Tony

Tony was part of the most recent chimp transport to Project Chimps from the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana! He made the journey to sanctuary alongside five other male chimpanzees, who will be gradually introduced to Kirk’s group in Chimps Ahoy villa.

So far, Tony seems to be one of the more reserved members of his group. He has a soft spot for stuffed animal toys and since settling in and beginning to trust his new caregivers, he even initiated play for the first time!

On the first day of introductions when Tony met Kirk, Tony was a little aggressive before meeting and misinterpreted Kirk’s response to that aggression as hostility. As a result, Tony went in to meet Kirk ready for a confrontation, but he cooled off when Kirk showed him he was the chimp in charge. Eventually, Kirk accepted Tony’s submission and the two reconciled and sat calmly near each other. On a different day, Tony even helped groom Kirk’s arm!