Change can be hard for George, but it’s a little easier now that he has a family. Watch as he relies on his new friends for comfort while navigating a positive but unexpected change in the routine.
With a Little Help From My Friends
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
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So their favorite room is “the spying room” !!!
He really does have a family at last and it’s wonderful to see that they all care about him. The surprise yesterday was seeing Gordo grooming him….who would have thought? I originally thought little Dora would be the first introduction, but she was the last…..is our sweet little girl a bit more fiesty than her innocent face suggests? Anyway, now, she’s in with the hugging crowd!
Dora was saved for last because she could go with Willy B, Honey B, and Mave, which ensured that no one would have to be alone for the final stage of the introductions process.
i am so happy for George. All of you have done such a great job with him and picking a geoup for him to be a part of. i am so glad to see how caring the other chimps are with George.
i havent seen in the posts since I started watching, when George joined you. Are any of the chimps capable of bearing babies? i cant help but wonder if their is ever romance in these groups.
I wouldn’t call it romance, but some of the chimps in this group do copulate 🙂 True sanctuaries don’t allow breeding, so all of the females capable of reproduction are on hormonal birth control and the males are all vasectomized.
George has a lot less self confidence than I thought. I really need to watch more video’s of him with others. Most of the ones Ive seen only had him and a few with just one other chimp. This is one of the first I’ve seen him in a group and he needed a lot of support and reassurnace. It was a bit surprising and shows how far he still needs to go. I know its not all rainbows and butterflies in a chimp troop and he will end up in arguments and maybe even scolded but he’s surrounded by chimps that are obviouosly helping him adjust.
He’s only been with the whole group for a week or two; dynamics probably haven’t solidified completely.
Leaving a big internet love and hug <3 here for George
Where would any of us be without our family and friends? George is in excellent hands. (On both sides of the mesh!)
I guess its possible the chimps like the front rooms due to living conditions in their previous lives. More close quarters, less room to roam. I know we think once freed they would B-Line straight for the outdoors and space but maybe familiar conditions are more appealing?
Further to the copulation question, since they were not raised in a troop they probably havent seen mating, or at least much of it. I think mother nature probably comes into play and why some are doing it. The girls still have those enlarged rear areas when its their time so the boys have to notice the change and the smells. Have you noticed the copulations increasing or spreading to other chimps? Maybe once they see it they learn from each other and copy the behavior? Good for them…LOL
I was wondering re the outdoors, do you guys clean up their droppings or just leave it natural and allow it to composte in the soil? I think wild chimps have some general habits about deficating. They dont poop in their nests or where they sleep but may poop off the side. They dont step in their own poop, they lusually leave it off their path of travel. They poop from raiseded areas like a log or a tree branch. Do our chimps follow similar habits outdoors? If you leave it on the grounds do they avoid it or dont care? I know wild chimps also have some basic hygiene practices and keep themselves clean, do our chimps do similar? Sorry for the newbie questions but just trying to get to know our wonderful chimps and their habits better.
Cheers…
Here’s a link to a previous blog. I don’t know about outside.
https://chimpsnw.org/2020/10/potty-talk/
Well, holy cow…lolo. Seek and yee shall find.
Thanks so much Linda.
:sunglasses:
With regard to your questions about copulating, most captive male chimps do not copulate, even though most show some interest in the females’ swellings. So there is indeed a learned/cultural element to the behavior, which can be disrupted by being raised in a nursery/human home/lab cage. To date, we have only seen Terry copulate regularly, with Gordo copulating with Dora very recently (I’m spilling the beans here). Dora has an exceptionally large swelling right now, likely due to George’s presence in the group. Females will often spontaneously swell in the presence of unfamiliar males, which we think is an evolutionary adaptation to reduce aggression and/or infanticide.
Oh, great, now we have to buy Gordo a banjo….
Interesting, thank you J.B.
How thrilling was it to see Gordito and George grooming! Gordito needs a friend, too! And if change takes some adjusting for George, at least he feels comfortable reaching out to his friends, and Cy, Rayne, and now Dora are all pretty responsive!
I was also going to say, now I know why you guys sometimes struggle writing with blog ideas under pressure. You’ve got someone hanging over your shoulder!:smile: