If I could pick one word to describe Ester I would have to say “stubborn.” She is a lady who knows her worth and if she’s not feeling it, it’s not going to happen. The girl simply cannot be bothered.

When it comes to positive reinforcement training, you never know what mood she will be in. Sometimes you can walk in and she comes right down from her usual spot to engage and get some attention, tickles, and goodies. Other times, she’s so comfortable in her spot that even the enticement of a snack isn’t good enough for her. While that can be frustrating to her trainer (myself), we respect the hustle.

Speaking of getting the girl to move, group moves are a whole other story. At Chimp Haven, we often rearrange the locations of our chimp social groups, asking them to move to a new living space to provide novelty or to meet the overall needs of the colony. While Ester is usually willing to make her way through the chute systems that connect all the chimpanzee living areas at the sanctuary, outdoor chutes are a no-go. Of course, at Chimp Haven, it’s always her choice. We once lied in wait for more than five hours to see if she would move through an outside chute and follow her family into another living space. She won that round, and her entire group moved back to her that day.

Ester is so cute, with her pink muzzle and two teeth and crooked fingers (the effects of arthritis). While she may look like a sweet, older lady on the outside, looks can be deceiving! (Just kidding, she is very sweet, but when things get wild you can usually find Ester in the middle of it all.)

Her social group’s alpha, Tabu, loves to get worked up and display at his neighbors across the hall. He puts on quite a loud show, banging on furniture and mesh. Usually if you go to see what he’s doing, you’ll also find Ester, bipedal and swaying to the drums of his display. She’s usually in the other room, so she doesn’t mess up his mojo, but she’s a supportive lady who’s just matching her alpha’s vibe.

She’s always been an excellent friend in the group and you can tell the other members feel at ease with her. You can often find them lounging together on a shelf or outside on their structures.

Ester is a staple here at Chimp Haven. She is well-known and very loved by humans and chimps alike.

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Bischk is only 39 years old, but looks a few decades older than that, resembling the late great Maggie Smith in her role as Professor McGonagall. Her face is creased with wise wrinkles and dark brown eyes shine with clever intelligence, evaluating the world around her with unmitigated judgment. To stand in Bischk’s court is to be found guilty until proven innocent via covert handoff of dried fruit or popsicle. She is cunning and relishes mischief, stealing spoons and making people jump with a well-placed prod of her long fingers.

Her passion for causing trouble comes second to how much she loves to eat. With an enviable metabolism, she maintains a sleek frame no matter how much she eats, and her appetite is clearly communicated by her impatience when she sees food coming her way. Her demands are communicated via a charming lip smack unique only to her and an endearing pout, pushing her lips out at caregivers with her most convincing wet eyed plea, only to repay any generosity with a haughty jab of her fingers when you’re found empty handed.

When Bischk and I started our training together, she was eager to show me everything she knew, a flurry of limbs as she offered to present everything at once as fast as she could manage it. She found it faster to just try and guess what was going to be asked next than wait for the hand signal. The result of her intelligence was frustration with me when I refused to reward her for trying to mind read rather than look at my signal.

We went through a painstaking period of training for focus and attention, a foundation based on studio animal training. The first thing a dog actor being trained to work in films is taught is to look not at the treat, but at the trainer. That focus is critical to catching the next cue that will indicate it’s time to bark, beg, or roll over and fulfill their role in the scene. Applied to Bischk, who was training for medical behaviors, this was to enhance her attention span and patience. Session after session Bischk was peppered with treats for eye contact and attention to the hand signals being given. She both enjoyed and loathed these moments as this was a new request she hadn’t faced. Focus is an incredibly abstract concept to develop in an animal, especially in a chimpanzee who has a vivid inner life and motivations.

Another hurdle was Bischk’s proclivity for petty theft. As the embodiment of the idle hands saying, she often found it much more fun to steal the cue stick pointing at her body parts. She had good reason, often these items can be held for ransom, bartering plastic spoons for a peanut. While this was indulged at first, she started to try and take it more often, so we transitioned to letting this be her method of ending the session. It only took two instances of packing up after losing the cue stick for her to quit that habit. One of the things that makes training with apes so remarkable is how easily they connect cause and effect. It represents what intensely complex, social animals they are to be able to infer that something they do can cause a reaction in someone else, even in another species.

