Celebrate MARLON’s 23rd birthday!

Ever since Marlon arrived at sanctuary, it’s been pretty obvious that he’s human-oriented. One of the roles of an animal sanctuary is to recreate a natural living environment as much as possible. And, in the wild, a chimpanzee wouldn’t depend on humans for camaraderie. So, as a result, we’re very careful to limit their attention from humans as it’s more important for their well-being to form bonds with their group mates. Because he’s so people-oriented, Marlon is a perfect example of this. 

On November 30, 2016, Marlon arrived at Project Chimps to finally live in sanctuary after almost 16 years in a research lab environment. Marlon can often be seen playing with Haylee and Precious but also joins Taz, Josh, Quintin and Patrick to set out into the habitat and do a perimeter check to make sure everything’s okay. Once finished, it’s off to enjoy the sun on strategically placed platforms in the North Yard of the Peachtree Habitat in celebration of a job well done. 

Marlon still enjoys meeting new care staff, making a point to greet them. But, since his arrival, we’re thrilled that he’s become much more comfortable interacting with his fellow chimps rather than his caregivers. This growth has been evident and we feel so lucky to have been able to afford him that opportunity over the past seven years. 

Lately, he’s been forming a stronger bond with Quintin, a lower ranking male in his group. In true chimp fashion, these bonds have political motivations. Marlon likes to antagonize the alpha male Patrick but, in order to do so, he needs some back up. Remembering his beginnings here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s awesome to see Marlon involving himself in normal chimp behavior and drama… even if his choice of back up isn’t exactly influential within the group. 

If you’d like to send a birthday gift to Marlon via our Amazon Wish List, rest assured he’ll get a lot of enjoyment and use out of blankets he can snuggle into. 

It’s January 15 and, while we wished Moonie a happy birthday earlier, we don’t want to forget about Marlon! The DJ&T Villa is so lucky to have you and your personality in its group!