Chimp Play as a Diplomatic Tool: Neal Teaches Kirk
By Anna Lietman
In Memory of Neal
This blog was written before Neal’s passing on January 7th, 2022. To celebrate his life, we are posting this one week since his death so our audience can get a better idea of the life Neal led at Project Chimps and his interaction with other chimps and humans. Rest in peace Neal!
Neal’s Playful Attitude
When you meet Neal, you can’t forget him. He will immediately greet you, usually with many excited head bobs. And he’ll ask you to play.
If you miss these signals, he’ll get your attention by lobbing some poop your way. Not in a malicious way, Caregiver Aide Kelli clarifies! In a “Here I am, I’m a wonderful chimp, you have to pay attention to me” kind of way.
But he does have very good aim, she adds.
Her response to the poop throwing? She laughs, cleans herself off, and runs along the fence, chasing him.
He’s very very playful, she repeats.
Looking Forward to Neal
Kelli looks forward to seeing Neal each morning. He has this contagious energy. His exaggerated head bob greeting radiates happiness, a happiness which inevitably spreads to the staff.
“That warmth that you feel from him, I think that’s what I really look forward to when I work with him. That’s my favorite part about him—his excitement to see you in the morning.”
Caregiver Aide Kelli
Chimp Play with Humans
Neal seems to look forward to the moment when caregiver Kalli arrives for her shift. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that she comes into work and immediately starts playing with Neal. She’ll run alongside him until she’s exhausted. At which point he’ll try to convince her to keep going. At which point she’ll try to pass the baton onto the next caregiver-turned-relay-racer in Neal’s world of constant chimp play.
Everybody Loves Neal
Unlike some of the other chimps (Tiffany and Torian, Jamie and Jurita, Betty and Harriet), Neal doesn’t necessarily have a best friend. Simply because he likes everybody, humans and chimps alike.
Often chimps will gravitate towards humans or gravitate towards chimps (the latter we call “chimp’s chimps”). This can depend on who raised them and what environment they grew up in.
But Neal feels comfortable around people and chimps. He makes friends with everyone no matter the species. In this way, he has a good balance in his relationships, according to Kelli.
And the love he gives in these relationships is reciprocated: “Everybody that has met him, they fall in love with him.”
Neal Teaches Kirk to be Playful
Kelli describes Neal as “kind of a little politician.” Getting along so well with everyone can be a political asset, and play can be a leadership strategy.
Neal uses chimp play as a tool to derail conflict and calm situations. He inserts play into disagreements, which diffuses such high-tension moments. His playfulness importantly serves to distract chimps from their arguing.
And Kirk has noticed this tactic. A caregiver actually observed Kirk observing Neal. And as highly social creatures, chimps learn best by imitating other chimps. So it makes perfect sense that Kirk witnessed the ways that Neal strategically used play, and began to copy him.
Kirk used to be a characteristically strong, dominant alpha. But he now has a noticeably more playful style, incorporating chimp play in much the same way that Neal does.
“Neal used his best attribute—his playfulness, his happiness—to dispel a situation. And Kirk was observed kind of doing the same thing. He [Kirk] has that in his back pocket now. As the highest ranking, being able to use playfulness in a way he might not have before.”
Caregiver Aide Kelli
