It’s World Chimpanzee Day!
Like Katelyn’s blog post from this morning stated, “July 14 has long been a special occasion being the day in 1960 when Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE started her trailblazing research on the wild chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Over the last half-decade we’ve made it extra special by marking World Chimpanzee Day on this day every year. This year, like every year, is a day of celebration – of chimpanzees and of our collective impact to help save them.”
Today, I’d like to write a few things about each of our fifteen chimpanzee residents so you can further get to know them. These are all my perspectives of the chimps, maybe other staff would describe them differently, so keep that in mind!
ANNIE
Annie is sweet, sensitive, and very aware. She is one of the least dominant chimps in her group, so she hangs back in certain situations. She is tall, walks bipedally through the grass, and makes the sweetest bird sounds with her mouth when she is completely content. Her best friend is Missy and feels the most comfort when she’s in her presence. Annie is very sweet towards humans, but doesn’t crave too much human attention.
BURRITO
Burrito is one-of-a-kind. Despite being 40, he has the most youthful energy I have ever come across. He is almost constantly playing and the easiest chimpanzee to make laugh. Burrito is always down for a game of chase, tickle, or tug-of-war with his caregivers. He is also perfectly content playing with his group members (like Negra or Foxie). He LOVES watching the neighbors (Cy’s group) out on The Bray or in the chute. The more drama he can watch, the better. Burrito almost always has some type of toy with him, to put in his mouth (typically a toy block or toy tool).
CY
Cy is the alpha male of his group. He is a very good, natural leader. Cy loves to read magazines, ones with exciting pictures of humans are his favorite. Some pictures scare him (rhinos, for example). He craves human attention. When he is in need of some caregiver time, he will let us know by being very noisy. Cy also loves movies, particularly chick flicks. Actually, I don’t know if that’s his favorite or our favorite. Cy is incredibly sweet towards his caregivers and is just happy to be in their presence. He just wants to be included.
DORA
Dora is small but mighty. Also, popular. She has strong relationships with nearly all of her group members. Dora’s best friend is Mave. Anytime there is conflict in their group, Dora and Mave will find one another to hug it out once the drama is over. Dora has unique mannerisms. Sometimes when she is in a silly, goofy mood, she will have to spin twice before beginning to walk somewhere. That’s hard to explain, maybe we will capture it on video someday. When we offer a food item to Dora that she doesn’t want, she will tell us “no” by shaking her head. Dora does not usually pay attention to us humans, but occasionally we will get lucky and she will spend some quality time with us.
FOXIE
Foxie is a silly, unique gal. Foxie loves to carry dolls, specifically Strawberry Shortcake (as of 2023). She is very rarely doll-less. Once a caregiver has been approved by Foxie, she will let them carry her dolls for her and then ask for them back when she’s ready. Foxie is considered lower ranking in her group, but she is close friends with everyone. Foxie is very playful. She is very particular about the humans she chooses to be close with.
GORDO
Gordo is a mysterious guy. Not because he’s actually mysterious, but because he’s harder to read than other chimps. Gordo is a quieter guy, who keeps to himself. However, he does love to groom his group members. When things are especially exciting, he and Willy B will chase each other with big, play faces and Gordo will do his infamous “bunny hop”. Gordo gets most excited over his morning smoothie and after he is done drinking it, he will carefully lower it to the ground, as to not knock the cup over. You can also always tell when Gordo is about to start walking or running somewhere, because he will scratch his torso a couple times beforehand. Gordo seems to really enjoy The Bray, the two acre outdoor habitat for his group. He follows Rayne anywhere on The Bray, but will still go out on his own if she’s not around.
HONEY B
Honey B is highly intelligent, sensitive, and mischievous. Ever watch the hose heist video from a few months ago? We posted a video of Honey B using a tool to steal a hose from outside of her enclosure one night after we closed up. Her process to stealing it and the joy she experienced as a result is highly entertaining, I must admit. It also encompasses Honey B’s personality so well. Go watch it now!
JAMIE
Jamie is the alpha of her group. While female chimpanzees are typically not the alpha in their social groups, it is more common in captivity. Jamie is dominant, highly intelligent, and assertive. She has eyes on everything, both chimps and humans, at all times. Jamie loves shoes, specifically cowboy boots. The first thing she seems to notice about someone is their footwear. Jamie also loves to read. She loves to read anything, but her favorites consist of bonobos. When she especially likes a page out of her books, she will rip it out and carry it in her pelvic pocket. Jamie is a great nest builder and will weave her blankets through the caging so her nest is nice and secure. Jamie likes all foods, but is partial to berries of all kinds, pears, corn, and leeks.
LUCKY
Lucky is the sweetest gal! She keeps to herself a lot within her group. She likes to groom her caregiver’s hands, as well as investigate their footwear. When Lucky is very excited, she will breathy pant while sticking her tongue out. Excited Lucky is easy to spot in a room because she will be sitting on one of the foot chutes, nearly jumping up and down, while breathy panting. She is very even-tempered.
MAVE
Mave is loyal, chill, and Dora’s #1 fan. Her hobbies include hanging with Dora, nesting with Dora, hugging Dora, playing with Dora, eating near Dora, etc. Mave also likes to lounge. Why sit when you can lay down? Mave couldn’t care less about us humans. She is focused on her social group and perfectly content with that.
MISSY
Missy is athletic, independent, graceful, and intelligent. If you ever watched Missy run on Young’s Hill, you would never guess she is in her forties. She is highly coordinated and makes all movements look easy. She is not human oriented and would rather focus on her chimp family. Missy is Annie’s safe space so they are often found together. Missy makes huge, elaborate nests. Missy is small and short in stature.
NEGRA
Negra, also known as Neggie, is the Queen. She is the oldest chimp resident at CSNW. She is wise and highly respected among her group. She will avoid the drama at all costs. She knows what she wants, when she wants it. Caregivers will know when Negra is ready for a meal because she will give us two quick claps to let us know to hurry things along. Negra is a chow and night bag enthusiast. She loves to be in her nest and will take over Missy’s, if Missy leaves an elaborate nest unattended. Neggie likes when caregivers dance for her. She will often nod along or dance a little, as extra encouragement to keep going. Neggie often offers kisses to her caregiver’s hands.
RAYNE
Rayne is socially savvy, confident, and sweet. Rayne is well-respected by her group members and is a friend to all. She loves to build nests, specifically with colorful sheets. When her group got access to their outdoor habitat for the first time, Rayne has no fear and walked out and explored like it was any other day. She still consistently takes advantage of the 2 acre habitat, while Terry and Gordo will typically follow her lead. Rayne is very sweet to her caregivers and enjoys gently grooming their hands. Like Gordo, she is also a smoothie enthusiast. If you offer her her breakfast fruit before she has had her smoothie, she will decline. Smoothie first, always.
TERRY
Terry is the sweetest guy in all the land. Terry is just happy to be here. He is a friend to all, socially savvy, loves shoes, loves to groom, and is even-tempered. He often offers kisses to his caregiver’s hands, then will stick his tongue out to lick them. Terry often makes raspberry noises, which you can hear in nearly all of our videos. Terry loves a game of chase and he loves to spit water on caregiver’s shoes while they are running. I know I said it already, but I want to emphasize it again. Terry is the sweetest.
WILLY B
Willy B is a strong presence, awkward, sometimes serious, and sometimes playful. Willy B works the hardest on his social relationships because it doesn’t come as naturally to him. However, he is quite close with Cy (the alpha), which is beneficial to him. Despite his awkwardness, Willy B has friendships with everyone in his group! He plays with everyone, when the time is right. He loves to watch videos and look at his reflection on camera.