This special day of sanctuary is gifted to the chimpanzees from Jen Douglas in memory of her beloved husband, and our dear friend, James Douglas, on his birthday.
“I sponsored this day not because James would want us to remember the day of his passing, this day 2 years ago, but because he would want us to celebrate how he made a difference in this world, for humans and for chimpanzees. He would be so excited about the upcoming arrival of the new chimps and so proud of what CSNW has achieved in the last 10 years. Slainte James!”
We will soon be breaking ground on “The Bray”, the Young’s Hill version of outdoor habitat made possible by Jen and James for Honey B, Willy B and Mave, as well as the six new chimpanzees who will be arriving soon. J.B. wrote this post last summer detailing all the expansion plans and you can get an idea of what The Bray will look like. And you can read a bit more about what a special human James was and the incredible legacy he left through his path that Jen carries on.
Jen, we’re so grateful to you and James, our friends, for the difference you’ve made and continue to make, both for the chimpanzees dear to your heart, as well as for those to come. Our thoughts are with you and your family today and thank you for allowing us to celebrate James with you. We can’t wait to see some chimpanzees racing around The Bray one day soon!
Jamie and Burrito:
The seven on Young’s Hill, looking southward, toward where The Bray will eventually be:
Mave, watching the new construction in her home:
Honey B, supervising:
Willy B, in the Courtyard:
Jamie:
I did not have the pleasure of meeting James, or his lovely wife yet, but if he likes the chimps, he is OK by me…..!
I’m sure Honey B will give the workers the ‘what for’ if she feels they are slacking.
What a special place CSNW is. Besides the obvious, all the wonderful primates (and bovines!) who live and work within this paradise, there are so many compassionate people holding all of you in their hearts. I now look forward to the The Bray with a new appreciation and I sit in anticipation of the exciting adventures that James will orchestrate through his love for his primate friends.
We loved him and he inspired us all. The world’s a lesser place without him.
This is wonderful Jen! Missing James thinking about him constantly as the great mentor he was.
The Sanga Yong Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in Indonesia, run by Dr. Sheri Speed, uses a bucket of soapy water and a brush to give their chimps an enrichment activity. Do you provide this activity for your chimps?
Hi Diane,
Thanks for your question! We are huge fans of our dear friend, Sheri Speede, and the amazing work she and her team at Sanaga-Yong (in Cameroon! 🙂 ) do! And yes! A few of the chimpanzees enjoy cleaning and just playing with soapy water. Honey B in particular loves it: https://chimpsnw.org/2020/02/cleaning-up-2/