One question that we receive pretty frequently is whether the chimpanzees had their names before coming to the sanctuary. The answer, for all of them, is yes. The laboratories or other facilities where they were born or who acquired them, gave them both numbers and names. The numbers were tattooed somewhere on their bodies, often across their chest or inside of their thighs. These numbers are surprisingly large, but we don’t see them very often because their hair has grown over the tattoos.
With Annie, Missy, Jamie, Jody, Burrito, Foxie, and Negra, their names followed them from one laboratory to another. For Mave, Honey B, and Willy B, they were named at the laboratory LEMSIP and their names stayed with them when they went to Wildlife Waystation when they were around five years old. All of the chimpanzees have been referred to by these names for most or the entirety of their lives.
The “B” after Honey B and Willy B’s names signified that they were the children of chimpanzee mothers who were owned by the Buckshire Corporation, the same facility that owned Annie, Missy, Jamie, Jody, Burrito, Foxie, and Negra.
Upon learning this, some people have asked if we might drop the “B” from Honey B and Willy B’s names. I have definitely thought about this. But then I think about three things…
First, they have always had and been called these names. A name is just a word, but it does provide a part of their identity. I honestly don’t know whether the chimpanzees would be bothered if we started calling them different names, but I would find it strange for people I just met to call me by a name that was different than what I had been referred to for decades. (That said, we do have nicknames for everyone that we use interchangeable with their given names, like JoJo for Jody or Bubba for Burrito. I think this is different since nicknames develop over time.)
Second, one of the tragedies that occurred in their previous lives was being separated from their mothers and/or separated from their children. It’s possible to piece together relationships and genealogy when names have not changed. An ambitious project that demonstrates this is The Last 1,000 which is chronicling the last 1,000 chimpanzee used in biomedical research and identifying when they move from laboratories to sanctuaries or when they pass away. We knew Missy’s daughter Honey B was at Wildlife Waystation because Honey B’s name had not changed. Keeping their names, in my mind, respects relationships that were torn apart and helps us remember that behind each of those names, however the names came about, is or was a unique individual.
Third, why would we change Honey B’s name but not Burrito’s or Negra’s? Burrito is a very silly name. I don’t know who named him that or how that name came about, and I don’t really care to know. I don’t think I would ever name a chimpanzee Burrito. But Burrito is Burrito. He’s grown into the chimpanzee person he is over the last eleven years at the sanctuary. His name very uniquely identifies him, but you all know him because of the colorful personality behind his name.
Here’s Burrito looking out some windows in Phase 1, the new part of the building where he’s currently living:
Negra, the word for “black” in Spanish, is an equally strange and sometimes awkward name. But when I think of Negra I don’t think about the word negra, I think of a somewhat grumpy chimpanzee with blankets over her head who is asking me for her night bag. Or I think of this Negra, who had some serious all-over-body bedhead on Saturday:
If you read my blog post a couple of days ago, you know that I had a certain connection specifically to Honey B’s name before ever meeting her, having just seen her name on a piece of paper. The dog I named Honey B after her will always remain a part of my heart. Honey B the dog somehow grew into her name almost immediately. I don’t think she had a mystical connection to the chimpanzee Honey B, but I am so glad she carried her name. Here’s a photo of Honey B the dog, in case you are curious:
Willy B, Mave, and Honey B Chimpanzee have the opportunity to create new identities at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, but I would like to honor who they are and all the people who have known them over the years by keeping the names they’ve always had. They will reveal who they are little by little and we will know them for the unique and very special chimpanzee people they have always been.
So far, even though they are still at times anxious, Jody and Missy seem to appreciate getting to know the one and only Willy B. I found them both grooming him at the same time in the greenhouse on Saturday. He doesn’t look like he’s hating this attention….
Wanda Trotta says
Oh that Willy B looks like Mr. Macho Man in the photo (smile).
Rhonda Stenersen says
Love this post! It’s great to have the history about their names and how they acquired them. Love your Honey B too!
Michelle Diab says
You have one of the best jobs! I’m jelly. I love the “all over bedhead” Negra pic ?
She reminds me of Maxine on the hallmark cards
Linda says
Oh my goodness, Willy B is just lapping it up, huh?!
I’m wondering who, if anyone, is going out onto the hill these last warm days-the “Phase 1” clan, the melded 6, or no one?
Also, Diana, I noted somewhere, maybe on a post on YouRube, that “Negra” in many countries (like some Caribbean countries or, for some reason, Argentina) means “honey” or “sweetie”- and she is! Bedhead/bedhead and all!
