Today has been a very tranquil Saturday at the chimp house. Chimps are grooming, interns are interning, caregivers are preparing enrichment, and the sun is OUT. While doing this mornings perimeter check around the expanded outdoor enclosure, I found myself enjoying the rays of sunshine and thinking of how lucky we are to know these 16 chimpanzees. I think of what they went through before being able to touch grass, or climb trees, or live in huge enclosures where they can be themselves and make decisions for once. I have to admit, my heart still breaks whenever those thoughts make their way in. And I have to admit, it doesn’t get easier. The more you learn about their past and also the past of other chimps living in sanctuary care around the USA, the more it hits you: they are who they are because they have been through so much, that they DESERVE to be themselves. They deserve to show us whatever side of themselves they are feeling like showing, whether it is a gentle moment like getting an elusive hand kiss from Negra or accepting the fate of getting hit with poop by Jamie.
Without going into too much details, last week I was talking to another colleague who had worked with other groups of chimps and I learned about how different the groups of chimps were in that sanctuary depending on the laboratory they were in. While some groups are bold and confident, other groups from other labs exhibit more abnormal behaviors like rocking and self harming. For some reason last night that’s all I could think about before bed, how did we get to the point in society where this was allowed and justifiable in the name of science? And why is this something still allowed to happen to other species? I think it all comes back to how humans have a false sense of superiority and until that changes I don’t think our species is going to be able to make the reparations needed to compensate for harm caused.
Now that we are all in our feelings, please enjoy some photos of chimps thriving in sanctuary care 🙂
Gordo
Don’t worry Jamie, no body can see you!
Negra eating corn!
Nothing kales Terry’s vibes!
