Today’s blog is all about Annie! Annie is a playful chimpanzee who enjoys spending time with her chimpanzee friends, most notably with her best friend Missy.
Annie (L) Missy (R)
Missy (L) Annie (R)
Annie grooms Missy
Annie (L) and Missy (R) play
While Missy is high-ranking in the group, Annie is low-ranking, and does not have the same level of confidence as her closest friend. She is cautious and can be quick to become upset during moments of uncertainty or upset within the group. She spends much of her time either playing with her chimp friends (especially Missy!) or relaxing. Annie, also lovingly referred to as “Annie Bird,” has an endearing habit of making “bird noises” with her mouth while resting, usually with her hands covering her mouth.
Annie making bird noises
Annie is good at solving food puzzles, especially those that require tools (or will make her own food puzzles using her tools, she can be a smoothie bandit!), and is easy to please when it comes to meals as she loves just about all fresh fruits and vegetables.
Annie uses a straw to siphon juice from someone else’s cup! Tool use level: expert.
Annie on the move with a watermelon bowl.
Annie was born in 1974, possibly in the wild, and we celebrate her birthday each year on September 10th. We celebrated her 51st birthday this past September! Prior to making it to sanctuary, she was used in biomedical research, specifically hepatitis vaccine studies. While in the lab, Annie had several babies, all of whom were taken from her and used in research themselves. While Annie did not get the opportunity to raise her own children, I’m confident that she would have been a sweet and attentive mother. Records indicate that she had seven children: Mariah, Virgil, Damian, Tobias, Petra, Abby, and Brooke. Mariah and Virgil live at Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida, where Damian also lived until his death in 2011.
Mariah (photo from Save the Chimps)
Virgil (photo from Save the Chimps)
Damian (photo from Save the Chimps)
Tobias lived at Chimp Haven sanctuary in Louisiana until his death in 2014. Petra and Abby seem to have died at biomedical research facilities, and we have no records of what happened to Brooke.
Many of my favorite memories of Annie involve watching her interact with her chimp friends, and on some more rare occasions, her human friends. She is such a fun friend to have!
Annie plays with Burrito, who shows us a big play face.
Missy and Annie play
If this hasn’t given you enough to love about Annie, see Jenna’s post here for fifty more (okay, some may be repeats!) things to know, love, and appreciate about our friend, Annie. Thank you to Annie’s 14 current pals who support her and the sanctuary! If you’d like to become Annie’s pal, visit the link here!
Dear, sweet, beautiful Annie: I hope you know how much you are loved.
Smoothie bandit Annie, with her strikingly long hands, is my favorite Annie! We love to see an underdog get what they deserve!
Annie is just the prettiest, sweetest chimp around, but I have to admit, I love her sneaky side! My favorite moment is when she siphoned Jamie’s smoothie from her cup… as she was drinking it! She might be a low ranker, but she’s sly!
My beautiful Annie who may not be quite as “out there” as some of her chimp pals, but this lady certainly knows how to get her needs met ie using a straw to syphon juice from someone else’s cup!
Thankyou, everyone for the love and support for Annie and for helping her find her mojo.
Annie is so beautiful. She certainly would have been one incredible Mum. Mariah is the spitting image of Annie. Would there be any indication that Virgil and Damian may somehow be related to Maeve or Terry? Those two boys are gorgeous and very floofy just like Terry and Maeve. Thank you!
I thought the same thing about the boys looking floofy
You are so right. There are infinite reasons to love Miss Annie. Clearly, just her physical beauty is a characteristic we all love but she’s much more than a pretty face. It has been a wonderful journey watching Annie blossom at the sanctuary. Annie’s love for Missy, her quiet moments alone outside, her playful side, and her sheer guts and ingenuity to siphon Jamie’s smoothie using her extra long straw (while sitting right-in-your-face next to Jamie!!) and get away with it—all these reasons and more make Annie so lovable in my eyes.
It’s always a pleasure to see the “retired to sanctuary” children of CSNW mothers. Still, I can’t help feeling anger towards the institutions who caused them such unjustifiable suffering. Mariah, Virgil, Tobias, and Damian were lucky to receive a second chance at life in a true sanctuary. The biomedical research facilities and/or the institutions that owned the chimpanzees did not even have the basic decency or professionalism to keep valid records. Poor unknown Brooke. Fortunate enough to be known by a name and not a number, but insignificant enough that she didn’t even leave a trace. Used, abused, profit pocketed, an important life erased. It shatters my heart to think that anyone could be so cruel to another intelligent living being. Doing this in the name of science is not acceptable. Annie deserved better. So, thank you CSNW for giving Annie the freedom to become everything she is today.