Archives for January 2025

I thought it would be a good time for another quick update on our reintroduction process (see an initial overview here, and a previous update here).

Actually, there’s not much in the way of news to report. We are still holding steady with Gordo and Honey B in one group and everyone else in the reintro group. The reason for remaining so long in this stage is that while Willy has shown glimmers of improvement, his tendencies are right there at the simmering point, ready to boil over as soon as his enabler (Honey B) rejoins the group. So we’re not rushing anything.

What has Willy been doing? For the most part, it’s his usual combination of obnoxious displays that persist until they result in a fight and the occasional (but now far less common) bullying of poor Terry. At their current frequency and level of severity, they are tolerable. And Willy has actually faced more frequent consequences, which could potentially be a good thing. On two occasions, the group had enough of his behavior and they went after him, with only Willy B’s idol and savior, Cy, defending him. Willy walked away humbled, if only temporarily, with some scratches and bites to keep for a while as souvenirs of his encounters. For most chimpanzees, these would be learning opportunities but Willy is not known to be a quick study.

But back to those glimmers. On one occasion, when Willy was beginning one of his intimidation campaigns towards Terry, Terry ran right to Willy B and hugged him. That put an end to it. Could Terry learn to do that again? And would it continue to stop Willy in his tracks? Submissive behavior has never worked for Terry before so maybe awkward hugs are the key. I know they would work on me.

One of our next steps will be to sub Terry out for Gordo to see if Willy fixates exclusively on intimidating Terry or if, without Terry present, he would exhibit the same behavior towards Gordo. That would tell us something about where to go next.

You’ll notice from these descriptions that problematic group dynamics are rarely the result of one actor alone. There are dozens of chimp bullies out there and their group mates somehow manage to coexist with them (see: Jamie). And there are plenty of insecure chimpanzees in the world, who eventually manage to find their place in a group (see: Annie). For Willy, it’s a lack of status and sense of security combined with bullying tendencies combined with a target that overreacts combined with an overly protective alpha male combined with an enabler that likes to kick butt and ask questions later. So while you could say that Willy B is ultimately responsible, kick out just one of the legs that props this whole pattern up and you might have a different outcome entirely.

Now imagine all the potential solutions that these causes present and you’ll see why it’s such a difficult problem to solve. Perhaps Willy would just be happier in a smaller group. OK, but who would be forced to live with him? And would they be happier in a smaller group or would they suffer the missed friendships and the lack of community that larger groups provide? Maybe Willy just can’t live peacefully with Terry. Or maybe Honey B is just too bad of an influence on Willy. Which one of the three of them gets kicked out of the group and leaves their friends behind?

If the thought of Willy living alone as a possible solution crossed your mind, I understand. I know some readers still hold him responsible for the injuries Burrito received in an earlier intro attempt (the greatest trick Honey B ever played was to convince the world that Willy was responsible…). But as a staunch disbeliever in free will, who will happily annoy anyone within earshot of this opinion, I can only view Willy as a victim himself — of his upbringing, of his brain chemistry, of his circumstances — who deserves break, too. So we’ll keep experimenting with different reintro groupings, new behavioral medications, novel enrichment interventions, and so on, with the hope that we can find something that works for everyone.

On a lighter note, and the reason for this blog title: You have to appreciate Rayne for her ability to put a guy in his place.