Diana says
No one is regularly going out on the hill. We have been trying to introduce the new three to the hill.
Janet Geisel says
I’m glad you mentioned how the chimps got their names. I always wondered, but didn’t want to bother you with that. I am sad about what you said about the tattoos. To me it’s downright inhuman. I sure it means something to them when their in research, but there has to be better beats to acknowledge them. That’s just I feel because they probably don’t numb them. I sure would like to do that to them and see how they like it.???
Katheen says
What a wonderful post. I agree with you Diana. When I think of everything your 10 chimpanzees (and chimps like them) have been through, at the very least we should honor their name. I’m aware of The Last 1,000 and I check in now and then. It was here I realized how important their names are, not just for tracking their past and present but when you see the chimpanzees noted as only “unknown” you realize that some chimps were not even recognized as a living being deserving of a name. When it comes to Mr. B., I can’t imagine Burrito being named anything but Burrito, it’s silly and just saying his name makes you smile — very fitting for this funny boy.
THE best photo of Negra! She is, in my eyes, a “sweetie” and a “honey” as Linda noted. Grumpy or not she’s black and she’s beautiful, she’s Queen Negra.
Kathleen says
I should add, and it is a tragic reality, most laboratory animals are tattooed with a number. Dogs such as beagles with the number tattooed on the inside of their ears. And it wasn’t long ago when dogs in shelters were tracked my a number and not a name. What’s in a name? Compassion. Respect. Empathy. Belonging…. Everything.
CeeCee says
Thanks for the info Diana,
I was wondering about the “B” and what it stood for.
And I love the pic of honey B the dog, she looks very sweet, I think the name suits her.
You never know about names, I once named a dog Sugar, and then found out she
was a diabetic !
Jackie says
Thank you for the very interesting post!
Karen says
Diana, As always, a fantastic post on a very interesting topic. In our family we have members who were adopted from other countries. They arrived with their names and kept them. Some cultures arrived on these shores and anglicized their names but I agree with you. Your name is unique to you and your history. Interesting about the B for Buckshire Labs. Wonder why the 7 don’t have B’s after their names? This introduction is so interesting! Thanks for including us all in it.
Diana says
Hi Karen! It was just LEMSIP that added the B to those chimpanzees owned by or offspring of chimpanzees owned by Buckshire. Only two of the original seven at the sanctuary spent time at LEMSIP and they were Missy (or Missie) B and Jamie B when they were there, at least on paper, but for the rest of their lives they were just Missy and Jamie.
Francoise says
I first looked at The Last 1000 some years ago. It’s heartbreaking, the worst part is seeing how many decades some of the chimps have been at these facilities, and the ones that died there after decades of captivity. It’s the closest thing to getting a real picture of the devastation wrought by humans on our kin, let alone any species.
The Last 1000 is just part of why CSNW is so very, very special.
Tobin says
It grieves, angers, and shames me how (some) human primates have treated our simian kinfolk.
Tobin says
Sigh…those photographs of Burrito. He looks pensive. I trust the human caregivers at CSNW in navigating the integration process between the two pre-existing troops; still, I sure hope that Burrito and all of his friends can go outside again at appropriate time, which I hope is not too long in coming. I also hope that Negra is not lonesome, or frightened at being apart from her friends. At the very least, I hope that the human caregivers are able to keep Negra, Burrito, Jamie and Foxie copmany during this transition.
Tobin says
And yes, the name of each chimpanzee is perfect, just as they are perfect and lovable.
Kathleen says
I had made a post but for some reason it didn’t post. But I wanted to say how much I enjoyed this post. I check in on the Last 1,000 now and then and always appreciated seeing actual names (and not numbers!), but the first time I visited the site I was numb when I saw all the chimpanzees who are noted as “unknown”. Broke my heart that these chimpanzees had slipped past people as if they didn’t matter, as if they were mere “things”.
What’s in a name? Compassion, respect, empathy, caring, understanding, individuality….Everything. (and Burrito’s case, humor!)
Kathleen says
PS : That photo of Negra, best photo ever. Bed head and all.
Judy says
Wonderful post Diana.. Their names are their names… and the nicknames they “earn” become a personalized addition to the things they respond to.. Thank you so much for the picture of stunning Honey B the dog! I was wondering she looked like. Incredible “work”/labor of love (and labor of labor) you all do.
Joanne Sheaffer says
Right on. Completely.