Without words we were able to come to an agreement that I would not work with her if she took the tools needed for a training session. And in turn, she told me clearly that she valued our sessions enough to set aside this hobby of hers (at least during training). It was a critical step to introducing the use of medical tools like thermometers and portable EKGs into her learning.

Today, Bischk is an entirely different trainee than when we started. She keeps her eyes on hand signals, looking to see what is being asked with immense patience. From a rough start at short, five-minute sessions, Bischk can now train almost indefinitely with ardent attention, as long as the food keeps flowing. Looking back at when this training relationship began with Bischk a year ago, it is impossible to imagine that she would ever have sat still long enough for a Kardia reading. Staying still is hard enough for people, it’s even more inspiring to see a chimpanzee do it, calmly seated with two fingers on the sensitive metal pads of the miniature EKG reader having her heartbeat monitored, without a word passing between us.

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Pocket Peanut
It’s an obvious one, but you learn right away that all’s fair in love of food. One of the biggest hurdles of being a lower ranking chimp is that getting your daily banana isn’t so straightforward. So for us with low ranker chimp friends, having a pocket snack is the way to go. Whether it’s a banana, peanut, fruit gummies, or carrot, sometimes the illusion of being empty handed is the easiest way to hand off the goods.

Rendezvous
Every chimp’s home has a few hidey holes, corners where the rest of the group can’t see some chimpie easily or there’s a convenient barrel to stand next to. Some of the lowest ranking chimps are the cleverest and will walk new people to these secret spots where it’s the perfect place to get an extra snack and no one else will be the wiser.

Play It Off
For a lot of our chimps playing is their favorite thing in the world. Whether it’s with another chimp or a caretaker, they will drop anything to come bounce and laugh. For some of our big boys, they can be convinced to keep their hands off a friend’s snack with a couple stomps. You learn who your playful boys are by watching the group. When things get tense, our fun loving kids will get right up in a big, fluffy boy’s face and start bobbing their head, and suddenly the whole situation diffuses. Stomping has been the saving grace of many caretakers.

Bait and Switch
Some of the tricks of the trade aren’t even handled by caretakers. Chimpanzees are deviously clever of their own accord. One of the best tricks some of our chimp geniuses have shown off is peeling their banana along the side (not from the top like us) and the result is a very convincing whole banana. They drop this empty skin when they see the alpha eyeing their snack and nine times out of ten this gives them the exact amount of time to run off with the actual banana and eat while the alpha is left opening an empty skin.

Sharing is Caring
Often there’s just no getting around having a swarm of begging chimp faces and only having one piece of food. When the chimp who was intended to get that snack isn’t high ranking enough to shrug off the competition one of the nicest things about chimpanzees is that they can and will share. More often than not everyone is perfectly happy with having just a little bite of a treat and then let the majority of the banana go to the intended chimp. Sometimes the receiving chimp will even break off a piece to share with a friend giving them a pouty lip. Granted sometimes they know behind those big begging eyes is a tantrum waiting to happen. Better to give Maxi a piece of your banana now before she starts crying and rolling around on the ground.

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Below are just a few of the things I would imagine the chimps are grateful for this year.

A lot of our chimps grow attached to material objects and even become known for carrying around items that are specific to them. Our care staff have affectionately dubbed these items as their “babies”. Whenever big changes happen in their family groups or environment, it can be comforting to have a constant that they can care for.

For Sahba in Yeltsin’s group, this item would be her signature red dumbbell, a long-time resident in her hip pocket. You will rarely see her without it (though we can promise it will never be too far). That dumbbell has been with her through multiple big changes in her time at Chimp Haven – enclosure moves, finding a more suitable family group, and the loss of a friend. Sahba is no stranger to change, but she will always have her red dumbbell. We can make sure of that.

Across the way in Spider’s group, you’ll find Opal, a dedicated mom to a set of toy keys. When she is feeling particularly maternal, she will have multiple sets of these keys with her. But like every busy mom, she sometimes needs a break. When those times come, she will enlist another group member, Sassy, to babysit (whether she wants to or not).

But, we can’t talk about dedicated “moms” without bringing up Happy from Sparky’s group, who refuses to be separated from her stuffed animal baby, Grumpy. Typically a very calm personality, though quick to anger if she thinks you might take her baby away, Happy never lets Grumpy leave her side.

