As we continue our Valentine’s series, we could never forget our dear friend Jody. When I think about sanctuary, Jo embodies what sanctuaries are made for.
Jody was born in 1975, we don’t know her exact birthday, we believe Jody may have been captured in the wild. However, we honor Jody on Mother’s Day, because she took on the role of “Den Mother.” She was the glue of the group. Jody was a protector, she fiercely loved her family and would do anything to ensure their safety, even if it meant that she involved herself in conflict taking on the burden to protect others. In her absence, we have noticed how much she was helping her group navigate conflict and how much she stepped in and took the brunt of it. Losing Jo definitely effected the balance of peace in the group. Jamie’s group has adjusted since, but it is impossible to fill the hole that Jody left, showing us another parallel to human lives. Though someone has passed, we have to figure out how to walk on this earth without them, acknowledging that it won’t be the same, but you rebuild, slowly.
Jody like many other chimp stories, is a heartbreaking one, she was used primarily for breeding during her years in the labs, over her time there she had 9 children and 2 miscarriages. Chimps that were used for breeding in biomedical labs had their children taken away and sadly, Jody was no exception. In between her many pregnancies, the industry managed to also use Jody in hepatitis vaccine research. If you ever met Jody, you know she was born to me a mother, it is a tragedy she was not able to be a mother to her children, but regardless she became the den mother to her group. We do know that 4 of her children made it to sanctuary.
This is Jody when she arrived to the sanctuary.
And Jody after 15 years in sanctuary, almost aging in reverse.
Jody was resilient, deeply loyal, a mediator, and the heart and soul of her group. She was a serious chimp. She did not open up quickly, but once she did, you were apart of her world.
Jojo was best known for her dinosaur food grunts. You would hear these sounds when she was extremely pleased with the food being served.
Jody was known for her elaborate nest building. She was the only chimp to help us get blankets out of the doors and most likely the one who left the pile of blankets in the door!
We often described Jo as more of a serious chimp, but she loved to have fun with her friends too!
Jo was an extremely protective friend. If anyone in her group was out on the Hill and hadn’t come back yet, she would wait at the end of the raceway until they returned.
Jody could also be found in the happy baby pose.
She was an incredibly supportive friend. My favorite story is when Jody would go out every morning with Foxie to climb the Twister, a structure out on Young’s Hill. Jody would go out and climb with Foxie, going only as far as Foxie was comfortable, but always encouraging her to push a little further. Eventually, one day Foxie got to the top and Jody was right there with her the whole time. I think about that moment often. It speaks to who Jody was as a person, supportive, protective, and encouraging.
I think about Jody all the time. I feel a pang of grief every time I do a produce order. I always come across a food or leafy green that Jody would totally get excited for! Jody was so expressive with food. It was so exciting and she was so vocal. Because of this, Jody was an avid forager, aka Farmer Jo, whether that be foliage on the Hill or foraging for produce. She would walk back in with a haul- hands, toes, and mouth full! And if you have ever wondered where the nickname Farmer Jo came from, I think the pictures speak for themselves.
Oh! I almost forgot that Jody once foraged a whole rose bush, fast forward to 7:26!
Let’s not forget the great pumpkin heist! Jamieween is one of our biggest celebrations and every year we put out a big pumpkin on Young’s Hill. The pumpkin heist is something many of us looked forward to every year. To see how Jody would steal or try to stealthily get the whole pumpkin, even though, eventually she would share her winning with Neggie.
She had the cutest nubby toes and a very stabby toenail.
But I miss her heart-shaped browridge the most. Jody had the most captivating eyes, it felt like she could see your soul.
However, something I miss deeply is every night when we would close up the chimp house, we would say “Goodnight”. Jody would give a “Goodnight-grunt” and then everyone else would harmonize after. It was a sweet quiet moment. We don’t hear them do it as often without Jo, but when they do, I feel her presence.
It was an honor to care for Jody and watch her flourish in everything our sanctuary had to offer her. She was provided dignity, choice, and safety. She is deeply missed by her family and her human friends. To gain her trust as a human friend of hers is the greatest privilege you could ever ask for.
