In Katy Hessel’s (of The Great Women Artists fame) forthcoming book, “How to Live an Artful Life”, she compared the last day of August to sometimes feeling like the ultimate Sunday night. I think summer holds a particular sense of freedom, time, and nostalgia for most of us. Even those of us (chimpanzee and human alike) who might could do without the occasional hellfire aspect. 😉 That said, I don’t think there is any season that doesn’t offer something for the chimpanzees and the humans who love them to look forward to and cherish.
Just the other morning it was lovely and cool which inspired the zooms in Foxie. I watched her and Burrito zip past as she chased Burrito up the hill of their outdoor habitat, him stopping here and there to wait and clap at her, meaning “hurry up!” This is something I typically only see him do when he wants his caregivers to race him around the hill, so it was pretty endearing. Especially given that the zooms are beginning to look a little different than they used to for some of our older chimpanzee friends, but no less spirit-filled. Perhaps even more so.
Despite having our warmest forecast yet for this first week of September ahead, as far as eastern Washington summers go, this one has been on the “mild” side given what’s possible. And as September tends to be one of our best months weather-wise, we are looking forward to all the celebrations it brings with it. So here we go:
Annie was born in 1974 and we’ll be celebrating her 51st birthday on September 10th!:
Quintessential Annie: walking around her outdoor habitat bi-pedally:
And of course, it’s hard to imagine Annie without Missy:
Beautiful and independent Meredith is turning 10 on September 23rd!:
Meredith with her mama, Honey (left):
And Mave is turning 36 on September 25th!
Mave (and Dora’s foot 🙂 ):
Mora (Mave+Dora):
With the arrival of sweet George, we’ve been so happy to welcome many new followers! And some of you might be wondering why, as you’ll see below, the monthly celebration posts include birthdays of the children of the chimpanzee mamas here at CSNW.
Of the original group of seven chimpanzees to arrive here in 2008, Annie, Foxie, Jody, Missy, and Negra gave birth to multiple babies during their thirty years in biomedical research. Chimpanzee mothers were typically anesthetized within hours or days of giving birth in order to take their babies, who would then be hand-raised by humans in the lab nurseries until they were old enough to be placed in research themselves. Breeding in labs was common practice and how chimpanzee populations were maintained for decades of use in research protocols.
Invasive testing on chimpanzees effectively ended in the United States in 2015 when the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed they would end the split-listing of chimpanzees under the Endangered Species Act, changing the classification of captive chimpanzees from “threatened” to “endangered” to match that of chimpanzees in the wild. This same year the National Institute of Health (NIH) announced they would phase out research on federally owned chimpanzees following the 2011 recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IMO) which determined after an in-depth study that the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research was no longer “necessary”.
It’s a devastating, heartbreaking history we cannot change. And by now you might be thinking, “Who wants to hear about this nightmare in a blog about celebrations?!” But knowing of the thousands of chimpanzees who endured biomedical research and reading the long lists of those named and their children (sometimes identified only by a number), it’s incredible to know that Annie, Foxie, Jody, Missy, and Negra’s still living children are all safe and cared for in accredited sanctuaries. This wasn’t the outcome for all of their children (or for the majority of chimpanzees who were in biomedical research). Knowing that and being able to follow a glimpse of their lives now is a profound gift worthy of celebration. It’s one small way we can honor their histories, their ancestry, and their connections that are no less real despite having been separated from one another. And it gives us the opportunity to celebrate our fellow accredited sanctuaries, caregivers, and donors who make their lives in their own sanctuary families possible.
While we all wish the chimpanzees’ lives had been different, we are so grateful for the lives they have now, in no small part because of you. And in the eyes and bodies and mannerisms of their beautiful sons and daughters, we delight in seeing glimpses of their mothers they carry with them, their mothers who we cherish so.
Negra’s daughter, Angel, who lives at Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida, is turning 40 on September 4th (all respective photos courtesy of Save the Chimps):
Negra:
Annie’s daughter, Mariah, shares a birthday month with her mama and is turning 34 on September 19th:
Annie:
Jody’s daughter, Andrea (the 2nd), is turning 35 on September 30th:
Our profoundly missed Jody:
In other September news, early giving for Giving Day for Apes begins on September 16th and leads up to a live 24-hour day of giving on October 7th, with competitions and the chance for each sanctuary to win additional monetary prizes. The goal of this annual day of giving is to raise awareness and funds for participating sanctuaries in Africa, Asia, and North America in support of the apes in their care!
And autumn, wondrous, beloved autumn, arrives on September 22nd! (Which of course also means the season of “Jamieween”! If you’re new here, Halloween is boss babe, Jamie’s, birthday and one of the biggest parties of the year! Personally, I can’t wait to see what George thinks of this one! 🙂 ).
Annie lounging on a beautiful autumn day:
Jamie!
And another busy season of summer visits for our donors wraps up the last weekend of the month! Though we aren’t open to the public, we truly enjoy getting to welcome so many of our donors for these limited visits so they can get a glimpse of the chimpanzees (if the chimpanzees choose to give them a glimpse!) and of all they help make possible in the chimpanzees’ and cows’ lives. If this is something you are interested in attending next year as an existing donor, registration dates become available in early spring and fill up quickly, so make a note to keep an eye on this page for more information.
Missy foraging on Young’s Hill:
And right around the corner into October is HOOT! 2025 on October 3rd! You can join us for the celebration in-person in Seattle or online! For tickets to the in-person event, to RSVP to the live online event (it’s free!), for more information, or if you’re unable to attend, but would like to support the sanctuary with a contribution, PLEASE CLICK HERE!
As always, we appreciate you so much for being here for the chimpanzees and cows! And all of us humans, as well!