Finally, another iconic baby lover is Ashley Lynn from Toya’s group. While Ashley Lynn is capable of loving any stuffed animals, she has a special place in her heart for dinosaurs – green dinosaurs to be specific. And while she may not be as attentive a mom as the other girls mentioned, she will always love her green dinos.

No matter the form their chosen baby takes, these “moms” are surely grateful for the chance to exercise their maternal instincts, as well as the constant comfort of having babies by their side.

It’s always sweet to see the love some chimps show to the seemingly boring objects in their enclosures (milk crates, boomer balls, and, of course, red dumbbells), but for some chimps, their excitement comes in the form of some very specific interactions with their human caregivers.

Sparky, the namesake of his group, absolutely loves boots. He will follow his care staff around the perimeter of his enclosure and wait for them to put their boots up against the mesh for him. He likes to groom the boots and even gives them the occasional kiss. And even if you can’t give your boots, Sparky is content to just walk around the yard with you, and will often make a beeline for his favorite members of the Chimp Haven staff.

Bo, who is also the namesake of his group, can take a little more time than most to get comfortable with new staff members. But you will always know when you’ve won him over when he starts to show his playful side. Whenever his favorite people walk in, he will almost immediately start bouncing on all fours, and he really wants you to join him. If we could, we would spend far too much time (or not enough) just bouncing with Bo-Bean.

Down the hall we have Fancy, from Zort’s group, who is known for a personality that is as big as her belly. While she certainly has days where she wants absolutely nothing to do with us, catching her in a playful mood is always a fun time. Her particular obsession? Belly pokes. Fancy will throw herself up against the mesh for any human she sees and will demand that they poke her belly. And, when she’s feeling particularly demanding, she’ll even provided you with a stick she found outside so that you have no excuse to deny her. She’s a chimp who knows what she wants.

Shahee and Chester from Gracie’s group are just two peas in a pod when it comes to how they like to interact with care staff. Similarly to Fancy, they like to demand what they want. In the case of these two boys, they will both sit at the mesh, blowing raspberries and pointing at whatever forgotten treat they have their hearts set on. It does not matter how many pieces of floor chow you give them; they will always move on to the next and beg for it just as fervently as they did the first.

Another duo, this time from Pierre’s group, is Devon and Papa Bear Pierre himself. While these two don’t necessarily have much in common with each other, they do share a love for one thing: running with their caregivers. While Devon likes to run back and forth between their bedrooms, Pierre prefers to run a lap around their corral-style enclosure. Either way, you can rest assured knowing that they will never fail to get their steps in.

While we do always encourage the chimpanzees here at Chimp Haven to interact with their groupmates and engage in species specific behavior, some of them are just more people-oriented than others. Whether the interaction they crave comes in the form of a game of chase or demanding their very niche desires, these chimps are always grateful for the caregivers that show them that extra bit of love and attention.

Although all of our friends here at Chimp Haven are lovely angels who can do no wrong, some of them do find an extra sense of joy when it comes to messing with both their chimp friends and human caregivers.

Sydney, in Sean’s group, and Orianna, in Blue’s group, both seem to relish the minor despair care staff experiences when working around them. These are two girls whom we would say are too smart for their own good. Their favorite game seems to be cornering a caregiver to throw at them, messing with our tools if we are unfortunate enough to leave them too close, or fully stealing our items from us. These girls may breathe mischief, but it’s all in good fun!

In a similar vein, Sassy from Spider’s group also fancies herself a little troublemaker. However, the trouble she causes is not with her humans, but instead with her chimp family. From stealing her friend’s key baby to use as a weapon, to picking on the smallest male, Sassy has earned the title of “Chaos Queen.” But although she is always quick to start trouble, she rarely sticks around to participate in the ensuing drama. Like Regina George, she just wants to watch the world burn.

Their methods of self-entertainment may not always be the most convenient for us humans, but these mischievous chimps love any opportunity to challenge both us and themselves.

Sometimes what brings our chimps the most joy isn’t a comfort object, favorite humans, or even any kind of interaction at all. Sometimes, all it takes to light up their day is the simple pleasure of doing something they love.

For Suhna in Gracie’s group, that would be nest making. Building nests is a natural, albeit learned behavior that even wild chimpanzees participate in. Some chimps here at Chimp Haven are more interested in nest building than others. Suhna is one of these chimps. Few things excite her as much as a fresh pile of hay to take for herself. Or better yet, some nice, cozy blankets to fashion into a nest. Not many other chimps will nest with as much fervor as Suhna does.

