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And then there were 9

April 28, 2022 by Anna -

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This morning Kelsi opened the last door and officially fully merged Willy B with Cy’s groups into a single group of 9. While we can’t say for sure that this is the final product of all of our intro efforts, we remain cautiously optimistic. There is plenty of socialization work left to be done. For now though, we celebrate this momentous occasion.

The new big group (Honey B not pictured):

It might be hard to see, but there are 9 chimpanzees in this photo taken of our video surveillance tv!!

Cy and Willy B:

 

 

42 Comments

  1. Avatar MLABoC on April 28, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    Thats great news! Hoping the 9 are able to stay together.



  2. Avatar John on April 28, 2022 at 3:12 pm

    Well done!



  3. Avatar Linda C on April 28, 2022 at 3:15 pm

    Woo hoo!
    ( I’m still going to leave my fingers crossed just a few days longer!)
    What fabulous news! And an amazing grooming party in that top photo!



  4. Avatar Barbara Bentley on April 28, 2022 at 3:16 pm

    Awesome!! May they play well and bond well. You have certainly put in the work through all the intros.
    Holdingmy breath. the pictures are great- and hopefully they will move toward outside adventures too.
    Good work all – staff and volunteers as well as the chimpazees 9.



  5. Avatar Linda Schuldt on April 28, 2022 at 3:17 pm

    I’m hoping this works too. More friends to play with! I’m sure this would require even more vigilent watching on your part!! Keeping my fingures crissed.



  6. Shayla on April 28, 2022 at 3:29 pm

    Well done to all of you for providing opportunities for them to experience a shift in hirearchy and social dynamics. Regardless of outcome, just providing the experience can be a success in itself. All the best!! :sunflower:



  7. Avatar Ken & Gracie the beagle on April 28, 2022 at 3:36 pm

    Congradulation!!! So Cool!

    Fingers Crossed.

    ken and Gracie.



  8. Avatar linda on April 28, 2022 at 3:39 pm

    I’m calling this a victory, woot! What a beautiful sight, the culmination of so much patient work on the parts of the whole organization. Everybody deserves big applause.



    • Avatar Linda C on April 28, 2022 at 4:12 pm

      Several organizations! Special thanks to Jen for her knowledge and assistance, and for her own sanctuary for sparing her for the time away!



  9. Avatar Mark Blitzer on April 28, 2022 at 3:41 pm

    Bravo!



  10. Avatar Deanna on April 28, 2022 at 3:46 pm

    Tears!!!! of pure joy!!!! Love the photo of Cy and Willy B!! praying they continue to do well! There will be disagreements, thats to be expected but hopedully no one gets too hurt and things get settled… so hopeful!!!



  11. Avatar Cara on April 28, 2022 at 4:06 pm

    Yay! So exciting for us and them (and you all too)!



  12. Avatar CeeCee on April 28, 2022 at 4:25 pm

    Wow, this is exciting News !!:tada:
    I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that all of your hard work and patience will pay off.
    Love that picture of the 9, Almost like a game of find the chimps.:wink:



    • Avatar Laurie Mowat on April 28, 2022 at 6:54 pm

      I tried to find all nine. Are there seven upstairs and two downstairs?



  13. Avatar Caroline on April 28, 2022 at 4:39 pm

    Fingers and toes crossed that all stays well! How wonderful for them :heart_eyes:



  14. Avatar Kathleen on April 28, 2022 at 4:57 pm

    Wowie wow! You must be bursting with excitement and pride. Amazing. May your luck continue and may 3+6=9 from here on out. Wow!



  15. Avatar CarolR on April 28, 2022 at 4:58 pm

    Hooray! What wonderful news. Yes it’s early days but fingers and toes crossed that it continues. The pairing that has surprised me the most is Cy and Willie B……they seem to be getting along and showing the rest how cooperation is OK. I’m so glad that all your hard work is paying dividends….well done.



  16. Avatar Nancy potter on April 28, 2022 at 5:14 pm

    Wow!!! That is great congrats!!! 🙂 Hope it will all work out for them!



  17. Avatar Nancy potter on April 28, 2022 at 5:17 pm

    Wow!!! Congrats on this!!! :)I hope it will work out for all of them!!



  18. Avatar Marcie on April 28, 2022 at 5:19 pm

    Goodness what great news for all. Thank you for your efforts in getting to this point.



  19. Avatar tom austin on April 28, 2022 at 5:24 pm

    Cy’s group have not been outside like Willy B’s 3…………will they all have access to the portal to the small outdoor area..?



    • Avatar Linda C on April 28, 2022 at 8:29 pm

      That might be too much excitement all at once. Because if they go out into the chute, then the 7 from the other side will start hooting and hollering.



  20. Avatar Marya on April 28, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    Thanks for taking the time to post this and for these wonderful pics to keep us connected to the goings-on. Wow, what a process! It’s wonderful to see them grooming together and in various huddles. That pic of Cy and Willie B just slays me, such handsome fellows.



