It’s been almost 6 months since Penny, Ladybird, Jerry, and Karen arrived at Chimp Haven.  All four of the chimpanzees in this group are over 40 years old.  Ladybird and Karen are both over 50 years old.  We are so glad that they have been able to join us here at Chimp Haven and they are adjusting very well to their new home.

This group is almost always quiet and calm, usually nesting with blankets or in the hay, lounging about. Jerry is a sweet, gentle old boy who often quietly endures Penny’s antics as she demands attention from her caregiver’s by continuously slapping the ground in front of her. Jerry also endures the antics of some of the younger chimpanzees across the hall with patience and aplomb. Sometimes Jerry even has to wait out the demands of the indomitable little Karen who will wedge her little self in between Jerry and Penny in order to insist upon a treat. Because of his enduring patience, it’s hard to deny Jerry when he makes demands of his own, like sometimes preferring to remain in the comfort of his large nest when being fed.  However, on other days, Jerry, who normally walks around very slowly due to arthritis, suddenly moves much more quickly when his favorite foods appear.

Penny likes to keep her area clean and neat. One day when the group was given pools filled with baby shampoo and rags as enrichment, Penny took one of the rags and began scrubbing her enclosure, perhaps suggesting to the caregivers that they did not clean the room to her satisfaction!

Karen is the smallest and oldest chimpanzee in the group, but her large nests of blankets are already legendary at Chimp Haven.  One day Karen was repeatedly handed blankets and she just kept adding them to her nest until she had over 10 blankets woven into a beautiful, cozy and colorful nest.

Ladybird is a very pleasant chimpanzee, with a happy-go-lucky personality.  She is fine interacting with her caregivers, but she is also fine keeping herself busy and entertained.  Ladybird loves to be outside and can often be found with all three of her group-mates resting in the sunshine high on a platform in their enclosure.