Today, Jody’s son Levi turns 27. He has been a research subject his entire life. The note in Jody’s file for this day twenty-seven years ago simply says, “Delivered healthy infant male #88 – removed & taken to nursery.” If she got a glimpse of Levi that day, it was probably the last time Jody saw her son.
Six weeks later, an adult male chimpanzee was transferred into Jody’s cage in the hopes of “breeding” her again.
Levi was among the unlucky group of chimpanzees who have already been moved from the Alamogordo Primate Facility to the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Learn more about the transfer of the Alamogordo chimps on Animal Protection of New Mexico’s FAQ page and learn how to help here: RetireTheChimps.org.
Also, for Jody and Levi, please support the Great Ape Protection Act, which would permanently retire all chimpanzees currently supported by the federal government and would ban the use of great apes in invasive biomedical research. Visit the HSUS TAKE ACTION link to contact your reps.
For inspiration, watch 10-year-old Brandon Wood’s video below. Brandon is one of the most active chimpanzee advocates out there. The dedication of someone so young is remarkable. You can follow Brandon through his blog, his Facebook page or on Twitter. Visit his sites and thank him for working so hard for chimpanzees.
Well done, Brandon! I will spread it as far as I can. I know your work will help in our cause. Thank you.
How moving. Reading about Levi and Jody has made me cry.
me too marina , so so sad to see it written down in such away , no feeling no warmth heartbreaking
I am so impressed with Brandon’s dedication, this young man is doing great things and his future is wide open.
Thank you Brandon….
well done Brandon ive said it before i know , but you are such a special young lad with such a big caring heart , with friends like you on their side there is such hope for the future . keep up the fantastic work you do , your family must be so very proud of you xxx
Great Job Brandon! If I were his age, I am not over the hill as of yet but believe me I can see the other side of the hill from where I stand, I would also like to sculpt a career in working with Chimps. I am well settled in my profession now and would hate to throw away all of my hard work that got me where I am today but when I retire I am sure that will free up some time for me to volunteer at a Sanctuary to do something to help Chimps. Once again Brandon, Great Job and it sure is nice to see someone at such a young age do something to help animals that he loves!
Brandon is a remarkable young man who wanted a chimp as a pet. Then he began reading and researching and the rest is history. Brandon works tirelessly for chimps while other kids his age sit in front of video games all day. He raised enough money to migrate a chimp from Alamogordo to Save the Chimps in Florida and donations to his blog are still growing. When he met Jane Goodall he told me it was one of the greatest days of his young life. His mother, Deanna Wood, supports and encourages this incredible young man and his love for chimps. I am so proud to call Brandon my friend! Pant hoots to Brandon and his parents!
I also shed tears for Jody and Levi. I pray nightly for a day when there are no more chimps in labs suffering physical and psychological torture. They have given enough of themselves to science. It’s time for humans to give back and let them go to sanctuaries and just be chimps.
I thought the picture of Brandon, inside a cage, was most poignant. I agree with you John, when I first began reading about Brandon and was blown away by his dedication, at his age, to helping the chimpanzees. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for Brandon, a very special young man, indeed.