On Wednesday, Mave, Honey B, and Willy B were able to access the chute for the first time. This is the overhead tunnel that will connect the Phase 1 enclosures to Young’s Hill once we finish extending the electric fencing. Prior to Wednesday, the three new chimps had only gotten glimpses of the Seven from a distance as they rounded the lower corner of Young’s Hill on their patrols. And the Seven had not been able to see the three at all. On Wednesday they got their first real look at one another.
This “pre-introduction” went about as well as we could have hoped. Yes, there was plenty of screaming. And yes, there was a lot of displaying. Not to mention threat barks, fear grimaces, and requests for reassurance. All to be expected. More importantly, by the end there were also pant-grunts, head nods, genital bounces, and even a little flirty hand-waving (this last one may not be found in the primatological literature but you will know it when you see it). These are all positive signs that the actual introduction process stands a decent chance of being successful. But we won’t know until we try. So stay tuned!
Linda S says
Awesome Sauce!!!!! Those chimps crack me up! Which one was the one with the big teeth? Very scary lol!
Linda says
I thought it was either Foxie or Annie
CeeCee says
Wow!!! That was totally worth the wait 🙂
They were all so quiet once the initial crazy was over.
Almost like it’s a Chimp rule they had to follow, and it’s understood, we have to go crazy… Now we can get down to checking each other out.
I’m so excited for them, who knows what new best friends are in their future.
Marcia says
Finally a view of the mystery beyond the little door! After so many years as the tight 7, new potential friends are in view and they obviously have plenty of feelings about that. It’s like they were saying “hey you, don’t get any wise ideas, we’re a tight group, are big and hairy and we can make a lot of noise! So now that that’s out of the way who are you, where’d you come from and can we be friends?”
The little hand waves were so sweet!
Can’t wait to see more!
Cherie Erwin says
Fantastic video documentation of the event, everybody!!! Priceless “baby pictures” of their first mutual visual encounter with each other! Bravo!!!
Amy M says
Um, JB, what is a genital bounce and what does it signify? 🙂
Amy M says
Also, am I correct in surmising that Burrito and Mave were mirroring each other’s movements? If so, is that the same as when humans mirror each other, showing that they’re in sync emotionally?
J.B. says
Good question – it may be. The most parsimonious explanation may be that they were both excited, and that’s what excited chimps do. But I guess that also means they’re in sync?
J.B. says
It must not be a common behavior because it isn’t present on every chimpanzee ethogram, but it is when a female chimpanzee shakes her backside up and down during a greeting or as a form of submission. Jody does it often.
Nancy L says
What an amazing sight! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Watching this made me wonder, now that the Newcomers have been observed for a few weeks is there one who might give Jamie a run for her position?? Maves seems to be a bit domineering ?!? Cant wait to see more!
Linda says
I had the same thought! Willy B ditched fast–“Nope, nope, nope!”
And Honey B was the first one brave enough to go out into all of that racket, but Mave was displaying and Honey B wasn’t. My money’s on Mave! 😀 But Jaimes’s has got too many allies, and as someone said above, the 10 years they’ve been together (or longer) is a long, long time.
Benjamin Pavsner says
I don’t know. Isn’t Honey B’s mom, Missy, Jamie’s #2? Plus I’ve seen H.B. doing some cleaning.
Linda says
I saw in one spot where they said Missy is the #2, and another where they said it was Jo. Either way, I think Jamie’s got more allies than Mave. Plus, I think Honey B and Jamie have a high level of intelligence; I could see those two getting up to some trouble together!
Oh, we’re all in for some more fun videos and posts in the months to come, aren’t we?!?!
Linda says
Just to clarify–I meant “my money’s on Mave” to be the challenger.
Jo Lathrop says
Wow, just WOW!! So exciting and wonderful!! I so admire all you are doing to bring the number to 10! Wishing only the best outcomes and intros ~ hugs and love to you all…
Linda says
Wow! I had powered down for the night, but this was too big to watch on a phone!
First– blessings upon the person who volunteered to be the one inside filming when they all got wound up. Hope you brought your ear plugs to work today! 😀
Was that really Jamie tripping over the fire hose?
I found it strange that she wasn’t back inside with the rest of the troop.
And did Willy B ever make it back out again?
Mave’s gonna give Burrito a run for his money in the pilo contests in the future!
Maybe it’s mutual freckle admiration….
Linda says
And we finally got to see Mave’s bounce-hop!
Kathleen says
This is such fun to watch! Was that Missy checking the locks on the window, thinking of breaking out to get closer?! ; )
Jody’s little finger waves at the end did me in. Tonight, when everyone makes their nests, what will they be thinking in the quiet before they drift off to sleep?
Lydia says
Sooo very exciting!! I love the showing of the teeth.
Can’t wait for them to get a closer look.
Elaine Reininger says
Wow–wow-wow–that’s all I can say. The video was just wonderful, showing who came out the chute and what was going on INSIDE. I LOVED seeing the inside as much as I did the outside and suspect it was a sacrifice to whoever stayed indoors to capture those indoor moments when every one else was outdoors. Loved the picking with the LOCK–it amazes me that she knows if that chunk of metal wasn’t there, she’d be able to get outdoors to see the newcomers better. Loved the aerial view outdoors that showed us where everything is. I can’t wait till they get closer to each other. You are so kind to include us all in this very happy moment; can’t thank you enough.
Karen and Don says
What a HOOT! Amazing first introduction. What is the next step. How do you introduce the 3 to the 7- one by one or as a group. Do you let the 3 out on the hill alone first?Could you please explain the process step by step? We are so excited that 3 more chimps can enjoy the freedom of the hill!
Linda says
Thanks again for that hill!
I can’t imagine they’d go one by one, because it would be intimidating to put one new one in with the old. A screen in the howdy door as the next step, so they can see/smell/vocalize some more, and get used to the others?
Barbara says
I just watched the great video. My beagle, Oscar, was in his pillow right under the computer.
When I turned the sound on he jumped up and went to the window and started to pace and
look around. Until it ended he was on “high alert” to see jus who or what was about
to invade the house. It was really pretty funny. I think he knows the difference between
human noise and animal noise. Thank you for the fun video.
Tobin says
“Burrito appears to be particularly interested in Mave…” Well, she’s one of the two new girls in town.
What a fascinating video. After making his first venture outside, I wonder where Willy ran inside to?
Linda says
I was wondering the same thing!
Neggie would have taken off after a few–no way she could possibly have slept through that whole thing. But yeah, he ditched, and we didn’t see him again!
Wanda Trotta says
It’s great to be able to watch this whole procedure!! So, will there be a competition for Jamie’s “boss” position do you think?