It’s impossible to overstate how important grooming is for chimpanzees.
Last Friday we did a reintroduction with Cy, Lucky, Willy B, and Mave. When we begin an intro, we bring the two groups together at the mesh, meaning they are allowed into adjacent rooms separated by a single wall of steel caging. This initial meeting, or “howdy,” allows everyone involved, both chimps and humans, a chance to assess the situation before progressing further. But being separated by mesh also allows the chimps – the males in particular – an opportunity to show each other what they are made of with little direct consequence. They usually announce their presence by pant hooting, banging the caging, throwing objects, and charging around the room. Their displays are so intense and so powerful that you find yourself saying a little prayer each time that the steel, bullet-proof glass, and concrete will withstand their abuse. As a caregiver you are trying to watch closely and make note of all of their behavior but the sheer volume of their banging and pounding scrambles your brain. These displays, sometimes punctuated by direct physical conflicts at the mesh, can go on for quite a while. Cy and Willy B’s displays took a full thirty minutes to subside.
But eventually something changes. At some point, the males have said everything they had to say, and the desire for companionship overcomes any lingering fear or insecurity. When their raucous displays were through, Willy B approached the mesh and extended an invitation to Cy – a soft breathy-pant and an almost imperceptible head bob. Cy refused to acknowledge Willy B’s gesture at first and continued thumping the back of his hand against the food chute. But Willy B persisted and over the next few minutes Cy’s displays grew quieter. At last, Cy came to the mesh where Willy B was seated and offered Willy B his fingers to be groomed.
Let me just state here that if I were designing chimpanzees from scratch, I would add another behavior or two in between We shall fight to the death! and Let’s place our fingers in each other’s mouths as a sign of trust. But here we are.
It’s at this point in the introduction when you finally allow yourself a brief moment to exhale. And it’s not just a relief for the humans watching from the outside. The other chimps involved, who have been staying out of the way lest they find themselves unwittingly caught up in the mayhem, quickly come to the mesh to meet with their partners. This is our chance! We generally allow the chimps to continue grooming or playing at the mesh until they separate on their own so that we’re sure they’ve had enough time to establish a modicum of trust. Often times they will begin pulling on the door to let the humans know they are ready to be together.
Once we open the door, though, the tension spikes again. It’s one thing to groom at the mesh – sure, no one wants to be bitten on the finger but when you are actually together in the same room the stakes are infinitely higher. Once together, Willy B approached Cy again, this time exaggerating his friendly requests for the sake of clarity. It’s OK, friend, let’s keep grooming! But Cy was anxious. Perhaps it was the fact that Mave was accompanying Willy B this time. After all, beneath all that fluff lies a pretty tough chimp. Cy resisted Willy B’s attempts to groom and anxiously dragged a cardboard box across the floor. Willy B and Mave were both patient and persistent, giving Cy the space he needed while offering him signs of reassurance. Finally, Willy B and Cy found themselves face to face, hair standing on end from both the excitement and terror of the encounter. Cy extended his arm to Willy B and they came together in a full embrace.
When chimps groom in a situation like this, the grooming itself is intense. The sound of the two males panting fills the room. Their teeth clack and their lips smack together. At one point Cy became overly excited and started to scream. As he screamed he gave Willy B an open mouth kiss on the neck – a gesture that is akin to biting but with gentle pressure. My heart stopped. Willy B turned around and Cy embraced him from behind, planting another open mouth kiss on his back. Despite Cy’s excitement, they maintained their embrace, and their trust.
As chimps continue to groom in situations like this you can feel the tension melt away. Their bodies release endorphins and oxytocin. Heart rates drop and muscles begin to relax. It’s OK. We’re OK.
At this point the other chimps in the groom begin grooming or playing if they haven’t already. Lucky tends to hang back and let others come to her. Mave was happy to oblige and the two climbed up on the bench to groom each other’s hands. After twenty minutes of grooming, the boys finally parted from one another and began grooming with the girls.
