Before I came to work here at CSNW I would read the sanctuary’s blogs and when there was mention of Lucky it was always about how excited she is to see her caregivers in the morning and how she is the best at greeting them and lifting their spirits. So of course I assumed we would be fast friends since I had met and worked with so many chimps in the past, obviously this would be an easy one. Not so. With Lucky trust takes time.
Over my first few months here Lucky did a good job of hazing me; I was given the cold shoulder, she would interrupt when I was shifting the group between areas, and occasionally she would try to poke me during meals if I wanted to hand her an item. After awhile I noticed how Lucky tends to hang in the background and is less outgoing than some in her group so I went out of my way to hang out with her when the rest of the group was otherwise occupied. Just the other day during lunch Dr. Erin was helping serve watermelon to the group and at the end of the meal she offered leftover watermelon juice to some of the boys and I could see Lucky watching from above with a look of longing so I mentioned how Lucky would probably like some of the juice and when Dr. Erin offered her a drink I could see the absolute joy in her eyes to be noticed and included. I think this is the key to Lucky’s heart – respecting her more introverted personality but offering to include her in case she is interested.
I am happy to say that after about six months working with Lucky we have slowly started to build our own relationship and most mornings now include a friendly greeting and some grooming before we start our day. Some days the quiet moments in the morning with Lucky is the only quiet time I get that day so I definitely enjoy these those zen moments with my fellow introvert.
