Building a friendship with Gordo has been an extremely rewarding experience. For those who follow our blog, you may have heard us describe him as “aloof” or “shy”. In general, Gordo takes time to warm up to people. Gordo is an observer, and to earn his friendship, you in return have to be observant enough to notice his subtle tells. However, Gordo is quite a silly guy when you get to know him. For example, one day, I brought a long cardboard tube back to Cy’s side of the building to be able to play with one of the chimps. To my surprise, Gordo was the first chimp to want to be poked with the cardboard tube. He wanted to be poked/tickled on the back on his neck, side, and butt! Gordo thought it was the funniest thing and would start breathy panting which turned into a game of chase, bunny hop and all.
Being Gordo’s friend also means you have to have the patience to allow him to be a little spit-y or pokey! Often, Gordo incorporates spitting water while playing. He is not alone in that either, Foxie loves to spit water and spin away, before coming back to do the same thing all over again!
Finding a relaxed Gordo who wants to sit and groom really takes the cake – it’s such a rarity!
