Chimps Ahoy: Hierarchy and Roles – Part 3 of 3

By Devyn Schaefer

Missed Part 1 or 2? Start here.

Enforcer of Chimps Ahoy

The enforcer is one ranking lower than the alpha and the position was currently vacant at Chimps Ahoy.

From the beginning of my internship, we had our eyes on Justin and Rocko as possible enforcer candidates. Justin and Rocko are very dominant chimps that would usually be found around Kirk to show their high rank status.

At first, Justin was known as the bully of the group and Rocko the trouble-maker. With these boys causing trouble, and ever since Armond’s passing, Kirk was usually the one who had to break up fights and would wait to get his food to make sure every chimp was okay before he ate. To note: even though Greg is below Kirk in rank, due to his high level of respect and good relationship with others, he is too old and not as aggressive to be considered enforcer.

Justin the Bully – No More

Over the course of my observations, there were some noticeable changes with Justin. The caregiver staff who knew Justin liked what they were seeing him do within the Chimps Ahoy group. Supervisor Tawnya knows Justin as politically savvy, “he knows how to play the political game of chess.”

Justin learned that bullies were not supported. So how did he change? Justin groomed Kirk often, as well as a few other chimps, to build his relationships (according to the graph above, Justin gave the most grooms compared to him, Rocko, and Kirk). As other chimps became more comfortable with Justin, they also gave grooms to him (according to  the graph, Justin was second to Kirk to receive grooms).

The younger low-ranking females, such as Kyrstin, Roxy and Mandy, also felt more at ease taking food in the presence of Justin. These young girls would now, more often than not, trust Justin to not be a bully as they took their breakfast or dinner. If they did not feel safe taking their food, they would ask Justin permission to take the food and he would let them. While Justin is still a very dominant chimp, he is now strengthening his relationships and support with other chimps—allowing him to comfortably rank under Kirk as he played the “game of chess” well.

Will he become the enforcer?

Trouble Makers

As for the aggressive side of behaviors, Rocko and Justin were pretty close to even in their contact aggressions and displays (the two commonly seen aggressive behaviors). This makes sense due to their dominant personalities and motivations to stay high ranking. When conflict occurred, Justin and Rocko were both seen with their hair on end (pilo-erection) and getting involved in the scene—the main quality of enforcer.

Who Will be Enforcer?

Changes are definitely happening in Chimps Ahoy as the group learns to adjusts to Armond’s passing. Kirk is becoming more comfortable sitting back while others take care of fights as well as being one of the first in line to get his food. Justin is learning to play the game of political chess and Rocko is being his dominant self.

So, who is the new enforcer of Chimps Ahoy? Only time will tell! It may be a couple more months (or maybe even years) until the group settles for a chimp to take on such role, but nonetheless progress is showing and I am thankful to have known and observed the dynamic hierarchy of this fascinating group.

If you are interested in an internship to help with behavior studies such as this, apply today! Internships are available to everyone, not just college students.