Celebrating RAY’s 16th birthday!
It’s always a great day when it’s a chimp’s birthday at the sanctuary and today is no different! Today is Ray’s 16th birthday and we’re so excited to celebrate with him!
Ray came to Project Chimps when he was just 9 years old, making this his 7th birthday at the sanctuary. As a younger chimp, Ray is still finding himself and his place within the ranks of his fellow chimpanzee residents. He lives in the Laurie & Carlee McGrath Chateau Villa alongside several other youngsters which can lead to some interesting dynamics!
Because the males in Ray’s group are so young, Ray’s ranking has fluctuated quite a bit over the past year. There are times when he’s higher up and others where he’s dipped below some of his peers. During these lower dips, some of the other males like Binah and Kennedy might try and steal from him. However, Ray’s caregivers say this has been happening less in recent months!
“Ray is definitely a chimps-chimp but recently I had the high honor of having a lengthy play session with him.” India, one of Ray’s caregivers, shared. “I poked him in the belly with a stick while he laughed and then played tug of war with it! He eventually took the stick from me and began tapping it on the mesh with a big play face!”
Ray has a distinctive look because his bottom lip is almost always droopy. According to India, it’s hard to think of a single time that it wasn’t! He’s a big chimp with an impressive belly but that doesn’t keep him from impressive displays and patrols around the habitat. Recently, he’s been very passionate about laser pointer training. Any reinforcement he gets during these trainings are easily his favorites, especially peanuts, peanut butter cups and walnuts.
We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate Ray’s 16th birthday here at Project Chimps. If you’d like to send a birthday gift, please consider some peanuts or peanut butter from our Amazon Wishlist! Thank you so much for supporting his continued care!
Ray, it’s been a true joy to watch you grow up and enter your teenage years! We can’t wait to see what’s next for you and we hope your birthday is as wonderful as you!