Jody currently has 12 pals (in memorial). If you would like to honor sweet Jojo you can donate or become her Chimpanzee Pals (in memorial).
Thank you for this loving tribute, I think of Jody everyday too, I was lucky enough to win some Jody artwork at a Hoot a few years back, So I get to look at her beautiful face daily.:revolving_hearts:
Only Neggie and sweet George have play faces that could rival Jo’s!
And I always remember her coming back from a forage with a light in her eyes that told you she was so excited at what she got, as though she were always convinced that she got the best there was!
Are there any other blanket shredders taking up her habit?
Farmer Jo, The Great Pumpkin Thief and her love of lilacs. I remember the time she dragged a dead bush into the doorway and left it there, then watching everyone trying to climb around it to get in. You are so missed, JoJo. I could not get through this blog without crying.
Yes, Kelsi linked that above! (rose bush in red font). A fan favorite!
Beautiful post with so many wonderful pictures. It moved me to tears.
Thank you so much, Kelsi, for your loving tribute to your dear friend. Your love for Jody comes through in your words, and I am certain that she loved you as she loved Neggie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Missy and Annie. These photographs are such a delight to see once again. My framed photograph of Jody and her lilacs holds pride of place on my shelf alongside my front-page article and picture of Jane Goodall; in fact, however, any of these photographs of our beloved Jody could be there as well. Jody is always someone I think of and cherish.
Such a wonderful tribute,Kelsi, with love in every word and photo. I have her lilacs photo as my screensaver, so see her many times a day, but for the first time since we lost her, I went back to the saved “Saying Goodbye” video and it still is so hard to watch. The individual response of the other chimps, but all so respectful, quiet and sad. She was certainly a character with many faces….loved how she was nurse if anyone was recovering, ripping her blankets to make them just right, coming in with everything stuffed with food after a successful forage, and of course the great pumpkin thief. I’m so glad that she has her remembrance garden…..she so deserves it.
Thankyou,Kelsi for your elegant and very fitting tribute to a totally unforgettable lady. Jody gracing her many roles of mother, buddy and peace maker. Funny and sometimes larger than life and despite her horrendous past she embraced her life to the full. A very remarkable chimpanzee who taught us all so much.
Oh my! Thank you, Kelsie, for sharing your love of Jody so openly and honestly with us. All these photos and reminiscences, and videos! And everyone’s comments. Sigh. It’s as if you’ve brought her back to life. The big pumpkin heist and bush forage jammed in the inside door of the runway will forever be my favorite memories out of so many memories I’ve tucked away for safe keeping. And I too, every once in awhile, watch the video “Saying Goodbye”. Today, this post makes me smile from deep within, instead of tearing up. Thinking of Jody brings me joy. But, viewing “Saying Goodbye” is still so painful to watch it makes my heart ache.
Jody’s joy and caring nature will always be a part of the group. I wonder what their favorite memories of Jody are.
Kelsi. Sorry for the typo on your name! I love it when AI corrects my typing!
Thank you for the wonderful, and, thorough, description of Jody. Her, dinosaur, food, grunts were enchanting, and, her, “Farmer Jo”, foraging, hauls were notable. I, especially, enjoyed watching her, nest, building, skills! She did not drop, any, blankets, and, continued to carefully, and, methodically, arrange her nest. The number of blankets looked, so, very, cozy, and comortable. I would appreciate a guess as to why she ripped some of them?
The blanket shredder strikes again! https://share.google/Q4mGXVqY99QWcTeli
I don’t know if they know
Probably the most beautiful chimp lady I’ve ever seen.
As beautiful as our Jody was on the outside, I think that was only a mere refraction of her inner beauty.
Indeed! I used to think that, with her big ears and long face, that she was kind of derpy looking. And then, over the years, I came to realize that, while she is not quintessentially chimp beautiful like Annie or Lucky, she was indeed the most photogenic chimp on the OG side of the house. So many of the photos that I was saving were Jo: her expressive face, her eyes all lit up, and some of the poses are just incredible.
https://chimpsnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/new_web_Jody_vertical_Christmas_tree_pr_kd_IMG_5462.jpg
Absolutely wonderful post. Jody really lived a full life. Some very sad parts to Jody’s life