Where Suhna’s favorite activity is a natural behavior seen in most chimpanzees, Zoe from Tabu’s group has a fun little quirk that is all her own: she loves to spin. We like to joke that Zoe does not know how to walk in a straight line, because every chance she gets, she will spin, twirl, and somersault her way over. Up high in the brachiation bars, or down low on the ground, Zoe loves to use the environment around her to facilitate her ballerina dreams.

Getting to live out their retirement here at Chimp Haven means that chimps like Suhna and Zoe have the freedom to do what they please, in whatever way it pleases them. The opportunity to be able to utilize their environments in ways that bring them joy is absolutely something worth feeling grateful for.

All of our chimps have such unique and distinct personalities, with their own likes and dislikes but, there are some things that we can confidently say they are all grateful for: their friends. It would take a lifetime to go into detail about each unique friendship here at Chimp Haven, so let us just highlight one:

Jana in Yeltsin’s group is a strong personality. She is a lady who knows what she wants, and can hardly be convinced to do something she doesn’t want to do. This includes moving out of her indoor space when it’s cleaning time. You would think that the daily food toss of fresh veggies and fruit would be enough to entice her to go outside, but the thing is…Jana has great friends. Jana’s friends, Lyle in particular, will bring her food back to the bedroom to make sure that she does not have to leave if she does not want to. We have to admit, it is very sweet. How can you not feel grateful with friends like that?

From makeshift babies, to games of chase, messing with their friends, and building the best nest ever, there is so much to be grateful for when you’re living the Chimp Life. And as the lucky humans who get to care for them every day, we are also so grateful to have that privilege. We love our chimp friends here at Chimp Haven, and we are forever grateful for the ways in which they challenge us and enrich our lives on the daily.

The post The Things They’re Grateful For appeared first on Chimp Haven.

Last week, Merlin’s small by mighty group of three, who came to us from a research facility in Texas earlier this year, were moved to a new living space. The “corral” is a big, open-top space with grass, open sky, and a huge, multi-level structure to climb and explore. 

To our knowledge, Merlin, Hilde, and Penny likely had never experienced this kind of living space before. Often, when chimps are unfamiliar with new terrain, they’re understandably hesitant. Open spaces can be intimidating, and some chimps stick close to walls or retreat to their bedrooms until they feel secure.

Merlin had different plans. While at first he and his girls were cautious, it didn’t take long for Merlin to climb all the way to the very top of the big structure! Once he’d scaled it, he gazed up at the sky and spent lots of time taking in the view, which offers a vantage point for all the neighboring groups at the sanctuary.

His buddy Hilde soon had her own special moment. As she stepped onto the grass, she quietly stretched her hand above her head as though expecting to feel an invisible barrier above her. When she realized there was nothing holding her back, she eagerly explored the rest of the corral. Not long after, she, too, climbed the structure (though not quite as high as Merlin).

Soon Merlin decided it was time to work his way down, which was a bit more tricky than going up (he’s a pioneer after all!). He took his time and wasn’t discouraged, and since then, he’s been spending lots of time enjoying his new view. 

We are so very grateful to have your support in providing Merlin, Hilde, and all the chimps at Chimp Haven with this wonderful life, full of friends, new experiences, and the very best care. They’ve earned it after all.  From all of us at Chimp Haven, thank you for making these special moments possible!

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Working with chimpanzees is not for the faint of heart; they are skillful, smart, and in some cases, looking for trouble. As you can probably imagine, they keep their caregivers on their toes every day as we navigate ways to keep them safe, happy, and healthy.

One of the first things you learn when you work with chimps is how impressive their strength is. It’s clear from the start they are the most powerful creature in the room, and I never get tired of watching their incredible displays of strength. Most of the time this involves lots of pant hooting, impressive karate kicks, or effortless throwing of the furniture items that furnish their bedrooms (barrels, crates, or stools; anything they can manipulate and use with these displays in mind, as they are an important part of chimpanzee society).

It’s no surprise, then, that the most common repairs at the sanctuary are door repairs. All chimpanzee bedroom areas have what we call “shifting doors” which lead to other bedrooms or to their outdoor areas. During displays it’s not uncommon for large furniture items to come in contact with the tracks the doors run on, bending them out of shape.

