Chimpanzee Maverick Braves the Danger Zone
Mid-ranking male chimpanzee Maverick went right into the “danger zone” this week as two new males joined his social group of eight. Introducing new males into an existing chimpanzee society can be risky business, all Tom Cruise movie puns aside, so the chimpanzee care team at Project Chimps created a tactical plan for bringing the males together.
All ten chimpanzees were recent arrivals at Project Chimps. They made the journey from the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in southern Louisiana to their new sanctuary home in the Blue Ridge Mountains on Nov. 20, 2019. The transport actually included two distinct groups of male chimps. The larger group of eight included Greg, 39; Rusty, 34; Kirk, 34; Tibi, 33; Armond, 33; Luke, 32; Rocko, 30; and Maverick, 26. The second group included Justin, 31, and Neal, 22.
According to Project Chimps’ Manager of Chimpanzee Care, Laura Mayo, the two groups lived next door to one another for some period of time at NIRC.
Neighbors in the lab
“From what we understand, the males had been neighbors. There were times when they could see or touch one another through the mesh of their enclosures,” said Laura.
After the two groups arrived at Project Chimps, Laura’s team moved them into separate areas of the sanctuary’s Chimps Ahoy Villa, a large-group indoor enclosure that opens into the sanctuary’s forested, 6-acre Peachtree Habitat.
She and care team members Kate Donovan, Tawnya Williams, Alan Bergman and others could tell the duo Justin and Neal were eager to be integrated with the others. And most of the chimps in the larger group seemed to share their enthusiasm.
“Many of the chimps presented their bellies to one another, vocalized at one another, and even tried to groom one another through the mesh,” said Chimpanzee Caregiver Tawnya Williams.
But there were two wildcards in the group: Luke and Maverick.
Two wildcard chimps
Low-ranking Luke displayed at Justin and Neal, pant-hooting and violently shaking the metal mesh wall that separated the two groups. Though higher ranking than Luke, Maverick seemed to share some of his anxiety. The team decided to pair Maverick with high-ranking Kirk as the first of their group to meet Justin and Neal face-to-face.
The plan worked.
Rather than put Justin and Neal into the larger group of males, they brought chimps two-by-two in to be with Justin and Neal. When Kirk and Maverick entered the room, the four male chimps circled around another. There were pant hoots of excitement and submissive gestures of chimpanzee friendship.
Then Justin took a swipe to the head.
Justin didn’t see it coming
Maverick had blindsided Justin, who never saw it coming. The glancing blow didn’t do any real damage, it was merely a warning from Maverick.
The next moment was critical.
Within seconds, conflicts like this among chimpanzees can quickly escalate to a group fight, in which the chimps run, hit, roll and tumble in a black ball of flying fists and hair. Fingernails dig, teeth gouge and, sometimes, blood spills.
Alpha males can play a decisive role in these conflicts and, if they’re quick to act, they can prevent them from happening altogether.
After Maverick swiped at Justin, Kirk immediately came to Justin’s defense. That signaled to Maverick that mid-ranking Justin had Kirk’s support. Kirk’s actions diffused the situation and helped the foursome settle down and begin to get to know one another.
Later, Kirk spent time grooming with Justin, further reinforcing his support for the groups’ new friend.
Four becomes six
The next day, the team felt that the group was stable enough to invite two more members to join: Rusty and Armond.
Like Kirk, Armond is very high ranking in the larger group of eight former research chimps. Armond may, in fact, be the alpha of the group or Kirk and Armond may share in leading the group. Since they just arrived in sanctuary, their care team is just getting to know them by observing their behaviors.
The six chimps got along well under the steady leadership of Kirk and Armond. It helped that the chimps were surrounded by a plentiful bounty of their favorite food and enrichment items.
Food, according to Laura, can be a great distraction and reliever of tension if there’s enough to go around. With each new introduction, the care team tossed in foods, nuts and bamboo leaves to keep the chimps happy and busy.
When the team observed Maverick and Justin grooming together, they felt ready to bring in the four remaining males into the group: Luke, Greg, Rocko and Tibi.
The team was curious. Would Luke behave like Maverick, given the chance?
All in!
Just like Maverick, Luke chased and tried to hit higher-ranking Justin. And, once again, Kirk was right there to stop the conflict. Kirk smacked Luke and he got the message right away: “Justin is our friend and we don’t hit our friends.”
Kirk’s reprimand was effective. Shortly after, Luke calmed down and was seen reconciling with Justin.
Kirk also supported lower-ranking Neal, the youngest of the ten males. Chimpanzee Caregiver Alan reported that after the initial introductions, Neal began to come out of his shell and seemed to be forging new friendships – even with Luke and Maverick!
More exciting intros to come
With Kirk and Armond’s chimpanzee leadership, the two groups quickly settled in together. New friendships are forming as these former research chimps acclimate to their new life in permanent sanctuary.
Soon, the new group of ten males will have their first opportunity to go out into Project Chimps forested, outdoor habitat. Then, their new social bonds will be tested as Kirk’s and Armond’s group is integrated with another group of recent arrivals to the sanctuary: Anna’s and Rosemary’s group of ten females.
Female chimps have the ability to shift the balance of power among the males. That means Maverick, Luke and their group mates will soon be navigating through an entirely new danger zone.
But after their progress this week, their caregivers are confident they’ll come through with flying colors.
Meet the chimps at Project Chimps and support them at projectchimps.org