Meet Bobby – young and in charge

By James Haworth

Born in 2007, Bobby is the youngest chimp in his group. He’s the last chimp, so far, to set foot in the sanctuary. If we numbered the chimps by their arrival seniority, Bobby would currently be #99.

Dinner, lunch, snack…food time!

“Bobby is very food motivated,” says caregiver Fred Rubio, who holds a masters degree in primate behavior. “All chimps are, but some more than others. He’s among the first at the food hopper and asserts himself for position.” His favorite snacks are peanuts and peanut butter. “And pears,” adds Fred. “All the boys in his group love pears!” 

In Charge?

When there’s conflict in the group, Bobby’s often found on the periphery. “He displays, adds his own loud noises, and doesn’t run away.” Weighing in at 140 pounds, Bobby has a broad, flat face, like his half-brother Bo. “You can see the resemblance in their eyes,” says Fred, who joined the chimp care team in 2019.

Bo is the alpha in his group of 15 chimps who reside in Cedar Tree. Will his brother Bobby grow up to be the alpha too? “He’s one of the more dominant chimps in his group–in the top three, probably.” says Fred.

Solving Puzzles…sort of

Twice each day, the chimps enjoy “enrichment,” a snack that requires some effort and problem solving to obtain and eat. More than a dozen types of enrichment are offered to the chimps, on a rotating schedule, to keep them fresh and interesting.

Bobby’s current favorite is a plastic water bottle, filled with raisins and water and frozen overnight. The chimps use sticks to scrape out the tasty raisin mixture. Most chimps, anyway–Bobby recently figured out that he can save time by chewing a hole in the plastic.

Go Bobby!

Show your support for Bobby and his 95 chimp friends by making a donation for Giving Day for Apes today!