Today is a day for dual celebration. Not only is it Mother’s Day, but it’s also the day we celebrate Jody’s birthday. We don’t know her actual birthday, (she may have been born in the wild.) What we do know is that Jody spent decades as a test subject in biomedical research before coming to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. During those years in the lab, she gave birth to nine babies, so we chose Mother’s Day to celebrate her and to honor her as a mother.
It’s hard to fathom Jody never having had the chance to raise any of her babies. It’s equally hard to imagine that she was not able to learn and grow under the guidance of her own mother in the wild. Wrapping my brain around the reality of her past is heartbreaking. And knowing that there are so many other captive chimpanzees that share a similar story brings tears to my eyes. But, today is a day to celebrate; to celebrate Jody, her life and all that she has become since her new beginning at CSNW.
Because we have two very special reasons to celebrate, we set up two parties…one in the Greenhouse….
…and one in the Playroom.
Today, we honor the mother that Jody is by showering her with love and giving her some of her most favorite things…extra blankets for building huge nests, good food, flowers and alfalfa cubes. You can read more about Jody here.
Jody
Missy
Annie
Foxie
Jamie
Negra
Burrito
Happy Birthday Jody! I am sorry that you were taken from your Mother and that your 9 babies were taken away from you. This is your day, your birthday, and you have wonderful people that love you and taken such good care of you. I am from Seattle and know Ellensburg well, but I live in San Diego now. You are in a wonderful place. You deserve nothing but happiness and good things in your life. Stay well sweet Jody.
Happy Birthday Beautiful Wild Jody!!! May you have a year full of successful foraging and nest building. Your story is so inspiring. I am so happy to see you thriving at CSNW. Much love to you today and everyday.
The lilacs are so lovely, I can almost smell them — fantastic photos as always. Your celebrations are the best and it is delightful to see each chimp enjoying the food, treats and enrichment gifts.
What a wonderful way to pay tribute to Jody and to give all of them a day to celebrate with some of the things they love so much. Thank you for all you do for them. Lovely pictures.
It looks like it was a wonderful party! I hope you had a great day sweet Jody!