Lance

Lance is an energetic social influencer who has grown a lot over the past few years. When he first arrived at Project Chimps, the other chimps seemed to view him as a bit of a wild card. As one of the smaller chimps in his group, it’s possible Lance may have felt like he had more to prove than his peers. While his close relationship with group alpha Bo often allowed him to get away with mischief, he could be unpredictable and even antagonistic towards the others, which made it difficult for some of his groupmates to fully trust him.

But as time passed and Lance started to settle into sanctuary life, it became clear he was committed to earning his groupmates’ trust. Rather than only trying to chase or intimidate the others, Lance also started trying to build his relationships and working hard to unite the group after disputes. He learned to redirect his energy onto inanimate objects instead of other chimps and is forming new friendships, particularly with some of the female chimps in his group.

Aside from his existing friendship with Bo, chimps Samira, Emma, and Gracie warmly welcomed his change in behavior and happily engaged with him. While he still very much chases them, Lance has also learned the importance of play and grooming, which helps him form stronger bonds with the females. He has also played with every chimp in his social group, relishing the attention and learning a lot about social dynamics within his group. Sure, he still chooses to stir the pot at times, but his new pals? He’s interacting more positively socially, and it’s been an upbeat change for him and everyone around him!