Leo-land

By Violet Bishop

A Special Chimp

Leo is a very special chimp. Since he came to us in 2018, we’ve documented that Leo has some abnormal behaviors that give him a special personality. Caregiver Jill has worked with Leo since he arrived. Her descriptions of Leo’s episodes points to a mental deficit. Despite the challenge, Leo is thriving and we continue to monitor his progress. His episodes have become less frequent as he settles into his routines here. 

The Episodes 

The caregivers can usually tell when Leo is about to have an episode. First, he will start “hooing” and swaying his head. “Hooing” is the sound chimps make at the beginning of a pant hoot. However, the episodes are not always the same, and Leo has a couple of different behaviors that indicate one is occurring. Sometimes an episode will begin with Leo repeatedly hitting a closed door. He will also run from the back of his bedroom to the front as fast as he can. After this, he will either kick the mesh, or just sit down. Occasionally he moves his feet so fast it sounds like he’s tap dancing! At other times, Leo will bend over a raised platform and beat his hands against it.  However, with all the different behaviors, there is a commonality. 

Leo’s movements are very rhythmic. When he swings his arms or bangs his hands against something, it’s always at the same tempo. During some episodes, it’s very fast, and at other times it’s slow. In Jill’s opinion, it sounds like he’s moving to an internal beat. Regardless of the activity during an episode, it’s clear that Leo can relax after. 

What seems to cause Leo’s episodes, and what has helped? 

Leo is very people-oriented, which can lead to him becoming overstimulated. When Leo first came to Project Chimps, he lived in a villa, where most of our new chimps start out. Villas are smaller than where Leo currently lives, Chateau B, which is the largest building for the chimps. Villas have less individual rooms then the Chateau, so there were fewer areas where Leo could be alone and calm down. Some chimps prefer these smaller buildings because they always want to be in large groups, but those like Leo prefer the bigger buildings where they can seek out alone time. When new caregivers were in the space, this sometimes triggered an episode. Conflicts among Leo’s family also stress him out, which can lead to him becoming overstimulated. However, Leo has made significant improvements since he came to the sanctuary.

Once we moved Leo to Chateau B, his episodes became less frequent; he has more space to be alone if he chooses it. Leo also takes Prozac to help with his episodes. The combinations of medication, socialization with more chimps, and more space has helped significantly. Previously, the episodes lasted up to 30 minutes, and now Leo is occasionally able to stop an episode before it begins. In Jill’s opinion, he seems happier and more relaxed now that he has more control over his environment. 

More Special Chimp Quirks 

Leo likes to suck his thumb; both his half-sister, Panielle, and full sister, Kyrstin, suck their thumbs as well. Sometimes he does this when he sits alone after an episode or just when he is feeling content. Leo also loves cardboard. He will rip a small piece off and carry it around with him all day. He also likes to carry around a small stuffed animal of the Grinch and even likes to watch the movie! (Read more above Movie Nights in this blog!)

Leo is a very special chimp in many different ways. 

You can help other special chimps like Leo by making a donation towards their care.