Cy is the leader of his family of nine chimpanzees. Contrary to popular myths about alpha male chimpanzees, he is kind, gentle, and caring. He is at times a reluctant leader—one whose dominant status has been bestowed upon him out of admiration and respect rather than being sought after and achieved for its own sake. But when called upon, he never fails to meet the needs and expectations of those who count on him.
Cy was born in 1990 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery In Primates (LEMSIP). He was taken from his mother and raised by humans, splitting time between the nursery playroom and a small cage suspended off the floor. He would likely have been subject to HIV or hepatitis vaccine trials but LEMSIP closed their chimpanzee research program in 1996 before he could enter the the adult wing of the lab. Cy was then transferred to the Wildlife Waystation in California, where he would live for over two decades. In 2021, he came to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest along with his full sister, Lucky, and his half sister, Rayne, as well as Terry, Dora, and Gordo. A year later they were integrated with Willy B, Mave, and Honey B, who is also Cy’s half sister.
Cy at LEMSIP:
When he is isn’t called upon to lead his family, Cy can often be found sitting by himself in a corner, flipping through magazines. His favorite subjects are animals (but no cows, please!) and the latest celebrity photos from People and Us Weekly. He also loves spending time with his caregivers, playing quiet games of “tickle” or raucous games of chase. Among his favorite foods is corn on the cob—one of the few things for which he will exact a tax on his group mates (but even when he steals food, he does it in a kind and gentle manner!).
One of Cy’s most important roles is that of mentor and protector to his second in command, Willy B. His ability to accept Willy B’s anxieties and social challenges and approach them with patience and understanding is practically saint-like, and almost certainly a primary reason that Willy B has finally been able to live in the larger social group he deserves.
Cy’s new life at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has been made possible, in part, by his Pals Monica, Daniel, Aprile & Robert, Emily, Thomas & Ranu, Katherine, Matthew, Penelope, Fritzie and Tami, who sponsor his care. You, too, can become Cy’s Pal or give the gift of sponsorship to someone you love.
After all, it’s hard not to fall in love with Cy.
Stolen from his mother, raised as an infant in a cage…I know, I know, but it still angers and grieves me.
At least Cy and his sisters have a good place — a sanctuary — in which to live now…
The world, and I mean the entire wirkd not just the chimp world, needs more Cys. He leads with intelligence and kindness. His hard luck early in life has not prevented him from becoming a leader and friend. Watching his gemrle interactions with Willy B. is anazing. He reminds me of the movie “Toy Story” song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.”
I’m curious J.B., has Cy seen the CSNW bovines and been startled the way he is by photos of cows?
So true
Cy is a devastatingly handsome dude… with a personality to match. He and is various siblings.. as well as all the others at CSNW have the absolutely BEST home they could possibly have. Bar none IMHO. Willy B is so fortuante to have Cy as his protector, mentor, “brother”-friend. Thank you CSNW!
Cy would be my perfect valentine! we both have sticky up hair on the top of our heads and we love to read magazines! Happy Valentine’s Day to all the chimps and care staff! You all bring lots of love into a world where it’s really needed
What always surprises me is that he sits and reads his magazines just as we would and 99% of the time, they’re the right way up and he turns the pages the “right” way too! I see he’s planning his Spring vegetable garden…..what a man, and sooooo good looking as well. He’s got it all!
Carl R. I see I am not the only one who has been amazed that he and jamie almost always have the magazines right side up which proves their intelligence and awarebess of wha they are looking at.
Cy’s leadership skills are impressive no matter how or why he ended up leading. Clearly the group voted him in because of his thoughtful decision making. I will always be grateful to Cy for providing Willy B a safe place at his side and within the group. Speaks volumes for who Cy is. Plus, Cy is handsome, well read, and not afraid to show his more vulnerable side. What’s not to love!
And look how adorable Cy was a youngster. Heartbreaking.
Following your links J.B., I revisited the NPR interview (and TED Talk) with Franz De Waal discussing alpha males. This section sounds so much like Cy and Willy B with Willy being the groups underdog. It was the concept of an effective alpha playing an “impartial” role that really caught my attention. Very interesting.
“ DE WAAL: And so he [the alpha male] stops the fight between them [two females] and stands between them like this. And it’s very interesting to me that alpha males – when they do this, they become impartial. They don’t support their mom or their best buddy or – no, no. They stop fights, and they come up for the underdog in general. And this makes them extremely popular in the group because they provide security for the lowest-ranking members of the group. And so they become impartial, which is an unusual condition for a chimpanzee to be in because they’re usually very fond of their friends and so on. And these alpha males who are good at this – they can be very effective at keeping the peace in the group.”
Interesting, isn’t it? You can see how virtues like fairness may have evolved – because they are good for groups and thus the individuals within those groups. No need to posit that humans were magically or divinely endowed with such gifts (not that we utilize them very often, anyway).
Cy is indeed a superstar!
He is lucky to live at the Sanctuary and the Sanctuary (not to mention his group members) is lucky to have him in residence.
Beautiful and courageous Cy. Heartbreaking photo of him in his cage at Lemsip. In the name of science of course. Despite the odds stacked against Cy’s destiny he eventually made it out of Lemsip and found love and a forever home -and some of his family joined him . Cy the survivor, leader of chimps and just plain adorable. He has my heart.
Oh Cy. Handsome, gentle, well read, a good leader… What’s not to love? He’s the total package. It really warms my heart to see how he’s such a good friend to Willy B, helping him to navigate the social order despite Willy not always making it easy. We all need a Cy in our lives!
And that baby pic! It breaks my heart to see him as a tiny child in a laboratory cage. You can definitely see the resemblance to current Cy in terms of appearance, though! I’d be really interested in seeing baby (or at least younger, when it comes to the seven) pictures of everyone if you have them! I think a picture of little Mave appeared in a National Georgraphic article.
Oh my heart!!! I cannot express how much I love this guy… he really is one of a kind and I’m beyond honored to have known him from his Waystation days. To see him and his troop mates thrive at CSNW has been remarkable. I agree with all above who say we all need more Cys in this world! The picture of him as an infant brought tears to my eyes… oh but look at him now! Big and handsome, kind, and so charasmatic! The perfect valentine!!