When Mark held Les, the rest of the siamangs were slightly more tolerant, allowing her to rejoin the group briefly. Sometimes, when the animals were not feeding, Smitty played with his sister. But most of the time Mark was isolated.
In contrast, Smitty was an important part of the family group. His high spirits and juvenile bad manners were accepted without protest from his parents. At feeding time, he was permitted to take food away from Unk, Suzy, and even the baby. His need for physical contact was indulged; while he ate, he kept a hand on Unk or Suzy.
All this was normal behavior for a siamang family. Nevertheless, it was hard on Mark. In the wild, she could have left her family group, but in the zoo there was no place for her to go. And zoo officials did not want to remove her to a cage by herself, because she needed company.
Over the next few months, Les developed from a helpless infant into an adventurous child. Greysolynne Fox noticed that he was always experimenting, finding out just what marvelous feats a gibbon body could accomplish. But for quite some time, he always made sure to hang onto some support with at least three limbs. Only when he was eight months old did he begin to brachiate in grown-up fashion, using only two hands. Les also learned to assert himself in games with his older brother. When Smitty tugged too roughly on the baby’s leg, Les threatened by exposing his canine teeth in his own version of the aggressive face.
Les’ relationship with his sister was calmer. He seemed to enjoy spending time with Mark. For her part, Mark treated the baby gently and affectionately. It was fortunate for her that Les liked her company, for only when the two were together did the hostility of the parent animals subside. In general, however, Unk behaved aggressively toward his daughter more often with each passing day.