Usually, a big, strong chimp and a large barrel does the most damage. Barrels make for a great resting place on a hot day, or a means for the chimps to live out their dreams of throwing shotput in the Olympics! Lucky for us, our incredible maintenance team are pros at fixing these kinds of mishaps.

While the chimps love to show off with their furniture, they really don’t need any tools to cause chaos. When their caregivers open or close their bedroom doors, which operate on a pully system, sometimes they like to remind us who’s in charge. Iris is especially talented at this feat and has broken many a shift door in her days here at Chimp Haven.

When they’re done causing mischief indoors, it’s time to move outside. Large-scale outdoor structures are a central part of the chimps’ outdoor play areas – they’re frequent social hotspots, and a great place for the chimps to lounge in the sun or get some exercise climbing and exploring the multiple levels of the structure…they’re also high on the list of the most frequently repaired items at the sanctuary.

Wood planks are nothing to a chimpanzee and they love to rearrange their living spaces. Often we’ll walk by yards and find missing boards or a ramp leading to a structure that is askew. The big boys love to get on the very top to see if they can make the structure sway beneath them. Ramps can be for climbing or used as a trampoline – it all depends on your imagination!

One thing is for certain: There is never a dull day when you work with chimpanzees. The list of tasks and fixes are never ending. Lucky for us, we have an incredibly dedicated team with some amazing problem-solving skills. We don’t always outwit the chimps, but we can usually manage to repair any damage their creativity causes.

The post When one door closes, a chimp has probably broken it appeared first on Chimp Haven.

Henry was rescued in 2009 when animal control officers found him in a rusty cage in a garage in Houston, Texas. He was alone and surrounded by filth. For 15 years, he had existed like this, living as a “pet.” It was reported that in his early years he was moved from owner to owner and was known to have been badly abused.

While it’s illegal to import primates into the United States for the pet trade, U.S. breeders provide a continuous supply of baby primates to meet demand, shipping to buyers across the country. For relatively little money, a person can buy virtually any species of monkey or ape, but rarely understand the consequences of owning a primate.

Henry’s chance for a new life arrived when he was rescued. Severely underweight and malnourished, various animal welfare partners in Houston worked intensively on Henry’s recovery. From the start, they could see he was friendly and liked people—a miracle in light of what he had suffered throughout his life.

After a few months of rest and veterinary care, Henry was ready for the next phase of his recovery. He was driven to his new, permanent home at Chimp Haven.

Integrating Henry into the chimpanzee population at Chimp Haven took months. The fact that Henry had never socialized with other chimpanzees meant that he had to be slowly introduced to other chimps. The process, very carefully choreographed, was arduous. Having been socialized by humans, Henry did not know how to act like a chimpanzee.

Fortunately, his new family members were patient and mentored him. Sarah Anne (who has since passed), would even bring Henry food and blankets when he chose to sleep outdoors away from his groupmates during his early days at the sanctuary.

Henry has now been at sanctuary for as many years as he was kept as a pet; years which have included incredible, inspiring moments and heartbreaking challenges. Though today he is thriving in his life at sanctuary, Henry still at times struggles socially and behaviorally with his fellow chimps and will likely have quirks that will need to be managed for the rest of his life.

We are incredibly grateful that Henry had the opportunity to come to Chimp Haven, where a team of dedicated, expert caregivers are committed to providing him with the very best life, despite the challenges he’s faced as a result of his early years of neglect and lack of appropriate socialization.

Estimates suggest there are thousands of primates currently held privately as pets in the United States, if not tens of thousands. When human owners can no longer manage their care, the responsibility falls to rescue organizations and sanctuaries to pick up the pieces and manage the incredibly complex and expensive care for the remainder of the animals’ lives, which for chimps in captivity, can be well into their sixties.

Private ownership of primates has a tremendously detrimental impact on animals, threatens public safety, and strains resources of the community, sanctuaries, and rescue organizations.

The Captive Primate Safety Act seeks to prohibit the private possession, sale, and transport of primates, and if passed, would essentially end the chimp pet industry. Please join us in putting an end to private primate ownership, and ensure chimpanzees are cared for by accredited facilities and sanctuaries. 

The post Henry’s Story appeared first on Chimp Haven.

