Biographies—Noelle

Noelle was born on December 22, 1994 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. From her earliest days, Noelle was a bit eccentric. The black “mask” around her eyes made her easily distinguishable from the other light-faced juveniles. Her naughty, sneaky, unpredictable nature made some refer to her as a “bandit.”

Noelle Copyright © 2002 Alan Li

As Noelle has aged, her “mask” has faded and blended, but she remains the most notorious, and certainly quirkiest, of the group. For years she has tried to snatch, grab and poke every caretaker. At breakfast, she races in and collects armloads of produce, then races off again to eat alone. She follows the other chimps around at mealtimes so she can snatch up their leftovers. Like Martina—Noelle loves shoes! She even likes to look at shoe catalogues! When the caretakers offer her old shoes to play with, she sometimes tries to fit them on her feet and walk around!

Noelle is very intelligent, which is perhaps why she is also a bit quirky. PRC caretakers work with the chimps to teach them to help clean their night rooms. In exchange for a piece of bedding pushed out to the floor, a chimp will receive a Tic-Tac. Noelle learned early to pick up one large piece of bedding, then to tear it into smaller pieces—handing out one at a time. Apparently, she had made the one-to-one connection between a Tic-Tac and a piece of bedding, and decided to save herself some effort! Noelle also loves to watch movies, and will pound the glass window when she sees people or animals she does not like onscreen.

Noelle’s closest companion is still Ike, who she spent a great deal of time with as an infant at LEMSIP. She still seeks Ike out during group conflicts, though she spends a good deal of time alone. Noelle also has a budding relationship with Jenny, and they have recently become a bit closer friends than in the past. She really enjoys spending time in the new outdoor enclosure, watching the world from a high perch on one of the cross beams, and basking in the sun.