A big year for Jacob!

This year, as Jacob celebrates his 66^th birthday and his 20-year anniversary at Chimp Haven, we’re extra excited to celebrate all the little things about him! Here are some of my favorite things about one of the sanctuary’s sweetest and most popular veteran retirees.

At 66 years old, Jacob and fellow retiree Julius hold the titles of the oldest chimps at Chimp Haven and the oldest male chimps in the U.S. Jacob’s age (and precious personality) earns him lots of special treatment from staff.

At 66, Jacob is entering retirement age for a human, but he’s actually been retired to Chimp Haven since 2006!

Jacob loves hammocks, especially the giant hammock that hangs directly under the skylight in his bedroom.

Jacob’s care staff often must climb onto a ladder to check on him because he’s too cozy to come down from his napping spot.

Jacob lives in one of the largest family groups at the sanctuary, Hugo’s group. There are 17 chimps in his group.

Jacob likes most of his groupmates, but he only tolerates Taffy. She often hops in his favorite hammock, leaving him to find a different location for his morning nap. We understand his frustration!

One of Jacob’s best friends is Ed, a fellow dapper gentleman who just turned 60. (Although it’s purely coincidence, we like the connection to the early 2000s vampire series, Twilight.)

Jacob was born in 1960. That’s three years before the lava lamp was invented!

Jacob is always the first in his group to get his banana (which usually means that he gets a couple of extras while everyone else gets theirs).

In addition to bananas, Jacob loves frozen treats. He can often be found with a mouthful of juice cubes in the summertime and, of course, he loves popsicles too.

Jacob is also what we call a “chimp’s chimp.” He’s far more interested in his group mates than his caregivers. In Jacob’s eyes, humans are good for only one thing and that’s snacks.

When Jacob wants a snack, he makes it known, using adorable raspberry noises to get our attention.

Jacob is also a fan of healthy eating. He loves his greens. Sometimes, when he gets a mouthful of veggies, he’ll make excited vocalizations, causing little food particles to fly everywhere.

I hope I don’t sound like a broken record, but what can I say? Jacob is a foodie. He also loves peanut butter!

To the best of our knowledge, Jacob has never had a Chili’s Triple Dipper. But we think he’d really like to try one.

Many chimps at Chimp Haven love to participate in Positive Reinforcement Training, but Jacob is not a big fan. He’ll participate briefly to earn a few snacks, but he’d rather be lounging in a hammock. (That’s okay, how he spends his day is completely up to him!)

Like many of the sanctuary’s older chimps, Jacob loves to be outside, especially in the summertime. We might think it’s hot, but Jacob thinks it’s the perfect weather for sunbathing.

One of Jacob’s favorite outdoor activities is watching the neighbors in Flora’s group (with a special eye for the ladies). It’s very important that he knows what they’re up to.

 Since Jacob is a bit slower than his groupmates, sometimes he gets creative to navigate life in such a large and dynamic group. One tactic is what I like to call, “The Old Man Act.” For example, if you offer him a banana when another chimp is nearby, he’ll often turn away and pretend to inspect a random object nearby, like a piece of hay. (He’s just waiting until the other chimp is gone so he can eat his banana in peace.)

One of Jacob’s favorite enrichment items is fresh roses – a perfect choice for this dapper gentleman.

Jacob also loves wooden blocks. He was especially fond of a pink block for a while, carrying it with him wherever he went. Too cute!

Jacob is a very photogenic chimp and is usually happy to sit for a quick photo shoot with staff.

He also loves to admire his reflection in phone cameras. (This is a favorite activity of many of our chimps and it’s one of our favorites too!)

As more of the sanctuary’s chimps enter their geriatric years, Chimp Haven is making accommodations to ensure they continue to live a life of freedom and choice. Recently, the chimps’ maintenance crew added new stairs to many of their climbing structures, making it easier for chimps with arthritis or mobility challenges to continue to use their structures. Jacob is a big fan of these modifications and can often be found utilizing his nice, new staircase!

Jacob loves to have a splash of Ensure added to his daily medications – yet another way he’s spoiled with his favorite treats, daily!

“Shifting” is a process that happens each morning at the sanctuary, when we ask the chimps to come outside for breakfast so we can clean their indoor bedrooms. Some chimps love it, some don’t, but Jacob is an old pro. These days, he’s one of the best shifters in his group, showing the youngsters how it’s done. (Although he’s an expert shifter now, I’ve heard talk that he used to try to sneak back inside because he wanted to stay with the girls. He was usually too slow, but we admire his dedication to his ladies!)

Jacob may be experiencing some hearing loss in his old age, but I’m not completely convinced that it’s not selective hearing. It’s always been his way or the highway! And we’re here for it.

Jacob is loved dearly by all the staff at Chimp Haven. He’s a perfect gentleman and we’re all completely smitten with him. Chimp Haven has been lucky to have him for the past 20 years. Here’s to many more years of celebrating him and his friends!