George is one incredible chimp. So far in this intro process, he has surprised us with his adaptability, patience, and maturity that we didn’t know a 21-year-old could have.
Introductions are a process and not every chimp comes in feeling confident, even if it’s gone well in the past, and that is to be expected. Just like us as humans, we may carry anxiety about the unknowns of meeting a new person. It can take a few meetings to get comfortable with or understand an individual. This past Friday, Cy and George visited again for their third introduction. Their first intro was great, their second they both did fine, but overall we would describe it as a, meh. But this third visit, there was no hesitation at all. Cy and George right off the bat were ready to have the door open to see each other. George even let Cy groom him, which is something George seems to be trying to get more comfortable with. Though, we can’t be sure of the full reason, George did live alone for a few years and hasn’t been a recipient of grooming with another chimp for quite awhile, which is a very big component of bonding for chimps.
We are so proud of George for his progress, and we’re excited to see how his relationship with Cy continues to grow.