  21. Avatar Paulette on April 28, 2022 at 6:29 pm

    OMG!!! That was waaaay sooner than I expected. i’m still gonna bite my nails though. Because I know there are going to be rough moments. Just keep looking forward to the smoother times when all of these souls will have lots more friends! a bigger world.



    • Avatar Laurie Mowat on April 28, 2022 at 6:48 pm

      I wasn’t expecting that news today either! I did a double take on the title. Be careful on the finger nails!



  22. Avatar Laurie Mowat on April 28, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    Wow! I hope they can stay a group of nine. You must be on pins and needles right now. What a wonderful thing for everyone at CSNW. I love the photo of Cy and Willy B.



  23. Avatar Judy on April 28, 2022 at 7:36 pm

    Holding my breath, crossing fingers, toes and heart that it remains a viable and mostly peaceful group. Amazing job on everyone’s parts. Much thanks to Jen and all the less hairy bi-pedals who are I’m sure holding their collective breath with us all.



  24. Pat Malcolm on April 28, 2022 at 7:52 pm

    Amazing! Wonderful! I hope it will enrich all their live immensely!



  25. Avatar Fritzie on April 28, 2022 at 8:09 pm

    What terrific news! How do you monitor them during the night? Or do they reliably sleep until morning?



    • Avatar Diana on May 3, 2022 at 5:01 am

      Staff caregivers are taking turns spending nights in the chimp house for now. I am writing this while sitting on the cot in the foyer at five in the morning :slight_smile:. We have a camera system with sound, so when we feel more confident about the stability of the group, we will rely on monitoring remotely instead of doing overnights.



      • Avatar Fritzie on May 3, 2022 at 6:01 am

        I am so glad it is going so well and that the chimps are comfortable with your being in the chimp house at night!



  26. Avatar Maureen on April 28, 2022 at 8:12 pm

    Fabulous! Exciting! Love, especially, the first picture- heads and hands. Agreed that Willy B and Cy is great. Hasn’t Willy had a hankering to see Cy? And I think they were momentarily together during the process? I’m remembering a Blog by, I think, Diana, who teased that something we’d like was coming at the end of the month? I love everybody and everything that helped bring this to fruition. And I hope it stays friendly. Yippee!



  27. Avatar Nancy Duryea on April 28, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    I’m so happy, nervous too. You must have thought the time was right to give it a try. I know we are hoping for the best!! I can’t wait to see a picture of all 9 snuggled up in their nests.



  28. Betsy on April 28, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    This is fantastic news, I have great hopes that this group of 9 will grow old together in friendship. I don’t imagine the CSNW staff will be getting a lot of sleep in the next couple of days, but I am so proud of all of you, and I hope you are proud of the work you have done. You are wonderful!



  29. Avatar Jeani Goodrich on April 28, 2022 at 9:38 pm

    Congratulations!!! :heart_eyes:
    what wonderful news to hear today!Here’s to days of sunshine, very few clouds, but beautiful rainbows after the storms. And lots of grooming! Thank you for all the hard work of combining the two families hopefully into one. My fingers and heart are crossed as you go into this next phase, perhaps the hardest of all.



  30. Avatar Keith Dawson on April 28, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    Well done all of you. Hope the chimps can stay together. It must be quite exciting for you all watching them sort out the social structure and hoping none of them get hurt. Again well done for getting them together.



  31. Avatar Maureen on April 28, 2022 at 10:56 pm

    SO exciting!
    I recall a bit of a teaser saying there would be a surprise/something special towards the end of the month. So this is it? I wouldn’t have been able to tolerate the wait if I’d known this was coming. Better than my best childhood Christmasorning!



  32. Avatar marianne on April 29, 2022 at 1:24 am

    What a big surprise!! It made my heart jump and my eyes tear up.
    What a great job you all have done so far.
    I will send good energies and lots of calming vibes to the sanctuary and all its inhabitants.
    Good luck in the next week (s), and I hope this is the start of something beautiful;
    a strong and harmonious family of 9.



  33. Avatar Rosalie Allen on April 29, 2022 at 6:37 am

    Congratulations to all:tada:?Hoping this encouraging transition continues to go smoothly and that chimps and caregivers will enjoy this new opportunity ?



  34. Avatar Lori Sheeran on April 29, 2022 at 10:16 am

    Such amazing and heartwarming photos of the process! Kudos to the wonderful caregivers whose support and hard work makes this possible…and to the chimpanzees for showing us the true meaning of resilience!



  35. Avatar Debbie Reintzell on April 29, 2022 at 2:09 pm

    Truly Amazing! Praying they all do well. Thanks, caregivers, for your patience and hard work. Love the photos!



  36. Avatar Stevie Gillis on April 30, 2022 at 6:02 am

    monumental feat! waiting and praying…?



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