Christopher is a juvenile male orangutan who shares his home with Pongo, Mari, and Pebbles.

He also travels through the woods in the chute system to visit Radcliffe and Bam Bam for some play wrestling or Jam and Tango for a game of chase. His juvenile/adolescent hairstyle and face-shape have just begun to change, but he still looks much less mature than Pongo.

Nest-building is one of Christopher’s favorite activities. He makes daily nests of branches, hay, palm fronds, paper bags, and cardboard boxes in the 30 foot high tower of the dome. He loves hats and will wear boxes, banana leaves or burlap bags on his head. When he’s out walking in the woods in the chute system, he often carries a bucket or tub with him, and when it begins to rain, he puts the tub on his head as a very effective umbrella.

Christopher likes to makes tools and has altered many toys and tree branches in order to reach food and objects outside of his outdoor habitat. He often tries to figure out how to take apart every toy or puzzle given to him, and has frequently broken his water spigot by jamming it with PVC tubes and sticks.

Chris seems to be more attached to Mari than Pongo is. He’s usually very gentle with Mari, and she shares her food (right from her mouth) with him. Christopher grooms Mari and pays particular attention to the short stump where her arm should be.

In the mornings, Christopher runs around gathering up his blankets and then trades them and his empty food dishes for his morning fruit. But he dislikes cold weather, and in the winter will walk around most of the day with a blanket wrapped around his head and body.
Chris is one of the heartiest eaters at the sanctuary and seems to have many favorites. In fact, there are no foods he does not like.

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