Biographies—Cory

Cory was born on April 26, 1995 at a biomedical research laboratory in New York. Like many research-bred chimpanzees, he was separated from his mother at birth and raised in a nursery setting with other infants by human caretakers. This is extremely traumatic for an infant chimpanzee, which in the wild would stay with his mother until the age of 10 or so. Fortunately for Cory, he has been able to remain with the infants he was raised with, and he became very close with the adult chimpanzees he was introduced to at the PRC.

Cory Copyright © 2003 Alan Li

When they first arrived, the youngsters from LEMSIP were kept separate from the adults from Georgia until their housing was completed. When they were introduced in August of 2000, the two groups were not strangers; they had been living in one building and were familiar with the sights and sounds of the other group. Cory, in particular, seemed to immediately acclimate to the presence of the adults, becoming extremely close with the older gals, Hazel, Zulu and Victoria. Perhaps that is not surprising, however, as Cory has always seemed wise beyond his years in understanding the politics of chimp life. Cory aligned himself early on with the higher-ranking individuals, making it easier for him to start trouble and receive little punishment in return. When he finds himself in a little too much trouble, he will scream and lie belly down on the ground to show his submission. This behavior usually ends the quarrel quickly.

Cory is an exceptional chimp, and one of the more intelligent in the group. We have often caught Cory waving his hand or an object over a sunny patch of concrete, seemingly observing the changing shadow. He enjoys learning new tasks, and has been taught many hand and verbal signals. He seeks humans out for conditioning practice, in which a chimpanzee shows body parts upon request in exchange for a Tic-Tac. This helps us to more closely observe their bodies for injuries and general health. Cory obviously enjoys this interaction and the opportunity to use his brain.

Though he has always been quite small for his age, his exceptional intelligence and close relationships with the adults has given him high rank. No one picks on Cory! We often wonder if he may eventually assume the Alpha male role, and watch anxiously as the drama unfolds.