The past couple of days you have learned about the meeting between Terry and George during the process of integrating George in to a social group. You’ve probably seen the videos of Terry grooming George and playing with him. Well, today is just a general Terry Appreciation Post. (*whispers* ok, secretly it’s because I’ve had these photos for a couple days and was just waiting for my turn on the blog to share them plus it’s another staff meeting day and time is limited. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact Terry is just an incredible being.)
For those new to our sanctuary, Terry arrived at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in the summer of 2021. Before his arrival in the Pacific Northwest, Terry was living at the Wildlife Waystation in Southern California, a facility that housed rescued exotic animals before closing. He was sent to the Waystation in his adolescence from the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP).
From what we can piece together through records and former caregiver stories, Terry did live with Willy B, Honey B, and Dora in the early years at the Waystation. From what we can tell, another group was being put together so Terry and Dora joined Cy, Rayne, Lucky, and Gordo, whom came different groupings themselves. We are uncertain of the circumstances surrounding the decision, but regardless of why, these six would remain with each other to this day.
When the Lucky Six arrived, I had no idea what to expect from Terry. Here was this big, intimidating male who I knew nothing about. I was, in all honesty, terrified of him and Gordo in particular because they were the two I knew the least about from what we were hearing about the group at the time. Luckily, Terry almost immediately showed his true self once he was unloaded from the truck and given his new home.
Terry may look like a big, terrifying male, but underneath all that fluff of hair is the kindest, softest hearts you could ever meet. Hopefully you can see why Terry is such a great person to be one of the first who got to meet George. It is Terry’s kind heart and his lust for fun that makes him a character to instantly fall in love with. If you would like to help support Terry’s care, please consider adopting him in our Chimpanzee Pal program!