Eventually, the intro had to come to an end so that the process could eventually continue with other groupings and arrangements. Willy B and Cy had to be bribed with grapes to leave each other’s side.
*****
This morning there was a lot of drama within the group of six. Someone was upset with Terry, and though he probably started it, by the time we could see what was going on he had already entered his How could they do this to me? phase, which involves a lot – a lot! – of screaming. He’s a bit insecure for such a big guy. One unfortunate thing about screamers like Terry is that they unwittingly keep stirring the pot – if he could just calm down and compose himself, the scuffle would be over in no time. But his screaming elicits more fighting, which in turn elicits more screaming, and on and on we go. After about twenty minutes, the group had finally settled their differences – amazingly, without anyone suffering as much as a scratch.
Not long after the conflict, I glanced at the security monitor and saw Cy and Willy B grooming across the double mesh separating their greenhouse enclosures. It’s a open question at this point how the chimps will relate to one another if and when they reach the point of being fully integrated. Every grouping of chimps results in different dynamics that aren’t always predictive of how the group will be as a whole. And Cy and Willy B are two alpha males that will have to work hard to come to some sort of arrangement and understanding. But as long as they are grooming, there is hope.
*Photos above are scenes from an earlier introduction, in case they look familiar!
Thank you, J.B., for yet another elucidating blog post. If nothing else, it serves as further proof that, genetic similarities aside, there are distinct etiological differences between our chimpanzee cousins and our branch of the Evolutionary Tree. Conclusion: Chimpanzees are a fascinating species to observe, but, their behaviors and needs are such that they do not (cannot and should not) make suitable domestic pets.
Etiological was my new word for the day.
I get e-mails from a website that tests your vocabulary. That word would have given me the big red X, and also, “Sorry you are incorrect!”
I had today’s word correct but I can’t even remember what the word was!
L:aurie,
“Etiological” refers to a pattern of behavior. I only used it because I didn’t want to use “behavioral” twice in a sentence. As my friend who Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Psychology at Western Michigan University (and a native of my beloved Converse, Indiana) might put it, my word choice is due to a “avoidant reinforcement schedule”, specifically in this case, my attempt to avoid typing in the wrong word and, hence, further enhancing my reputation on this comment box as a mountebank. Now we know what Terry was screaming about.
Lol, Tobin, I’m a WMU grad! (undergrad)
Didn’t take Psych, though. Probably should have, but the gen ed offerings were limited for us
That was a real page turner. Minus the noise I felt like I was there! Do you ever get to the point where you just feel like yelling… “Would you please just sit still and be quiet?”
Thanks, J.B. Fascinating and insightful review of the happenings.
how will this play-out when the new outside area is ready for the crew…?
Hi Tom – That will take several more months so by then they should either be living as a group of nine or we’ll be stuck aranging occasional play date for those who like being together.
J.B., I could read or listen to your stories about the chimps in your care anytime. Especially when the topic is their behavior, personal interactions, or conflicts/resolution.
You have a gift of educating us on complex topics while making it seem as if you are simply painting us a story. I see and hear it all play out before me. My only complaint is that your “stories” end too soon.
Thanks for tonights bedtime chapter. I’m not sure how the story of the three and six will end but one thing I am certain of….they will live happily ever after no matter what.
I totally agree. JB, you need to write a book (in all.of your free time, ha ha) full of your experiences with our furry cousins. I would definitely buy it. Even a short story, that would be a great auction item for a fundraiser!
This artical was immensley interesting. I had no idea there was so much lengthly theatrics that the males required. Thank you for enlightening us.
Very interesting.
My view of Cy was always that he is a very calm chimpanzee, soley based on the photos we see of him reading and observing. I am so glad we are getting to know that he does scream, bang, pound etc. The first clue I had that my idea of Cy was wrong was the Christmas blog when he was so exited at the window that I didnt even realise it was him. Then Cad this week explaining Cy does use his strength when needed. Next, 2 days ago, Kelsi showed him playing which I dont think I had seen him do before, and now today with this discription, shows me he is not Mr Calm or Mr Zen as I had in my mind, but a typical chimp!
