Be Mine, Gordo

I have to be honest, I feel immense pressure to write a blog that accurately reflects how complex, yet amazing, Gordo is. He has so many quirks that make him stand apart from all of our other chimpanzee residents. Also, I’m still emotionally recovering from reading Katelyn’s blog about Foxie on Wednesday. How does one follow that!? However, just like Gordo himself, I’m going to do my best, but in my own unique way.

The phrase, “march to the beat of your own drum” perfectly describes Gordo. We have described him as aloof, because he is more reserved than the others. Gordo isn’t going to be the first person to greet his caregivers, he doesn’t often crave human attention like others (Cy and Terry), and seems to prefer hanging back and observing. He is not too keen on making a lot of eye contact with us humans, especially when it is not on his own terms. Often times, if Gordo is staring and watching a caregiver, he will quickly look away when they notice. He will then proceed to do a side-eye glance a few seconds later to see if the caregiver is still looking at him. It is one of his many quirks!

There is one corner in Playroom 2 that is Gordo’s “spot”. He doesn’t sleep there, nor spend the entire day there, but it’s a great spot for him to be close enough to all of the happenings within his group but also far enough from the Front Rooms where a lot of the bigger personalities hang out, while they’re trying to get some human attention. He doesn’t always hang out alone, but he does pick and choose the times he is being social and putting himself out there.

Gordo’s “spot” in Playroom 2. It has a great view of The Bray and is just steps away from the Front Rooms and the Chute.

Despite being a reserved guy, he really comes out of his shell when he wants to have fun. When Gordo is feeling silly and wants a caregiver to chase him, his movements are so subtle that anyone who is not familiar with his cues, could easily miss them.

Gordo initiating play with caregivers usually starts with a quick side-eye glance, immediately followed by him looking away. Next, while the caregiver playfully gestures towards him, he will start to scratch his torso and legs. This is when you know you got him locked in for an ultimate game of chase. Then, he will stand up and start hopping with his back legs (we have referred to this on the blog as a “bunny hop“). He loves being chased through the Playroom, out to the Greenhouse, and back. Sometimes, when he is really wanting to play chase but the humans aren’t picking up the cues, he will lightly tap on the floor with his knuckles, almost in a youthful, silly, impatient kind of way. Gordo also appreciates when caregivers wear silly accessories for games of chase. A Troll Mask, a jacket hood, or a blanket wrapped around you while chasing him is enough to make Gordo’s day.

Gordo often plays chase with the boys in his group. Anytime there is something exciting happening (such as a birthday party), it is almost a guarantee you can find Gordo “bunny hopping” with Willy B playfully chasing him from behind.

In social situations or conflicts, Terry and Gordo back each other up. They look out for each other, especially when Honey B or Mave is upset with one of them. Terry and Gordo spend a lot of quiet time together as well, often grooming or exploring The Bray.

Gordo (L) and Terry (R) on The Bray

I feel inclined to share with you something Gordo DETESTS.

He hates firehose knots. Firehose knots, one of our enrichment puzzles, is a strip of firehose that is twisted and knotted in unique ways, with nuts on the inside. The chimps needs to untangle the firehose to retrieve the nuts. Gordo seems to think that this is a waste of his time, especially if his caregivers are not going to help him with it. Nowadays, because we know he hates doing it himself and won’t,  caregivers now untangle and untie the firehose knots for him and then hand it to him through the mesh, as one single untied strip. He seems to appreciate this gesture, as once he sees we’re willing to do the work for him, he is suddenly interested in coming and collecting his nighttime puzzle.

Now, this is where things get a little wild and everyone nearby should duck-and-cover. Instead of Gordo opening the firehose slits at the ends  (like all the other chimps do) and dumping the nuts into his hands, Gordo whips the firehose onto the floor, as hard as he can. He doesn’t stop until he hears a nut go flying and hit a wall/floor/ceiling/bench/etc. Once he hears that, he starts hunting down the flying nuts, before his group members find them first. He repeats this method until his firehose strips are empty.

Recently, Gordo was doing this whipping technique in Front Room 7 near Cy, who sat there with his arms-crossed, watching. Once the whipping began, Cy sat there and sneered, seemingly hoping the firehose does not accidentally hit him (which it didn’t).

We have shown Gordo how to do firehose knots differently, but he prefers his way.

Gordo’s worst enemy, the firehose knots.

Gordo working on a raisin board. Peep the chopstick wrapper in between his toes!

If there is one thing you should know about Gordo is that if there’s a box, he will be sitting there. Especially during meal times.

Gordo’s favorite foods are pomegranates, avocados, chow, and potatoes that are not cut. Occasionally, we bake sweet potatoes for dinner and if the pieces are cut up (like they normally are to fit through the mesh), Gordo will decline. However, if it’s a baked sweet potato that hasn’t been cut-up, he will take it. He’s a particular guy, which we’re happy to accommodate for. I’m glad we can pick up on small things like that and make those adjustments, even if they seem silly.

Gordo also loves his daily breakfast smoothie. He happily grunts when he sees it coming and will find himself a nice place to sit so he can hold his own cup through the mesh. One of the sweetest things Gordo does, is when he is done with his smoothie, instead of just letting go of the cup like all the other chimps do (nearly giving us humans a heart attack from the loud sound), he will carefully slide it down the mesh, pinch by pinch, until it’s sitting upright on the ground. Then, he will leave. These are the little things that make my heart melt.

Gordo was born on July 19, 1988 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). According to his records, his mother was Andrea and his father was Les. Dora‘s father is also Les, making Gordo and Dora half-siblings. Gordo is half-siblings with many chimps at other sanctuaries.

Gordo greets Dora in the Riverview Greenhouse

When LEMSIP closed in 1996, Gordo and 30 other chimpanzees were sent to live at Wildlife Waystation (WW) in California. WW announced its closure in 2019, causing their 400+ animal residents needing to be rehomed. Gordo arrived here at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in 2021, along with his group members, Cy, Terry, Dora, Rayne, and Lucky. They since have been integrated with Mave, Honey B, and Willy B and now live in a group of nine.

Left to Right: Cy, Gordo, and Terry

Gordo currently has 4 Chimpanzee Pals that sponsor him: Vicki, Monica, LauRenn, and Desmond. Thank you, thank you!

Gordo somehow has the lowest numbers of Pals out of all the chimps. How can this be?! We hope you fell in love with Gordo today and feel inclined to become his newest Pal.