Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself
October 28, 2024 by J.B. -
The integration of Cy’s group and Willy B’s group in the spring of 2022 resulted in countless benefits to members of each: Willy B finally got to groom with the boys, Mave and Dora became instant and inseparable best friends, Honey B discovered the joys of morning mall-walking with her girl gang, and everyone found new opportunities for comradery and companionship in a larger social group. But it hasn’t been without its challenges.
Or should I say, without one particular challenge:
OK, it’s probably not fair to place all of the group’s instability at the feet of our friend, Willy B, but it’s not too far off. Willy B is a large, dominant chimp with little in the way of social skills. He’s well-tolerated if not always appreciated by the group’s alpha, Cy, and shown proper deference by the lower ranking males. The girls, especially Rayne, go out of their way to accommodate his occasionally idiosyncratic social behavior. He has playmates, grooming partners, and allies. In other words, he’s found a place in a real social group. And most of the time, things are great.
Except when they’re not. That is, when he’s compelled to cause chaos.
Here’s a typical scenario: It’s mid-afternoon and while most of the gang are resting and grooming in the Greenhouse, Willy B is napping by himself in the Front Rooms. He gets up and, as if checking his watch and realizing he is late for his 3:30 appointment, tracks down Terry and begins directing mild but persistent threats his way. Nothing serious, mind you—a pant hoot here, a thump on the glass there—but he knows it will get a reaction out of Terry. This continues until Terry or someone else in the group has had enough of the drama and chases after Willy. And this is when another socially inexperienced chimp would learn his lesson—in the chimp world, there’s nothing like a good pummeling to help you realize that you crossed a line. But instead, it’s where the small but fearless Honey B jumps in the protect her old buddy. And before long, Willy is standing back, watching other chimps screaming and chasing each other around and planning for his next chaos appointment. Which is always coming up shortly.
The precise timing of Willy’s provocations shifts here and there but the overall pattern is unchanging and resistant to any and all distractions. To be clear, Willy hasn’t really hurt anyone (if anyone gets hurt, it’s typically not by him) and the level of serious wounding in this group is pretty normal. But it’s more stress than we’d like to see and, just as importantly, a lot of missed opportunities for play, resting, and grooming without any real trend toward resolution.
After consulting with trusted colleagues, we decided to try a “reintroduction.” As the name implies, a reintroduction involves pulling the group apart and putting them back together again, but in a way that aims to elucidate and then reinforce the hierarchy and to allow bonds to form which may not have had the chance to form during or subsequent to the first introduction. Compared with other potential avenues, such as sub-grouping or moving chimps to another group, reintroduction is a relatively easy and low-risk strategy to mitigate group instability.
We began yesterday by pulling Cy and Willy B from the group and having them live together apart from the remaining seven. During this time, we’re watching for indications of dominance, such as priority access to food and physical displacement, as well as affiliative behaviors like play and grooming. Based on the outcome of this initial dyad, we’ll begin building the group back up. But instead of focusing on ensuring that everyone has allies to protect them from their new, unfamiliar group mates, which is a significant concern during initial intros, we focus on making sure that each individual is forming bonds in a way that conforms to and shows an understanding of the hierarchy. New members are added only after the reintroduction group has met certain benchmarks towards this goal.
In case you are wondering, Cy and Willy have been getting along great. And Cy is still the clear and undisputed alpha, as evidenced just now by his ability to take food right out of Willy’s hand without protest. While we didn’t expect anything different, we all breathed a sigh of relief. We need an adult in charge.
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Glad to see that there is some progress in Willy B’s attitude! still love that problematic king <3
Fascinating, JB. Thanks for updating us on the steps you continue to take to help improve Willy B’s social behavior and peace to Cy’s group.
Poor Willy B. He needs help, I am so thankful you are there for him :revolving_hearts:
Willy B is my pal and I’ll admit, I was enamored with him from the very beginning. I hope the reintroduction creates the best environment for everyone to comfortably thrive. I am always curious about and fascinated by Willy B’s progress especially because of all you have shared about his lack of social skills. I am always rooting for him! So thank you for all the time, consultations, patience, and extra efforts to help Willy B and his group mates. I’m rooting for all of you! 😉
Were you afraid that Willy B was making a play for the alpha position? Or is it that he is so socially awkward that he doesn’t fully understand hierarchy at all and spending time with Cy will instill this in him? Give him a starting point/place so to speak?