One of the first things we learn as caregivers is how to identify each chimpanzee in our care. Sandy was among the first I learned. Her misshapen ears, hunched posture, and feisty spirit made her easy to distinguish. These features were also a testament to her years and experiences, which were plentiful. While I could identify Sandy immediately, I didn’t feel like I truly knew her until more recently. It took time for us to warm up to each other. She certainly made me work for the relationship we built. Eventually, we grew closer and I became her trainer. I taught her a few new things, but in the end, she taught me much more than I could have ever taught her.

I won’t be able to write about all the things I learned from her. I don’t possess the skill to sum up the two years we spent together. Not to mention, I’m sure I’ll keep learning from her as I grieve this loss. However, I’ll try to share a few of her greatest attributes, knowing that words on a page could never do justice to the chimpanzee she was or the incredible life she led.

First, Sandy taught me so much about friendship. I had the first-hand experience of building my own hard-earned friendship with her. I definitely judged her by her rough exterior when we met, but when I put in the time to get to know her, I found a sweet, playful lady at her center. I also witnessed her remarkable friendships with her group mates. The Oldies set a beautiful example for friendships (chimp and beyond). Watching them support each other through aging, grief, and day to day life has been one of the greatest experiences of my career thus far. They wait for each other through every doorway and down every staircase no matter how slow their friends have become, which leads me to Sandy’s next virtue: patience.

Sandy was patient with me from the very beginning. As I’ve mentioned, we did not hit it off immediately. However, over weeks and months, I would come back and try again. I would try to figure out her style of play and her favorite snacks. As I figured those things out, she continued to show me patience. She would come back time and time again to see what I had to offer and I’m grateful she was willing to put the same effort into our friendship that I was. She was also patient with her group mates. When her friend Phyllis developed vision loss, she was patient with her as they navigated their environment together. She routinely waited for her friends, as they sometimes waited for her. She was also patient when Lil Rose was greedy with their snacks and would routinely allow her to get her fill before gathering her own. Finally, what inspired me most about Sandy was her patience with herself. As she aged, she climbed slower and she walked slower. Sometimes it took her multiple tries to stand up or pick something up from the ground, but she gave herself grace. She didn’t give up and she was always willing to try again. She was resilient.

Sandy demonstrated her strength and determination every day. She was 64 years old, which is incredible for a chimpanzee. Born in the wild, used in research, and retired to sanctuary (where she spent many years meeting new chimps, moving to new habitats, and meeting new caregivers), she survived a lot of change. I think if you asked anyone who knew Sandy to describe her, it would be very similar to opening the thesaurus to “resilient” and reading all the synonyms listed there. That toughness was one of her greatest qualities and I strive to emulate it in my own life. However, I’ll be remembering her for a whole lot more than that. She was a force of nature, larger than life, and unabashedly herself. I was incredibly lucky to play a small role in her time on earth. She’s certainly played a big one in mine.

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JR and I met when he arrived at Chimp Haven in 2016. He is a member of Pepi’s group and tends to be more of a “chimp’s chimp” than a people-oriented one. He can be stubborn and willful. Though as time has gone by, I have learned he also has a wicked sense of humor and likes to play jokes on his groupmates as well as his caregivers. He finds himself quite amusing when he succeeds in one of his plans.

One sunny morning several years ago, I was shifting his group outside so that we could clean their bedrooms. JR was refusing to go out into the yard with them and was just moving around in one of the group’s bedrooms, ignoring me when I would call him. Getting nowhere with asking him to go outside, I let him have the room. As I walked past him, I shook my head and told him he was being a silly boy. He finally made eye contact with me. What I did not expect was that he audibly started to laugh and invited me to play chase! Then I got his joke, my frustration disappeared, and I laughed with him.

Fast forward to one morning a few months later. While feeding his group their diet, I had a moment with him that hit me right in the feels. Another caregiver was shifting the group out into the yard while I fed them their diet. She asked me to come up towards the building to try and coax Chris, the last chimp in the bedrooms, outside. JR and Albert decided to follow me when I put the group’s diet buckets down and moved towards the building with a couple of tempting bananas to help coax Chris outside. While I called Chris, I held JR and Albert away from the door with baby-bites of banana so that they would not run back into the bedroom. The plan worked; Chris came outside. All appeared well, the group was all out in the yard, and I could go back to feeding them their diet. Or so I thought.

