One of our blog followers inquired about whether any of our team members sport chimpanzee-inspired tattoos. Indeed, we do! Our tattoos vary widely in design, from minimalist line sketches of chimps to intricate portraits, as well as impressions of a chimp’s footprint or symbols that evoke memories of a particular chimpanzee.
Featured below, you’ll find a collection of chimpanzee-themed tattoos that our staff have adorned themselves with, each with its own unique backstory and significance.
A boot for Jamie :
“The boot represents Jamie’s affinity for cowboy boots and the time I get to spend with her walking around the hill. Some of my favorite memories with her are going for walks. The tattoo also is for my dad who passed away and he loved western movies.” – Caregiver Kelsi
Annie (Grace):
“It’s funny that I love chimp feet because I loathe human feet” – Caregiver Grace
Jamie’s footprint (Grace):
Jody’s footprint (Grace):
Terry’s footprint (Grace):
Angelo (Chimp Haven):
“Angelo came from a lab all by himself, no group of chimps or even one friend was with him when he arrived to sanctuary. He was quickly introduced to a fairly large, stable group of 14 chimps and he really flourished. He found friends and worked his way up to be very close to the alpha, Hugo.
I always loved watching how how politically savvy this loner from the lab was when he was interacting with such a large group. He always seemed to know how to keep himself out of trouble and how to alleviate tension. I had the privilege of being his primary trainer for most of his time at Chimp Haven and he always got a big grin on his face when he knew I had come just for him. He would lead me to a secluded area of the habitat where he knew no one would find us and try to steal his snacks.
Angelo was not only one of the most intelligent chimpanzees I have ever encountered but also one of the most beautiful. As time went on, the group expanded to include 21 members. It was during this period of growth that Angelo’s health began to show signs of deterioration and he unfortunately passed away at the beginning of 2020.” – Caregiver Sabrina
Angelo:
Bubbles (Center for Great Apes)
Knuckles (Center for Great Apes):
Pansy (Chimp Haven):
“Pansy was one of the first chimps I met when I started working with chimpanzees at Chimp Haven. She had been moved from the lab only a month or two before I started and in that short amount of time she became notorious for her relentless poop throwing. When she came to Chimp Haven and for the first year or so of her residing at Chimp Haven, Pansy lived in a group of nine girls and she was clearly the one in charge of this girl gang.
This group of girls was the one I learned to shift around their enclosure for cleaning and each day, first thing in the morning, Pansy was ready for me. As soon as I would start to shut doors to close the group out of an area Pansy would come, she would seem to appear out of thin air, and she would fast ball poop at me. I’m not sure if she aimed for my throat or she was just lucky but she took my breath away daily. The negative behavior of poop throwing never made me walk away or give up on my shifting. This continued on for several months until one day she came up and stared me down with poop in hand.
In the end, we seemed to come to a truce this day and instead of the usual throat punch, she threw the poop softly on my boot. The truce did not extend to any other caregivers and we soon came to realize that Pansy always seemed to have fecal ammo…because she would store a piece on her back, near her shoulder that she could grab at a moments notice. We called it her shoulder holster.
Through Pansy, I learned the virtues of patience and resolve in the care of chimpanzees who have retired from laboratory life. Each arrives bearing unique histories and the scars of past traumas. In the sanctuary, our number one duty is to demonstrate to the chimps that they have the ability to make choices, and to assure them that we, their caregivers, are dedicated allies in their journey.
Unfortunately, Pansy passed in 2019 but she’s always with me still.” – Caregiver Sabrina
Pansy:
Whiskey (Chimp Haven):
“I have a portrait of Whiskey, my very best friend. Whiskey was a wonderful, sassy, smart, and opinionated chimpanzee. He quickly stole my heart with his bigger than life personality, his silly side, his quiet breathy laughter, and by choosing me as one of the few humans he allowed in his circle. He made me laugh every day with his antics, whether it was throwing a scarf over his shoulder while he was on the move, playing chase with those stompiest of stompy flat feet of his, or panting at me and staring sweetly into my eyes after just having been excessively (and perfectly, in my opinion) sassy to one of his other caregivers. His best friend was Donovan, the alpha of his group who he came to sanctuary with. Whiskey sadly passed away in April of 2020. I miss him dearly, and am grateful to have a reminder of him always with me, as well as an excuse to talk about him whenever people ask about my tattoo.” – Caregiver Ellen
Cindee says
I’m so glad someone’s question led to this blog. These are all great stories and great artwork you all wear! I love that Grace hates human feet (me, too), but loves chimp feet. I don’t have any experience with chimp feet, but I love cat feet.
Linda C says
Toe beans!
Linda C says
What a great blog post!
Grace, I love that you chose Annie. She may be low-ranking in the troop, but she’s big with you! But if you keep letting those chimps walk all over you, you’ll run out of space! 😉
Sabrina, I love that you had the artist color Angelo and Pansy’s eyes, they’re gorgeous!
The “shoulder holster” story is funny! Now we know what those shoulder swoops are for!
Marcie says
What loving and caring stories to share with us. How lucky everyone is to be able to share their lives with all these magnificent creatures. Thank you.
Nancy Duryea says
Thank you, thank you. The blog was so interesting. I love seeing and hearing about the staff’s favorites, whether at CSNW or one of the others. I especially liked seeing Annie. I have one tatoo and if I were younger I would probably get another (Honey B?).
Gaynell says
Go for it, Nancy and send a photo to Honey B.
Tobin says
It appears that Jamie, Jody, and Terry have left their footprint on a caregiver’s epidermis in addition to her heart.
On this Feast of St. Padraig, on behalf of Annie and her friends and neighbors, I will place a request that, as the seasons turn and hibernation comes to an end, the saint’s skill at serpent scattering (at least in Ireland; one is skeptical of his repertoire of reptile removal in another land that claims him as their patron: Nigeria) will once again prove evident in and around Young’s Hill.
Kathleen says
I too have been curious when I see glimpses of the tattoos in photos. Thanks for sharing your photos and stories behind the images. I love that you carry these special friends with you. Each tattoo so personal. It was wonderful to hear about the chimpanzees from other sanctuaries — Angelo, Pansy, and Whiskey (and to see Bubbles, too!) I am sorry to hear that over recent years you caregivers have experienced the loss of these dear friends. Hats off to the artists who inked each one, amazing likeness!
CeeCee says
Thank you for this, so many wonderful stories. One of my fav blogs EVER !:revolving_hearts:
Eli says
I loved reading all of the wonderful stories behind all of the caregivers’ tattoos!
So many big personalities. I just love reading about each of them!
I also particularly love the tattoo of Knuckles. I have a huge soft spot for him. Toddy, who he lived with for several years before she passed, is actually the grandmother of Milky, a chimpanzee who lives at the Noichi Zoo in Japan who also has cerebral palsy. Every time I see her precious face, I’m reminded of sweet, wonderful Knuckles.
Lisa says
that was me that asked that question! thank you for the wonderful pictures and answers. I already knew it wasn’t just a job to you guys but it’s great to hear about why you have the tattoos you have. some of them must have really hurt because they’re really intricate!
Pat F. says
This was an unusual Blog and so interesting. loved all the write-ups of the various caregivers and their warm dealings with the chimps. Thank You