Our big celebrations on June 13th got me thinking, once again, about resiliency.
I was thinking about Negra and Terry and their resiliency, and the incredible resiliency we have witnessed in all of the chimpanzees who arrived seventeen years ago after decades of use in biomedical research.
This was the first time Animal Sanctuary Caregivers Day fell on June 13th, so that caused me to think about the resiliency that is required of caregivers who work in animal sanctuaries.
The caregivers at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest are incredible human beings in all regards and would be regardless of where they worked. Working as a caregiver, however, has a way of testing a person in numerous ways.
A lot of what caregivers do is very physical work, so being in good physical shape and bouncing back from inevitable injuries becomes more important than in other occupations.
Keeping in shape mentally and emotionally is perhaps even more important.
Caregivers are faced with many challenges in a given day that are often decisions that don’t have right or wrong answers. Caregivers are constantly weighing different welfare considerations against each other (for example, do I take more time scrubbing to provide an extra clean environment or do I do a quick clean so the chimpanzees can have access to the space sooner?). Living in gray areas can be uncomfortable, and it takes a lot of communication and ability to see fellow caregivers’ perspectives to avoid misunderstandings or division.
That’s just the day to day. Then there are the really big events like chimpanzees getting injured, sick or passing away that is part of the job of a caregiver. There’s the worry and grief and doubt that comes with that, and then there’s having to continue on with the daily routines for the sake of those who are still relying on that daily care.
It’s a joyful, uplifting, satisfying job; and it’s a hard job. There’s no way to do it long term without developing resiliency.
Huge kudos and gratitude and admiration and love to all of our caregivers at the sanctuary, our current staff especially, and also all of our past staff and volunteer caregivers. I have learned, and continue to learn, so much from all of you. I truly and deeply appreciate all that your bring and give to this work.
The chimpanzees are able to be their amazing selves and build their resiliency every day because of you. It’s a loop of resiliency from them to you and back again, and it spreads outward from there.
In addition to hundreds of other moments, today Negra was able to forage on Young’s Hill and bring some celery to the greenhouse to crunch, on her 6,207th day of sanctuary.
