Celebrating JUSTIN’s 36th birthday!
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the birthday of another extraordinary chimpanzee — Justin! Justin was born May 19th, 1988, making him the sixth oldest chimpanzee living at Project Chimps. He’s easily identified by his pink lips and folded left ear and is a big fan of dried chickpeas.
According to Justin’s caregivers, he plays an important part in the dynamics of his group. He’s high ranking, physically dominant, and not particularly crafty, which makes him an important chess piece for more ambitious chimps. Over the past year, they’ve seen him change alliances between Rocko and Kirk several times. For now, it seems like he’s settled in Kirk’s camp and goes to him for support when he’s distressed.
He’s very assertive during mealtimes, barking and making feints when younger females try to take produce near where he’s eating. Although he acts tough, his displays rarely escalate, and he gets very distressed if the girls don’t respect them. Usually, these are the instances when he will run to Kirk for support.
But while Justin may have a tough exterior, he has a soft side too! Previously, an intern observed Justin was one of the chimps who most frequently performed affiliative actions such as grooming. This came as a surprise to caregivers, but it also shows that everyone needs support now and then!
Justin typically prefers engaging with the other chimps instead of items, but he does enjoy displaying with plastic bowls. He takes two, flips them over, and uses his knuckles to slide them across the floor to make a racket. He’s also fond of cardboard boxes! Justin likes to nest in corners and slides cardboard pieces across the wall in front of him to get comfortable. Multiple times, caregivers have seen him doing this while wearing the lids on his head like a hat.
Justin’s caregivers say the system would be very different if Justin wasn’t there. “Justin tends to slide into the background when caregivers discuss group dynamics but his contributions cannot be ignored,” one said. “We don’t expect Justin to rise to the position of alpha without some serious changes but he does play a big part who is alpha by who he allies with and supports.”
This year on May 19th, we hope you’ll help us wish Justin a happy 36th birthday! If you’d like to send him a birthday gift, consider something from our Amazon Wishlist (he’ll especially love the cardboard boxes)! Happy 36th birthday, Justin! Here’s hoping we can celebrate many more with you!