Biographies—Jenny

Jenny was born on May 19, 1995 at LEMSIP, a biomedical research laboratory in New York. Like many research-bred chimpanzees, she was separated from her mother at birth and raised in a nursery setting by human caretakers. This was very hard on Jenny, and as a young chimp she clung tightly to her close friend, Pozna.

Jenny Copyright © 2002 Alan Li

Jenny and Pozna were inseparable for a long time, and spent their days playing and napping in the Play Room. They liked the Play Room so much that they often refused to leave in the evenings so we could clean. We feel that part of this was due to uneasiness with the adult females, who were not as accepting of the young girls as they were Ike, Rodney and Cory. Eventually, however, leaving the Play Room turned into a game for Jenny, who would hang out in the cross-over tunnel until we moved to close the door, then she would race back into the Play Room in “Indiana Jones” fashion: rolling under as it lowered.

As Jenny and Pozna have grown up, their position in the troop has solidified and they have developed relationships with Donald. They no longer cling to each other and are more confident around the older females. Jenny is still quite a goofball, and enjoys playing pranks on humans. We work hard to give Jenny opportunities for silliness and play, without putting ourselves in danger. Playing “chase” alongside the outdoor enclosure is still a favorite game for Jenny, and an easy way for volunteers to safely interact and be rewarded with a big, open-mouthed play face from Jenny. One of Jenny’s favorite things to do is get a big mouthful of water and wait for an unsuspecting caretaker to walk close by. She has great aim, and loves to try to get a rise out of us! Jenny is also a lover of shoes, and often asks for caretakers to show her their shoes, sometimes even “crying” when she really wants a closer look. Although the smallest of the chimps, Jenny doesn’t back down when another chimp picks on her, and will chase them down and stand up for herself if Donald isn’t around to set things straight.