Continuing our month of love, I have the distinct honor of writing about Missy, in the hopes that she will gain more Chimpanzee Pals.
Missy, in a word, is cool.
She is small in stature, but fits quite firmly in the “small but mighty” category. She packs a lot of muscle and a lot of spirit into a small frame.
Missy was born in captivity in 1975 and was owned by the Buckshire Corporation. She spent many years at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) that was part of New York University. There, she was used for hepatitis vaccine testing and breeding. Missy had two children during her time in biomedical research: Honey B, who lives here now, and Josh, who lives at Center for Great Apes. CGA recently wrote about Josh for an electronic newsletter and shared that he, too is quite small, weighing just 90 pounds! We don’t know Missy’s actual birth date, so we chose a date for her to celebrate: August 23rd.
Missy is very loyal to her boss, Jamie.
When we attempted the introductions between Missy’s group and the group of three that included Missy’s daughter in 2019, we learned that Missy relies on Jamie. I had always thought of Missy as quite self-reliant and confident. When she was separated from Jamie, however, she was as nervous as I’ve ever seen her. Now I think of Missy as a soldier who needs a sergeant. She understands hierarchy and wants to know her place in the order, even if her sergeant can be a bit of a bully (see Love for Jamie).
While Jamie and Honey B are both smarty-pants and mischievous in show-offy ways, Missy is quietly intelligent and clever.
She also knows how to crack herself up. This is one of my all-time favorite caught-on-camera moments of Missy. It’s from 15 years ago, so apologies for the poor quality:
Missy was Annie’s rock for the first decade or so at the sanctuary.
Just tonight, I watched Missy reach out to Annie to give her reassurance and bring her in for a hug when Annie was anxious. To both Missy and Annie’s credit, Annie has blossomed and doesn’t need Missy’s constant presence, but we still consider them best friends.
Missy is best known for being a runner. As soon as she had access to a large habitat, she ran. She’s been running ever since. J.B. described it best back then: “She is like a spring that was coiled up for decades, just waiting to be released.”
Missy has a new running buddy! She is thrilled when George, in the other habitat, challenges her to a race.
She can spot a tomato, her most favorite food in the whole wide world, from a hundred yards away. Her August birthday is perfectly timed for peak tomato season.
Are you a runner? Do you love tomatoes? Do you know someone who is / does? Well, then, it’s clearly time to become Missy’s Pal or give the gift of Pal sponsorship to your tomato-loving, uber cool, athletic BFF!
Missy currently has eleven pals. Thank you to those eleven for loving Missy, and thank you to everyone who has signed up to be a Pal or Buddy this month! Your support gives them the individualized care they deserve and keeps this blog going!
“Missy was … *owned*…” took my breath away. Just underscored how they were seen as objects. Even though we may say we “own” a dog or a cat. Seems I’m so thoroughly accustomed to calling them people, and engrossed with who they are. So glad she’s in sanctuary and able to be the delightful, athletic chimpanzee that she is. And thank you again to CSNW.
I can never get my head around these corporations who ‘owned’ primates either. Does that mean that dear little Missy is a ‘B’ too?
All of the Cle Elum 7 were “owned” by the Buckshire corporation before coming to sanctuary. That’s why Missy’s daughter is named Honey B. It indicated her mother “belonged” to the Buckshire corporation.
But IIRC, it was Missy, Jody, and one other who had the “B” in their names. (born to Buckshire, maybe? unlike Annie and Neggie).
It was Missy and Jamie who had the “B” moniker because they spent time at LEMSIP and that laboratory added the B to their names when they were housed there and also added it to offspring born to chimpanzees owned by Buckshire, like Willy B and Honey B. https://chimpsnw.org/2019/10/whats-in-a-name/
The back stories of all the Chimpeople who now live — and who finally get to live as chimpanzees — at the CSNW is always grievous to countenance. Missy should not have had to wait until she was 47 years old to climb her first tree. Better late than never, one Autumn afternoon, she ascended a fur tree on her back acreage. The photographs of that day capture a triumph. No lame human corporation could ever “own” the indomitable spirit who is Missy Chimpanzee.
Missy is just so effortlessly cool. It boggles my mind to think of her in a tiny cage, unable to move her body. No wonder she loves to go out and just run as fast as she can. Her and Annie have the cutest friendship ever. I just adore seeing them together.
:heart::heart::heart:
Thank goodness for CSNW.
Thank you, Diana. Always good to hear about our little firecracker!
You’re welcome! It’s always a pleasure to write about her!
Missy was the first chimpanzee I was drawn to. Everything about her tickled me! Her size, that muscular little bod, and her freckly face stood out and she was easily the most recognizable for me at first. Then I was told her backstory by Jennifer, the executive director at that time. (Eeesh, I hope I have the name right!) I learned that Missy almost didn’t make the trip to sanctuary with the others because of her health. From then on, seeing Missy run, climb, swing, and appear to be in perpetual motion made me feel such joy and respect for her that I had to sign up at that time and become her Pal. And I still feel all soft and fuzzy every time I see the friendship between Missy and Annie after all these years. I just feel so very grateful that because of CSNW, Missy lives this incredible life.
Thanks, Diana, for including the link to the post “What’s in a name”. Sometimes a name is all you have.