I’m excited to continue our Be Mine series with the one and only, floofy, loveable, Mave.
Mave (also known as Mavis, Mavie, Mavie Baby, and/or half of the formidable pair known as Mora) came to CSNW on August 18, 2019 with Willy B and Honey B. Mave was born on September 25th, 1989 at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). Our records state that her mother’s name was LuLu, who was owned and kept for years by the Primate Foundation of Arizona, a ‘chimpanzee breeding colony and behavioral research center‘.
We’ve, thankfully, been able to learn more about Mave over the last few years. We originally did not know who Mave’s father was, but early last year we discovered that her father is Conrad– meaning that she is half-siblings with our very own Terry! They definitely resemble each other in both face and general floof level. It’s really comforting to know this detail about their lives.
We also learned the real date of Mave’s birthday! We had chosen to celebrate her birthday on May 27th, since her medical records had not included her date of birth. Then we learned that her actual birthday is September 25th, so last year we celebrated two birthdays for Mave (and also for Willy B)!
Mave spent the first seven years of her life at LEMSIP, before moving to Wildlife Waystation in 1996 when LEMSIP closed. She lived there for 23 years before coming to CSNW, after Wildlife Waystation closed due to financial difficulties. She now lives in a group of nine after the integration of her group with the ‘Lucky Six’.
During her time at LEMSIP, after she was taken from her mother and put in the nursery to be raised by human technicians, Mave lived with a male chimpanzee named Goliath. From the stories we have heard, they were a closely bonded pair. They continued to live together after moving to Wildlife Waystation for many years until he passed away.
It’s easy to fall in love with Mave.
She knows how to relax and enjoys spending time totally sprawled out on the floor, on her back with her feet up against the wall. She has the self-care concept locked down.
Mave also has some of the *best* food squeaks in the building. When we bring out meals, sometimes even before she has seen what’s on the cart, you can usually hear her high-pitched food squeaks through the foyer.
Mave loves, and she loves hard. When she has decided that you are one of her people, that’s it. She can take a while to warm up to the humans and I remember it took a while for her to interact with me outside of meals. I personally feel like I’ve seen a change in our relationship in the last few months, in the sense that I’ve spent more time grooming with her, knuckle-rubbing, or interacting with her through a game of chase. A year and a half of patience is totally worth it to be her friend. She is intentional in her relationships and we love her for it.
In her chimp family, she is the ‘Mo’- to Dora’s ‘Ra’. The two of them became fast friends when their groups were integrated and now they are almost always found within a few feet of each other. When they get excited or scared, they will often run into the others arms for a nice, reassuring hug. It didn’t take long for them to earn the nickname ‘Mora‘ from staff, since they are attached at the proverbial hip. They spend a lot of time grooming, sitting next to each other, playing, sitting near each other, napping (near each other)… They are the best of friends. Integrating two groups of chimps is stressful, but seeing the bonds they’ve all made with each other has made it worth it- especially these two. Mave lost Goliath, but she was able to find Dora and for that I am grateful.
Mave also has a bit of a saucy streak. The groups were integrated, she determined Dora was her person, and the next thing we knew she was putting a quick stop to a certain behavior from Terry. She looks out for her friends.
It’s not just with Terry that we’ve seen Mave stand up for something that she believes in. We’ve mentioned her complicated relationship with Gordo in the blog before, where she feels motivated to pressure him into giving up some of his food to her during meals. He’s gotten pretty good at avoiding her, but if she finds him he’ll give her an empty bag or the butt of a carrot instead of a whole item. It’s brilliant on Gordo’s part, and I think maybe it shows that for Mave it’s less about the food item and more about the power dynamic.
On the flip side of relaxing and intimidating Gordo, she is often found grooming or playing with her family. She can be so relaxed and then she’ll get involved in a fast paced game of chase that has her moving through all the chimp spaces! If you want to see more of her goofy side, watch the ‘Fall in Love’ video below. It’ll put a smile on your face, I promise.
We love Mave and we love that you all love her, too! Thank you so much to Mave’s current Chimpanzee Pals; Vicki, Monica, Sharlene, Heather & Jarrod, Craig & Kim, Lisa, and Laura.
Do you feel like you connect with Mave, a bit like how she’s connected to Dora? You can become her Pal, too! Click here for more.
Gabby says
I totally love Mave, and I love how much she resembles Terry.
Alas, I can be a supporting pal to only one, and I am sticking with my Cy!
Linda C says
Aw, poor little Gordo!
Now that we no longer have Jojo to generate new photos, I am nominating Mave as Most Photogenic Chimp as CSNW! She always has the best poses!
Can I get a second?
Maureen says
Seems impossible that it was almost 5 years ago she came to CSNW! I remember the earliest comments about her were always about how sweet and pleasant she was. It’s been fun watching her.
Tobin says
How can one not rave and rave about Marvelous Maeve?! Seldom is there a phone call from a friend of mine where we don’t talk about Mave, not only in her real life bringing joy to her environs at the Sanctuary, but also — since we can’t seem to get enough of her — speaking of her in our imaginary all-chimpanzee village where Maeve serves as Mayor (with her assistant Mayor in tow), making her rounds through the hamlet and bestowing high standards of grooming amongst the villagers. Our make-believe aside, I am so very glad that Maeve is part of the Sanctuary.
CarolR says
You better not let Jamie see you with those special socks, Mave!
Marcie says
Mave is the Miss Congeniality of the any group she’s been introduced to since coming to the sanctuary and how could you not just love her for that alone. That chubby square face of hers is so beautiful.
Cara says
Mave is so beautiful, I’m enamored! :heart_eyes: Is she 35 now?
Eli says
Mave is so cute and absolutely charming. Something about her and Terry’s fluff make them look like giant teddy bears.
After losing Goliath, I am so glad that she’s found Dora. It’s hard to imagine a time before the two were joined at the hip!
Kathleen says
MAVE! One of the most deliciously floofy chimpanzees people I have ever seen. I just love her face and that little dark dot in the center of her bottom lip. Mave seems to be such a sweet, caring person. I am certain that her unnatural childhood—being brought up in a laboratory (for 7 years!)—was traumatic. Mave’s friendship with Goliath must have been life saving and the joy of that bond appears to have stayed within her because Mave clearly loves to love and be loved. The biomedical laboratory couldn’t take that away from her despite their efforts to deprive her of motherly love.
I have two questions.
First, I am so happy Mave had Goliath in her life—at LEMSIP and at Wildlife Waystation. Loosing him must have been a deeply felt loss. Do you have any photos of Goliath or the two of them together? Does anyone from WW have a personal photo they could share with all of us who adore her?
It appears Mave was spared from experimental torture, correct? During her seven years at LEMSIP she never used in any form of testing or are her records so sparse you don’t know much about her time there? Would this be same with Goliath?
“Mora” is one of the most incredible outcomes of the hard earned integration. Mave and Dora’s friendship is so endearing. I couldn’t be happier for those two girls if I tried. And Mave’s demands for food from poor Gordo cracks me up. I am pleased to read Gordo has it all working to his advantage these days.
There’s more to Mave than meets the eye! Thanks for sharing her multifaceted personality with us!
Mark B. says
Mave is so beautiful–and the most distinctive-looking of all the chimps at CSNW.