Diana kicked off our Valentine’s series with a beautiful tribute to Nutmeg. And today I would like to highlight someone very important to this sanctuary, Cy. Cy is a pivotal individual in his group. Not only is he the alpha, but he is a phenomenal leader who keeps the peace and makes sure everyone is safe. Cy is not just a leader by strength, but he shows his strength in his kindness, his friendly attitude, his charming demeanor, being a loyal friend, accepting of others for who they are, and to top it all off he has a great personality too! With all of these attributes, I think you can see why it is easy to fall in love with Cy!
I mean, look at him!
Cy was born at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) in 1990. His records say that his father was Herbie and his mother was Sally. That means he is a full sibling to Lucky and a half sibling to Rayne and Honey B as well as numerous chimpanzees at other sanctuaries, including Binky at the Fauna Foundation in Canada. When LEMSIP closed in 1996, Cy went to Wildlife Waystation along with over 30 other chimpanzees. When Wildlife Waystation closed in 2019, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest continued our planned expansion to make a home for another group of chimpanzees in need. Cy arrived with the rest of the “Lucky Six” on June 26, 2021.
Cy is best known for his love of gossip magazines, specifically People! Sometimes when a chimp isn’t shifting, we may offer them something like juice to shift over. Cy on the other hand, is not easily persuaded by food. However, show him a People magazine and he will come running!
Something you may or may not know about Cy is that he has a real soft spot for rom-coms, specially anything with Stanley Tucci! Cy is also known to alarm call to what he deems as dangerous animals in books, such as: cows, rhinos, hippos, pigs, elephants, and giraffes. Often someone in his group, like Rayne, Terry, or even Gordo, will come to the rescue and grab the book or the scary page.
Last year Ellen threw an amazing birthday party for Cy with the theme of Stanley and gossip magazines!
Cy is most likely to be found lounging in a Greenhouse with a magazine in his signature position, laying on his back with his legs up.
Cy’s signature relaxation position:
Something that gets Cy out of bed in the mornings is a game of chase with his caregivers, followed up by a few sweet kisses or grooming the back of our hands. He gets so excited every morning, he runs down that stairs and bursts into a game of chase!
Cy is one of the most captivating and earnest chimps I have ever met. To be in his presence is a privilege, but the thing about Cy is, he is humble and a very gracious friend to everyone he meets. Cy doesn’t seem to realize how amazing he is, he is just excited to have you be a part of his life. I sometimes can’t believe how lucky we are to have a chimp like Cy here at the sanctuary. He is a calming presence for his group except for when he sees a dangerous animal in a book, though I guess that just means he isn’t afraid to be vulnerable with his group, but back to my point, Cy is gentle and he is patient. I have so many favorite memories of Cy because of just how kind of a person he is. But I think the real testament to Cy as a person and leader has been watching him help George learn how to be in a group. Cy is always by George’s side helping and protecting him when needed.
Cy currently has nine Chimpanzee Pals. Thank you for supporting our kind-hearted friend! If you’d like to become Cy’s friend, you can become his Pal here: https://chimpsnw.org/you-can-help/be-a-chimpanzee-pal/
