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Chimp Guardian Update

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By on Chimpanzee Guardian
Kefan has become the alpha male on Tchindzoulou Island

Kefan

After much planning and work, the 50 chimpanzees that live on Tchimpounga sanctuary’s Tchindzoulou Island have been integrated. Now, they can all explore the forest together as a group! It has been a long road to get to this point, and a job that has required our team’s best efforts. There are several adult males, females with strong personalities, and many young chimps who wish to quickly ascend the hierarchy. The stages of this complex integration have happened slowly. Sometimes it has been necessary to stop, take a step back, and start over, if the situation has become complicated with some of the individuals.

During this time, Kefan has proven to be an absolute leader. Several males have tried to take his position as alpha male, but Kefan knows how to be strict as well as tolerant and fair, which has caused him to be very popular. Sometimes, Kefan shows excessive displays of strength. He punches, pushes, and scares with his motions, but he doesn’t usually bite. He never wounds his opponents, and that’s important. Lately, Kefan has improved his relationship with the another male named Tchibanga. These two had a big fight previously when Kefan defended another male, Elikia, who Tchibanga was attacking. In the heat of the fight, Tchibanga bit Kefan in the mouth, wounding him. Since this fight, they both know their positions in the group’s hierarchy. Tchibanga has accepted Kefan as the group’s chief, and this event has brought peace to the chimps on Tchindzoulou Island. 

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About Author

Ashley Sullivan is the Director of Storytelling & Marketing for Communications & Partnerships at the Jane Goodall Institute USA, where she works to connect individuals with Dr. Jane Goodall's vision, and the JGI mission to create a better world for all by protecting the interconnections between people, other animals, and the environment. Ashley graduated Stony Brook University with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology and a minor in Biology, and is pursuing a Master's of Science in Environmental Science & Policy at Johns Hopkins University with a focus on Environmental Justice. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, now a D.C. resident, she has a varied background including 10+ years of expert communications and digital marketing in the social and environmental non-profit sector. Her intersectional approach to this work has been shaped by a holistic world-view, having traveled to Madagascar and Ecuador for conservation research projects, leading communications for youth social justice filmmaking organizations, and as a part of several professional groups advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in environmental spaces including Greens REALIGN. With skills ranging from conservation fieldwork, policy and advocacy campaigns, strategic communications, art, digital media, and design, Ashley believes in sharing information to empower and in the magic of storytelling to transform hearts and minds. Through growing understanding, empathy, and justice, she is igniting positive change to create that better, more equitable world, every day.

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