope you, too, have a cozy nest to retire to.  Have a fabulous weekend!

Christmas preparations!

by

This afternoon as I type, volunteer Dusty is hard at work wrapping presents for Monday’s big Christmas celebration, Jenna is going through box after box of fresh gifts and Kelsi is ordering the produce for the menu. Throwing a Christmas party for chimpanzees is definitely a team effort!

We’re continuing our thank you series from our Comfort and Joy Auction. Today we put out this sweet rainbow stuffed guy and Jamie incorporated it into her nest right next to her Boot Barn catalogue.

Thanks to Dori R. for purchasing this item for the chimps!

Speaking of nests, this troll blanket was donated during the auction by former staff member Sofia and she conveniently got one for herself as part of “Quid Pro Throw.”

Just 4 more sleeps till Christmas!

 

Sleeping Arrangements

by

J.B. and I have been monitoring the chimps on the security cameras since the integration. We’re not watching them all the time, but we have a couple of iPads on after hours so we can take a look if we hear anything. It’s been interesting to see the changes in where the chimpanzees bed down for the night.

Initially, after the first few months of the integration, Honey B, Mave, and Willy B would sleep together in the front room area with the other group of six scattered about. At some point, this changed. I can’t say for sure, but I believe it was Mave who made the first integration move, choosing to make a nest in the catwalk of the Lupine Playroom near some of her new friends. From the other group, I saw Rayne on a couple of occasions nesting in the front rooms with Honey B, Willy B. and Mave or just Honey B and Willy B.

After a few months, I noticed that Willy B would start his nesting in the front rooms, but at some point in the night, he would make his way to the Mezzanine. Now, he disappears into the playrooms. This is all part of the integration process and one that is happening on their own timeline and based on nuances in their relationships and personalities that are a bit of a mystery.

Honey B has always liked the cubby in the mezzanine, and she is a woman of routine who knows what she likes. Given the happenings in the video I put together today, we’ll just see how things shake out.

Negra’s nest

by

The other night, while doing chimp counts during closing rounds, I climbed a ladder to look in the loft and found Negra building this magnificent nest.

There are a number of theories as to why chimpanzees build nests. Since most free-living chimpanzees build their nests high up in the trees at night, it’s possible that nest-building evolved to help protect chimpanzees from ground-dwelling predators or to avoid biting insects. There is also evidence to suggest that nests aid in thermoregulation. And these theories aren’t incompatible with the idea that chimpanzees also build nests because they are comfortable. Who doesn’t want a good night’s sleep?

At CSNW, we give out more than 70 clean blankets over the course of each day. If distributed evenly, that would be at least 10 per chimp – more than enough to make a comfortable nest, with some left over to use on top. But some of the Cle Elum Seven chimps, like Foxie, don’t really nest at all, while others, like Burrito, only use a few blankets. That leaves more for the master nest builders like Negra.

The chimps’ night nests are almost always made from blankets, but day nests are often made with other materials, such as bamboo, hay or straw, paper, cardboard, sand, fire hoses, and on at least one occasion, every single present given to the chimps for Christmas.

jody in sandbox