Today, I asked some of the caregivers “Why chimps?. Out of all the jobs in the world and all the species of animals, how did you end up working with chimps?
Here are some of their answers (some of it is paraphrased):
Why chimps?
Krissy: It is something that is hard to put into words. It was a childhood desire that I had forgotten about, and didn’t remember until I heard about CSNW in my fifties. I started volunteering and soon realized I needed to make a career shift into chimpanzee care. It was the right decision!
J.B.: At the beginning, it was because of how similar they were to us. Now, it’s because of how challenging chimps are and how every day is something new. Also, a short commute.
Amanda: Their intelligence and their emotional capacity. It’s also what I feel we owe them based off of everything humans have done to them. It’s a debt we can never repay.
Kelsi: Their brilliant minds, how resilient they are, how mischievous they can be, and how they always keep you on your toes.
Intern Sarah: Why not?
Ellen: I got the opportunity to intern with chimpanzees at another sanctuary (Chimp Haven) during college and loved getting to know them and their personalities, and seeing the love and relationships they built with their caregivers. I knew I wanted to continue to make a difference in the lives of sanctuary chimps, and have worked with them every since graduating!
Sabrina: I saw a chimp at the Oregon Zoo in the 1980’s and she threw poop. I found it quite funny.
Anna: I always wanted to work with animals and was hooked after meeting the sign language chimps at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute.
Jenna: I have always been drawn to great apes since I was a child, but specifically loved orangutans. It wasn’t chimps until I completed an internship at Fauna Foundation in 2019 that I had an “AHA!” moment. I was hooked.
Enjoli (a new caregiver we haven’t introduced yet! Coming soon!): I’ve always loved primates. They’re incredibly smart and are charismatic. They deserve to be in a sanctuary with caregivers who care, have a variety of enrichment, ability to make their own decisions, and do what they want with their day.
