Before I came to work here at CSNW I would read the sanctuary’s blogs and when there was mention of Lucky it was always about how excited she is to see her caregivers in the morning and how she is the best at greeting them and lifting their spirits. So of course I assumed we would be fast friends since I had met and worked with so many chimps in the past, obviously this would be an easy one. Not so. With Lucky trust takes time.
Over my first few months here Lucky did a good job of hazing me; I was given the cold shoulder, she would interrupt when I was shifting the group between areas, and occasionally she would try to poke me during meals if I wanted to hand her an item. After awhile I noticed how Lucky tends to hang in the background and is less outgoing than some in her group so I went out of my way to hang out with her when the rest of the group was otherwise occupied. Just the other day during lunch Dr. Erin was helping serve watermelon to the group and at the end of the meal she offered leftover watermelon juice to some of the boys and I could see Lucky watching from above with a look of longing so I mentioned how Lucky would probably like some of the juice and when Dr. Erin offered her a drink I could see the absolute joy in her eyes to be noticed and included. I think this is the key to Lucky’s heart – respecting her more introverted personality but offering to include her in case she is interested.
I am happy to say that after about six months working with Lucky we have slowly started to build our own relationship and most mornings now include a friendly greeting and some grooming before we start our day. Some days the quiet moments in the morning with Lucky is the only quiet time I get that day so I definitely enjoy these those zen moments with my fellow introvert.
Wow, Lucky sure loved that pine cone! Thank you Sabrina, I’ve always thought that Lucky seemed shy but was taking in everything abou her
That’s sweet, Sabrina.
Watermelon juice…:yum:
Thank you for the Lucky post, She seems like she is worth the time to get to know.:revolving_hearts:
And I love the concentration on her face with that P.B. cone.
I think she is Beautiful !
I’m glad you have taken the time to really get to know Lucky and that she feels comfortable with you. I think you made points with her by suggesting she be given the watermelon juice..she won’t forget that sweet gesture.
So Beautiful…..I Guess they lick their hands clean……..that’s some sticky stuff there….. Welllll they definitely have the Tongues :tongue: to do the job 😉
There is something about Lucky. Something quiet and sweet. She pulls at my heartstrings. You made my day, Sabrina, mentioning the story about Dr. Erin and the watermelon juice. This! “… when Dr. Erin offered her a drink I could see the absolute joy in her eyes to be noticed and included. I think this is the key to Lucky’s heart – respecting her more introverted personality but offering to include her in case she is interested.”
I guess all that special time you spent with Lucky paid off. You discovered who was hiding inside her shy shell. It must be extremely rewarding to build a friendship with a chimp like Lucky. You really are so very “lucky”!!
How sweet! Shy little Lucky is blessed to have such an understanding friend.
Thank you for the post and the footage. We could all learn a lot from Lucky about mindful eating. 🙂 Beautiful, mild-faced girl.
I love how you have so much experience but even for someone like you, there can be challenging individuals. one of the things I think is really important is that a lot of people just see a species of animals, they don’t see that each of them are individuals with their own likes and dislikes and their own distinct personalities. thank you for allowing Lucky to be herself!