Lasting Impressions

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