Sorry, CHAD, I didnt mean to call you a Cad !!!!
Oh sure, when Annie and Foxie do it, they’re “highly reactive”. Terry? “He’s a screamer!” :laughing:
Cy and WIlly B go from sharks to lambs in a matter of minutes. They could be lawyers.
Glad to hear things are still progressing! Thanks, JB
Oh sure, when Annie and Foxie do it, they’re “highly reactive”. When Terry does it? “He’s a screamer!”:laughing:
Cy and WIlly B go from sharks to lambs in a matter of minutes. They could be lawyers.
Glad to hear that things are progressing. Thanks, JB
This is all so fascinating. In a previous post i recall Cy being called a type of “political”
leadership style dominant alpha male chimp. for some reason i would have expected Cy to be the more calm of the two alpha’s and the more willing and patient one. Seems Willy took that position today. hopefully it gives Cy more confidence about next time they meet. thank you as always for a great blog!
Yes, I’d say that despite Cy’s generally relaxed nature, his displays during introductions are to be expected. It’s Willy B that has really surprised us! He loves to display, so when he dials it back during an intro it really speaks to how savvy he can be and how badly he wants to be with the boys.
I am curiou, is Willy B equally excited to meet withTerry andGordo or is he most interested in connectingwithCy?I am alsocuriousabout fourmales finding their wayin the hierarchy of a newgroup, especially withour girl HoneyB in the mix.How dominant will she be in her newpossible newroleto come?(Noneed to andwerhere but maybe posts gor anotherday.)
it’ll be interesting to see who’s second in line, since Cy has had 2 other males in his group for a while. For some reason, with Mave’s social skills and the fact that Dora and Beezus already love each other, I worry less that her nonsense will cause as much trouble without being clamped down.
Cy and Terry have been getting along great when they are the only two boys. A few weeks back I did a one-on-one with them and they played and groomed for 90 minutes straight, with no tension whatsoever! The few times that we’ve had Cy, Willy B, and Terry together, Terry has been a little anxious and Willy B has made it clear that he is Cy’s new best friend. So the dynamics always change when they are in a group. So far Gordo has been getting along great with the girls but he’s anxious around Willy B. They haven’t had any fights but they also haven’t spent much quality time together. We’re trying to force those interactions a little if we can but it’s always difficult to get the right chimps together. As for the girls, so far Mave and Lucky are the only ones that have really asserted their dominance. Rayne is great with everyone, Dora does well but can be anxious at times, especially if someone is ignoring her. The real star has been Honey B. She just wants to play with everyone she meets and has mostly stayed out of any fights that have occured. My take on Honey B is that she doesn’t care about being dominant but she wants to be respected and won’t bow down to anyone if they don’t deserve it. And she’s fearless so she won’t back down. But she hasn’t gone looking for any trouble during this process.
Thanks, JB. Interesting about Honey B. When you get the guys together, is there enrichment (like Cy’s magazines) available, or do you try to avoid that distraction?
Thank you J.B. It’s all so fasinating. Appreciated your description of Honey B. Attagirl.
And thanks for deciphering my message above, for some reason all the words ran together!
That was a Saturday morning nailbiter!
JB, I’ll tag onto what others have said — this is a wonderful “training” post for us to gain more insights into the dynamics of some of the politics among the chimps. Thanks for explaining some of the hierarcical issues so clearly. Cy seems to be a complex character — well, each of them is, and we get to see these various examples via the blog. Thanks for giving us such a full picture of these events.
This post is fascinating JB! Leaves Frans de Waal’s “Mama’s last hug” in the dust. While I’d love to see one of these sessions, your post left me feeling like I had been there.
Wow was this interesting! interpreting the chimps behavior must be like having to learn a whole new language. thanks for the insight!
Thank you Tobin. I actually looked up Etiological before I finished reading the rest of the blog! I can’t resist an interesting word. Maybe there’s a Hoosier element to it all.