Birthday Bash for Captain Kirk
By Morgan Kelly
At Project Chimps, Kirk has the chance to live long and prosper. We’re looking forward to celebrating his 40th birthday on July 27th!
Project Chimps’ Captain Kirk
Kirk is the alpha of the Chimps Ahoy villa. That’s why we call him Captain Kirk! But he’s not exactly like the dramatic, headstrong captain of the USS Enterprise. Kirk is more observant. He prefers a hands-off leadership style. Luckily, his friends often sort out arguments on their own before he needs to get involved.
Even though Kirk is three months younger than Rusty (who turned 40 earlier this year), he’s still the more serious of the two. After all, he’s got a ship to run! Being the alpha takes up a lot of time and responsibility. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to have fun, though.
Neal taught Kirk how to dispel arguments with playfulness. Instead of encouraging aggression, Kirk will sometimes distract his friends during an argument by asking them to play. This shows them that the situation really isn’t that serious. Neal passed away in 2022, but we see his influence through Kirk’s interactions with his group.
Kirk’s leadership also makes him a good friend. He is kind, compassionate, and reliable. All of these qualities help the chimps trust and rely on him.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Kirk has more interest in his fellow chimps than he does in us. Some chimps—like Rusty—are motivated by positive interactions with staff. Kirk, though, is motivated by his group members’ happiness.
Caregiver Kalli Kohnen explains that Kirk will not cooperate with staff until all of his group members have been taken care of. The only way to make sure Kirk gets taken care of is to show him that his friends are safe and attended to. Even though he doesn’t have much interest in the humans at Project Chimps, Kirk is willing to help anyone, chimp or human.
Kalli describes a touching moment with Kirk and some of the other chimps. Recently, she was providing treats to the chimps in Chimps Ahoy with some apple slices. When she extended her arm to show Kirk the apple slices, he offered his arm in turn. It seemed that he thought she was reaching out for reassurance. Younger female chimps will sometimes ask their friends for comfort by reaching for their arm. The other chimp would then take their hand. It’s kind of like how humans hold hands when we’re scared or nervous. But when Kalli turned her hand to show him the apple slices, he immediately grew excited and expressed his desire for a snack!
Chimps can be very possessive of their food. Not Kirk, though. Caregivers have observed him giving portions of his food to other chimps in order to dispel an argument. His kindness is probably one of the reasons he’s so popular with his group.
Like Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, our Kirk is a ladies’ man. And by that we mean that he gets along well with the females in his group. He loves to play with Rocko and the girls. He even plays with Kyrstin, one of the lower-ranking chimps. And he successfully gets his friends to join in on the fun!
Captain Kirk’s Birthday Party
Kirk is just as capable as his namesake, Captain Kirk. Soon he will be welcoming 6 new chimps to his troop and will have to help his crew adjust to the additions. The Chimps Ahoy Villa is lucky to have a leader as strong and dependable as Kirk. And we feel lucky to provide him with a better life!
Want to send Kirk a birthday gift in time for his party? Check out our Amazon wish list!
Would you like to help support the transport of the newest chimps? Make a donation today!
