web Negra silhouette in front of window blue sky playroom PR IMG_0699

An unobstructed view

December 3, 2012 by Elizabeth -

Share with your friends!

Replacing the playroom window cages with chimp-proof glass has really paid off.  Removing the caging from in front of the windows lets much more light into the playroom and gives the chimpanzees an unobstructed view of the world beyond the sanctuary.  Negra, in particular, really seems to appreciate this.  There is nothing she loves more than gazing over the valley (well, she might love peanuts more).

This is approximately the view that Negra is enjoying in the above photo.

8 Comments

  1. Avatar Doreen on December 3, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    WOW – that looks like a great update to glass!



  2. Avatar Benjamin Pavsner on December 3, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    I think it’s great that Negra (and the rest of the chimps) get to appeciate things that were denied them for some many years.



  3. Avatar Michelle Chambless on December 3, 2012 at 5:07 pm

    I’d like that view too!! 🙂 It’s beautiful!



  4. Avatar Tami v. on December 4, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    What a lovely view. After all those years in a cage with no view, what must this be like for Negra? It is wonderful that she and the other chimps finally get to experience nature.



  5. Avatar Marcia Douthwaite on December 5, 2012 at 10:35 am

    What a wonderful improvement for the 7, especiallly Negra. You all come up with such inspiring ideas, thank you.



  6. Avatar Rita Stevenson on December 7, 2012 at 7:56 am

    It’s an absolutely beautiful new feature for Negra and all the chimps.
    Even moreso for Negra, so glad Negra is where she is so well looked after. Did she clap or pant and hoot for excitement when she first seen the new view.



  7. Sara Lissabet, Fairfax on December 11, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    Do we know if chimps see the way humans do? Do they see colors the same way, and do they comprehend spatial factors such as distance and depth?



    • Avatar Elizabeth on December 11, 2012 at 2:30 pm

      Yes, evidence suggests that chimpanzees see the world much in the same way humans do (visually, at least). They have full-color, stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic vision is the ability to perceive the same scene with both eyes at the same time, and it aids in depth perception. (Most prey animals, like rabbits, have non-stereoscopic vision, with one eye on either side of the head. This means they lose some depth perception, but gain a wider field of vision – helpful in avoiding predators.)



Subscribe to the Blog and
Get Notified of New Posts First!

If you like what see, be sure to subscribe. Personally written by the caregivers themselves, 365 days a year, you’ll get an insiders glimpse of all the goings on at the sanctuary. Follow us!