Also trying to remember Willy B’s behavior when it was just him and Honey B and Mave. I recall his over excitement at meal time and the red frisbee feeding station set up for Willy B, but I don’t recall conflicts between the three. Was Willy B more comfortable with his gals and if so, is it the other males that trigger his awkwardness/frustration/discomfort? Or is it the larger group size overall and simply not knowing how to behave within it at times?
Please do not feel the need to answer these questions now, your time is too valuable! But, as this story progresses, perhaps you could touch on a few in future blog posts.
PS : I love hearing that Honey B comes to Willy B’s defence even if it doesn’t make things better.
We’re not really sure what he’s trying to do. He targets Terry, who very clearly submits to him, and has only challeged Cy twice that we know of. And when I say he challenged Cy, I mean that when he was causing trouble with other chimps and starting a fight, Cy tried to put him in his place and Willy refused to back down like he normally would. I don’t think that Willy has never made the first move to challenge Cy and he has been subordinate in every other situation. It’s very complicated and as I find myself saying often, it’s easy to tell a story and come to believe it when it comes to chimp behavior, regardless of how accurate it really is. Willy clearly has a drive for dominance, and maybe he’s just uncertain as to how well he fits in. I would say that it’s true that other males trigger his behavior – he was often a jerk to HB and Mave but he wouldn’t harass them the way he does Terry.
The topic of reintroductions is very interesting and I’m happy that it seems to be working. (fingers crossed). I’m also surprised to hear about Honey B stepping in to protect Willy B, I love that girl.
As always, JB you your blogs give us food for thought regarding the integration and disparate personalities of these chimps. They all came from different and often horrendous backgrounds, some badly scarred emotionally. The beautiful thing is that despite Willy B’s lack of social skills he does in his way try to fit in and he has made some progress.I salute you all for your patience and for actively ensuring that there is cohesion in the chimp groups ie the “reintroduction” process. You are champions and always keep your eye on that ball making CSNW a happy home whatever it takes.
Setting up different action plans to find a solution for the whole troop sounds challenging but also fascinating
Are those Mick Jagger lips in photo #3?
Oh, Willly! I know he’s made a lot of progress, but hopefully this “reintroduction” can allow him to solidify his social skills a little. He’s a good guy at heart, but he just can’t help himself making trouble, it seems.
Thanks, JB, for the explanation behind Diana’s post. It has to be hard for him, going from 3, where he was the only male and dominant, experiencing a blue scooter beatdown only occasionally, to a larger group, and no longer the top banana. So glad that Cy continues to be a strong leaderLike Kathleen, I’d look forward to any updates in future.
How odd to see Beezus, she of the obviously intense and deeply running thoughts, all pilo, externalizing those sentiments! Whether it’s dealing with an ally who pushes her too far, or defending that same ally, she is fierce!
I’m sure part of Honey B’s logic is “You’re not allowed to beat up Willy B! Only I’m allowed to do that!”
Like any of us, with our siblings!:laughing:
Thank you, J.B!. I’m so grateful for these informative and interesting explainations. Am rooting for a desired outcome for everyone.
I think the reintroduction is brilliant, and I’m always so pleased at the work and sensitivity you all show all the time towards these dear friends.
I wasn’t clear as to which friend Honey B steps in to protect, and earlier replies shows I’m not alone in that. The reminder that the Bs- Willie and Honey- were in the original group, I thought it might be he whom she protected. And I’d love that, as I cheer Honey’s “fearlessness” and have a soft spot for Willie.
Thank you for this post and, especially, for all the work you do to help these chimps live their best lives. The care you show for not just their physical but also mental health is truly heartwarming. You genuinely make me feel better about the world!
Dang, JB, this is so well written!
Fascinating for sure. Can’t thank you all enough for the loving care you have for these special individuals. JB, i love what you wrote about telling a story and believing it regardless of its accuracy. So indicative of our human tendencies.