Both Terry and George did so well with each other! It’s really interesting to watch George sit still while Terry is grooming him. Generally, chimpanzees reciprocate more readily. He did the same thing when we introduced George to Cy for the first time.
George does groom his human caregivers, so he’s not unfamiliar with it overall – grooming seems to be pretty hardwired in chimpanzees.
It’s hard to say what George is thinking. Maybe he’s playing it safe and making sure he doesn’t send the wrong signal or maybe being groomed by a big male is intimidating.
He’s really doing remarkably well for a 21-year-old chimpanzee who hasn’t had much social experience, and probably no social experience with adult males! Go George Go!