I soon realized that Chris had other ideas. He decided to show off before he came up to get his banana and started a display directed towards me. His low pant hoots got JR and Albert pilo (hair standing on end) and moving around, but they stayed near me, hoping to get more banana-bites. Chris’ pant hoots ended with a bipedal charge right at the mesh where I was standing. While I was behind the mesh barrier that always separates humans from chimps at Chimp Haven, I expected a powerful slam against that mesh. So, I moved back, lowered myself and put my arm out in submission.

To my surprise, Chris did not make it all the way to the mesh. Right before he reached it, a black blur tackled him from his left and pushed him towards the building wall. I quickly realized that the blur was JR! Once he pushed Chris out of the way, JR chose not to chase Chris and deliberately moved away from him. I told JR he was my knight in shining armor for protecting me. He seemed quite pleased, stomping around chuckling to himself while Chris went running off screaming. After a minute or so, JR came over and got his banana from me. I called him my hero and we bobbed at each other for a while before he bounced away. I have enjoyed watching his antics over the years and seeing the joy he gets when he is able to get someone good with one of his jokes. I absolutely love this stubborn, funny, and playful male!

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There’s something irresistible about a confident girl who knows who she is, and Yeltsin and several of his pals have found themselves with Cupid’s bows straight to their hearts with the recent addition of two strong girls, Ahni and Sahba, to their ranks.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ahni and 33-year-old Sahba are two spicy personalities who proved to be just a little too spicy for their previous social group. Their caregivers thought this strong duo might benefit from a group of equally strong personalities, which is how they found themselves as the exciting newbies to Yeltsin’s social group of eight chimpanzees.

“This is a group of strong personalities, and Ahni and Sahba were known as instigators in their old group,” shares Caregiver Ellora Balmaceda.

As you can imagine, it was a bit of a fiery start when all these big personalities came together, but it took no time at all for our enemies-to-lovers plotlines to begin.

“The boys immediately took a liking to the two new girls,” says Ellora. “And now Yeltsin and Ulysses are totally in love with Ahni.”

We’ve heard Ahni described as both an “effortless beauty” and a “twenty-something in a grandma’s body.” Regardless of the eye of any human beholder, Yeltsin and Ulyssess find her completely irresistible.

“It’s funny because she’s not super playful or outgoing, but she’s magnetic with other chimps. She’s always a hit,” says Caregiver Rebecca.

With Ulysses in the alpha role and Yeltsin serving as his reliable beta, you might think there was a rivalry mounting, but easygoing Yeltsin knows his place and has no interest in starting trouble.

Ulysses and Yeltsin are doing their best to impress

“Yeltsin is an adorable, sweet boy, and he loves his ladies, especially small ladies like Ahni,” says Ellora. “He’s always close by her.”

Sweet boy Yeltsin takes every opportunity to spend time with Ahni

While Ahni stars in her very own season of The Bachelorette, the other half of this spicy pair of ladies, Sahba, has also attracted an admirer.

Once the initial introductions were made and the boys in the group became infatuated with Ahni, caregivers started to notice that 38-year-old Debbie was paying extra special attention to her new groupmate, Sahba.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and there’s no one Debbie wants to flatter more than Sahba. Overnight it seems that Debbie has decided Sahba is the coolest chimp to ever move into the neighborhood, and she’s determined to emulate her.  

In addition to being a feisty, strong lady, Sahba is also known for her signature red dumbbell, which she carries around everywhere. Given her new girl crush, it wasn’t long before Debbie decided she needed a dumbbell of her own.

“A couple of weeks ago the group happened to get red dumbbells as part of their enrichment,” says Ellora. “Debbie looked at Sahba, looked at the dumbbell, put it in her mouth just like Sahba does, and walked outside with her new accessory.”

Debbie has set her sights on becoming just like cool girl, Sahba; Sahba has set her sights on avoiding Debbie.

“A few nights later,” continues Ellora, “We’d just cleaned their bedrooms and laid out fresh hay. Sahba likes to build huge nests and had taken a bunch of hay up into the cupola in her play yard to build a cozy bed. Debbie climbed up right behind her with a tiny little scoop of hay and added it to Sahba’s nest. It was like she was saying, ‘Hey, where should I put this in our new nest?”

Debbie holds Sahba in high esteem, but their caregivers say the admiration is one-sided.

“Debbie copies everything she does, but Sahba doesn’t really care – she just prefers to keep to herself,” says Ellora.

