This week is an intro week and I spent a lot of the day trying to get Dora alone so she could spend time with Honey B’s group. However, Dora is really hard to get alone. To make Dora a little more comfortable we decided to try to do a quad with all girls. Rayne kindly stayed with Dora and I think Willy B had a good laugh when I thought I could get just the girls. With all my best efforts Willy B decided he could not be left out. So today’s meet up was Honey B, Willy B, Rayne, and Dora. This intro made us all a little nervous, Willy B isn’t always the best at giving the girls the reassurance they might need and Dora is still a wild card for us. We had decided that we would just stick to the mesh unless there were a lot of positive behaviors at the mesh. Well, right off the bat they were breathy panting, grooming, reassuring each other, giving kisses, and playing through the mesh. We had to open the door, so we held our breath and we let them in together. Overall, it went really well! Near the end Dora and Willy B had a miscommunication, which led us to separating them. As you will see in the video Willy B was having a blast with Rayne and Dora! What you all might not know is that Willy B and Dora have met a few times and they were non-eventual, but today Willy B really learned how Dora wanted to play! At first he was overwhelming her, so he backed off and waited for her to come to him. To see how far Dora and Willy B have come is really spectacular. Though it didn’t end on the highest note there was a lot to take away from this intro!
Also Rayne is the best at introductions! She is so good at making the other chimps feel at ease, she gives reassurance when needed, and distracts others by instigating play instead of screaming when they are nervous. She is one of a kind.
Linda C says
Thanks, Kelsi! I did indeed notice a lot of the 3, and that Dora was sometimes missing.
Glad to hear the Big Man is learning how to be friends with Li’l Dora.
I love Rayne’s way of incorporating the box into her game of chase!
Kelsi says
Yes, the box was a big hit! I have never seen Willy B that silly. I was really proud of him! Willy and Dora have never had interactions like that before, that was a huge step forward! And I think Willy B really likes Rayne, who wouldn’t :)!
Michael Manchester says
I would have been more interested in seeing the miscommunication and how you separate them when necessary. For example, do the chimps respond when called by name? Love your videos, but we’ve seen a lot of general play already. i don’t think it would be detrimental to your mission to show when things don’t go smoothly, but maybe you feel otherwise.
Robert Boose says
i agree that it would be nice to see how the chimps respond to each other even qhen its not positive. i do not enjoy watching chimps fight. but i do like to see the behaviour that leads up to the disagreements and how they end up interacting afterwards. watching them play is great, but there is more to chimp group dynamics that is so interesting.
Pamela says
Yes, I always wondered about that as well. It would be most interesting and informative.
Kathleen says
If you type “conflict video” into the search bar at the bottom of the page, you’ll see many informative posts on the subject.
While not a current video, here’s and excellent breakdown of a conflict between the seven from 2014. J.B. does an excellent job breaking it down step by step : https://chimpsnw.org/2014/09/conflict-and-reconciliation/
Hope this helps!
Linda C says
An oldie but a goodie, Kathleen!
Kelsi says
Hi Michael. I completely understand wanting to see the miscommunication and how we separate the chimps. However, once a fight breaks out, particularly during introductions with chimps who do not have a strong relationship yet, our main priority is their safety. There are only so many of us and we don’t have time to film it. I can say, that day I did ask Honey B to move over to front room 7 and she did move over, but I can’t say that is because I asked. She saw the door was open and walked over so I could close it. If it’s just a lot of screaming we don’t necessarily separate them, but if it looks like it is escalating or there is actual contact we do our best to close doors and give everyone a break to calm down. If they seem calm we try to let them go back together so they can reconcile.
We actually have an amazing opportunity for blog readers or anyone who is interested in learning more about our introductions. Diana and our colleague Jen Feuerstein who we consult with for our introductions recorded a discussion about introductions. In the video, they address the complicated process that goes into integrating the two chimp groups. I really encourage signing up for this discussion with them! https://chimpsnw.salsalabs.org/registrationforintrovideodiscussionwithjen/index.html
Kathleen says
Can I give some credit to The Box? What a great icebreaker that romaine lettuce cardboard box turned out to be. (Gordo wouldn’t be surprised by that revelation). Rayne zipping through the box to tease Willy B was so funny. And then the box makes for a great scooting mat for Dora while Honey B drags her by the legs. (And oh that look on Dora’s face, her eyelashes get to me every time!) Good luck with the rest of your meetups this week.
As for Boss Jamie, did she pre approve the Quad playgroup today or did you go over her head?
Kelsi says
I love something so simple like a box becomes the best enrichment you could ever give them. I tried hard not to laugh, but I could help myself! My favorite was Willy B putting his head in the box with a big play face! Oh yes, Jamie did not approve of this quad! She tried for a long time to break down the door. Caregiver Sofia kindly tried to hang out with Jamie to distract her :).
Mark B. says
Where was Mave?
Kelsi says
Hi Mark! Currently we have been doing intros in even numbers so 2 on 2s or 3 on 3s, eventually we will be doing odd numbers. So Mave was in the Playroom, while Willy B and Honey B were doing the quad intro.
Tobin says
Oh, what could be better than a play date with Rayne?! What an ingenious use of the box as a tunnel to outflank Willy. Given how rough Willy can play, it is heartening to watch Dora keep apace with him. Perhaps because Dora and Honey B’s groups had spent a number of years at the Wildlife Waystation in the presence of other chimpanzees with whom they could interact, members of their respective troops might possess more of the social skills conducive to encountering and interacting with chimps outside of their immediate troop. Perhaps, then, in time, a full integration may be possible; I hope that Cy and Lucky can join their sisters.
Kelsi says
Right?! Everyone loves Rayne! She is really intuitive in intros. Yes, Willy B plays pretty rough! It was so cool to see him adapt to what Dora needed at the moment.
Kim Harris says
I am so pleased and encouraged to see how overwhelmingly positive the intros are going. It’s obvious the decision to go slow and steady was the right call.
Watching Rayne engage Willie B with that box made me laugh out loud. Dora seems so shy and sweet; I’m sure Mr B can be a little too gregarious at times for her. But it sounds like he is learning how to make her more at ease.
I too have wondered how y’all go about separating the chimps when the need arises. Considering tensions may be running high when that happens, it seems the chimps may not be as responsive as they normally are. I’m excited for the Q&A with Jen to learn more about the overall process. Any word on a date for that?
Kelsi says
I don’t know the date yet, but I am sure Diana will announce the date soon! We are all really looking forward to this Q & A. Intros are a complicated process and I think this will really help understand what goes into integrating two groups :)!
Jeff Jones says
Kelsi, you have done and continue to do an amazing job of posting things that are not only informative but also enjoyable to watch. You always strike the right tone in balancing what is important to show that augments your text. I got a kick out of hearing Jamie knocking in the background. Was she trying to get the others attention? asserting her dominant position in the hierarchy, or was she just trying to distract Sam, who we saw sitting in the background watching the goings on? Seems like a lot of times when we see Sam she is just quietly observing, does she actually work there, LOL?
Linda C says
I’m sure Sam works.
As they do these new intros, there’s always more than one person watching/getting footage. it just depends on who is working each side
Kelsi says
Thank you Jeff! I think Jamie was trying to kick down the door to get Sam to go on a walk with her ;)! Jamie had me laughing because was knocking for 5-7 minutes! She is nothing if not persistent!
Judy J says
What an enjoyable & informative video. Glad the intros went well & hope they continue to. I enjoyed watching the chimps playing with with the box
Kelsi says
Thank you, Judy! I can usually hold my laughs back while filming, but Rayne was just too funny! And Willy B in a box, he was amazing the whole intro!