Meet Juan

Wed May 26, 2010

A little over a year ago, Juan broke his leg and had to have a titanium rod inserted into the bone to repair the damage.  With a cast on his leg for more than six weeks, Juan moved to a special area where he could be quiet and not have to deal with some of the more rambunctious chimpanzees in his social group.  His roommate was Gay, a quiet, gentle, and faithful companion who Juan has known for many years.  Gay refused to leave Juan’s side when caregivers were trying to separate him from his group for his surgery.  During Juan’s recovery, Gay and Juan spent quiet time grooming and sitting together in Gay’s elaborate nests, but also gently playing chase as Juan’s leg got stronger.  Gay seemed to know just what Juan needed as Juan’s leg continued with the healing process.   

Because chimpanzees tend to heal quickly, as soon as his cast was off, Juan was back to his normal activities, climbing, displaying, and vocalizing to his caregivers.  Because chimpanzees live in larger groups in the wild,  Gay and Juan were introduced to five other chimpanzees.  Juan has never been very adventurous when it comes to enrichment or multiple grooming partners.  However, since the introduction, Juan has been spending more time grooming his friend Les and becoming involved in other social interactions within the group.  Juan has also been trying new foods and new enrichment items, and now appears to wait for the daily enrichment to be delivered.  Juan’s leg has healed well and he has become especially fond of frozen enrichment items like frozen yogurt during what is starting off to be another hot Louisiana summer!