Whether they like it or not, Ahni and Sahba have clearly caught the attention of their new groupmates, and their newfound fame doesn’t look to be fading anytime soon.

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Today’s love story is simple and straightforward (the best ones always are). It’s a story of a girl and her beloved stuffed plushies – her “babies” – and a comeback-in-the-making for a small but mighty chimp.

Thirty-eight-year-old Eniga is a small girl who came to Chimp Haven in 2019; she lives in Ehsto’s family group of nine chimps. This tight-knit group gets along well, and although Ehsto is their leader, they’re not rigid with their hierarchies – they tend to be laidback and rarely have any drama.

Although Eniga is physically tiny, she’s got the attitude of a much bigger chimp.

“She’s adorable and she’s spicy,” says Caregiver Rebecca Bailey. “Sometimes those two things conflict. When you bring her chow biscuits, she really wants the biscuits, but she also wants to give you sass about it. She can pull it off – honestly, she could stomp all over me and I’d still think she’s perfect.”

In the fall of 2023, Eniga and her buddies got the opportunity to move into a multi-acre forested habitat for the first time. Their caregivers were so excited to see how the group would react, but they were also feeling a little cautious when it came to Eniga. She had suffered a stroke in the previous year, and although her recovery was going well, they hoped she’d remain cautious in the big new space.

They soon found out they had nothing to worry about – not only has Ehsto’s group absolutely flourished in the forest, but the novelty of the move and new space has been good for Eniga.

“She does a good job at pacing herself and the exercise seems to have been good for her recovery,” says Rebecca.

Over the past year, Eniga has also taken up a charming new habit – she doesn’t go anywhere without a stuffed plush toy in tow. She sleeps with her plushies, lays on them, takes them on strolls through the woods, and lounges out in the sun. Her caregivers call them her “babies,” and Eniga even entrusts them to care for her toys occasionally.

“She never showed an interest in stuffies before, but over the past year, she’s really taken to them,” says Rebecca. “We always make sure she has one, and she’ll leave them in her bedroom so we can give them a bath.”

As this sweet girl embarks on new adventures and continues her recovery, we’re so happy she has her “babies” and her devoted legion of caregiver fans to comfort and support her along the way.

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Like all the classics, today’s love story comes with a healthy dash of intrigue, shifting alliances, and betrayal. In fair Louisiana, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, if you will.

Our story begins with Goblin’s group, a family of 13 chimps led by 31-year-old alpha Jimmy Django. Our fearless leader Jimmy has a long-standing love affair with older woman, 42-year-old Yolie, although he’s certainly not the only chimp who’s under Yolie’s spell.

“Yolie is Helen of Troy for all the boys in Goblin’s family group,” says Behavior Technician Rizzo Farrow. “Yolie is honestly not all that interested in being at the center of it all, but Jimmy keeps a close eye on who she spends her time with.”

Jimmy Django (L), alpha and full-time Yolie (R) admirer

What would a dramatic tale of love be without a rival? Not long ago, while Jimmy was recovering from an injury to his hand, 29-year-old groupmate Poonie saw his opportunity.

Unbeknownst to Jimmy in his weakened state, Poonie recruited Jimmy’s own half-brother Moe into an alliance, which shook up the group’s social hierarchies and led to Jimmy being dethroned as alpha.

Devious conspirators and very cute boys Poonie and Moe

For a time, all seemed lost. Yolie was now Poonie’s girl, and the group entered a period of unrest while they adjusted to their new alpha.

Jimmy bided his time. As his hand injury slowly recovered, he patiently began planning his moves to get his throne and his Yolie back.

“Then one day Jimmy’s half-brother Moe appeared with a fresh wound, and suddenly, Jimmy was acting like the king again,” says Rizzo. “It was very Game of Thrones – the scuffle took place privately, but whatever happened, it was enough for Jimmy to right the wrongs he had endured.”

Jimmy’s back on top and back with his girl.

“As involved as Yolie is in this story, she really doesn’t lend her support to any of the boys involved,” Rizzo clarifies. “She just sort of watches them argue over her and then goes about more important things, like getting attention from her caregivers.”

A true, unbothered queen.

On a lighter note, not everyone in this group is so dramatic. Fellow groupmate Goblin prefers to keep his romantic life breezy with a new girl on his arm just about every month. This month the object of his affection is Trixie, who he’ll swear his undying loyalty to until at least spring.

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