Katelyn

In memory of sweet Jody

May 10, 2026 by Katelyn 8 Comments

Thank you so much to Lucinda Almy-Hamilton for so graciously sponsoring an annual day of sanctuary in memory of Jody. And our first of two sponsor a days in her honor.

We celebrated Jody’s honorary birthday on Mother’s Day in honor of her innate mothering nature with her group members, and in honor of the nine children she gave birth to while in biomedical research and was never allowed to raise. Jody spent fifteen years in sanctuary before passing away from an unexpected health crisis on April 30, 2023. Jody was among the first seven chimpanzees to call the sanctuary home and she remains an integral part of all our lives and all we do here. We miss and celebrate her every single day. Lucinda shared this special message about today:

“Jody’s passing was highly significant for me and has remained in my heart ever since. I so appreciated the “farewell” video; the others in the “family” had the opportunity to say goodbye. I watch that video many times and it still makes me cry. I showed it to my anthropology classes highlighting the beautiful sentience of our fellow primates.”

(*Trigger warning: For our newer followers, or those who haven’t had the opportunity yet, if you choose to watch Jody’s farewell video linked above please note J.B.’s note at the beginning of the post. It’s an immense privilege to witness her family saying goodbye to her, but as you might imagine, it’s also very moving and emotional to see. Just as life is, we hold so many emotions at the same time).

It means so much to us, Lucinda, that you continue to hold Jody in your heart and share her and her family with your students. We couldn’t hope for more in sharing the chimpanzees lives through our daily blog.

Our Mother’s Day celebration preparation is under way in the chimp house so there will be more beauty and joy to come today, please join us in celebrating all of our extraordinary residents and their lives today.

Happy Birthday, beautiful Jo, Happy Mother’s Day. We love you so!

Jody and Missy:

Jody was a master forager and loved nothing more than hauling in as much as she could carry from both forages and wild growing browse on Young’s Hill:

Burrito and Jody:

She was also our reigning “Pumpkin Thief” at Jamie’s birthday (Jamieween) celebrations:

Foxie and Jody, such dear friends:

Jody enjoying one of her zillions of nests:

A May full of stars

May 1, 2026 by Katelyn

Merry May Day, friends!

May holds one of our loveliest celebrations here at the sanctuary, Mother’s Day, which falls on May 10th this year. For those of you who are newer to the blog, it’s also the day we celebrate the honorary birthday of Jody, our beloved friend who passed away three years ago. Jody was one of the original seven chimpanzees who first arrived at the sanctuary in 2008. Not knowing her exact date of birth, we chose to celebrate her on Mother’s Day in honor of the nine babies she had while in biomedical research and was never allowed to raise. We often referred to Jody as the “den mother” of her group for her special way of always looking out for her group mates, making sure everyone was safe and accounted for. Mothering was in her heart.

Jody and Foxie were particularly close:

Jody and our memories of her will forever be inextricably linked to Mother’s Day and, I think, the fresh lilacs we’ve traditionally brought the chimpanzees for their celebration. I will never look at or smell lilacs without thinking of Jody and her family.

May is also hands down one of the most beautiful at the sanctuary. Life expands a little more each day with the warming temperatures and the lengthening light. The chimpanzees enjoy more time leisurely exploring their outdoor habitats and as the greenhouse panels come down, long hours relaxing in the breezes and sun. The grass turns a wild neon green and grows taller than the chimps, causing the humans to stand, staring endlessly across their habitats trying to locate them. The hills are covered in the bright yellow of balsamroot and purple of mountain lupine. The bovine ladies return to their mountain cow days in their summer pastures. The air is full of birdsong and marmots yelling and the skies run the gamut from bluebird blue to charcoal gray.

Negra:

Rayne:

Missy and Jody:

Honey:

Yes, May holds bittersweet and heartbreaking memories as well, but equally, if not more so, it holds the sheer privilege to honor each of the chimpanzee mothers here and the connections that will always exist between them and the children they gave birth to in the labs. Annie, Foxie, Jody, Missy, and Negra all had multiple children. While many of their children did not make it out of the labs, several gratefully did, making it to sanctuaries of their own where many of them continue to thrive today.

Mother’s Day is also a way for us to honor the fact that just like all chimpanzees in labs and most captive situations, each of the sixteen chimpanzees who call the sanctuary home are the now adult children of families they should have been with. I will always celebrate these connections, even more so because of all the decades they were never honored.

And we are incredibly lucky to be able to celebrate our bovine mamas, Honey and Betsy, who were it not for you and others like you, would never have had the extraordinarily rare opportunity to spend their lives living in sanctuary with their children.

Here, not long after they first arrived, Meredith (front), her mother, Honey, Betsy (left rear) and her son, Nutmeg (right) who passed away two years ago:

(L-R) Meredith, Honey, Betsy, and Nutmeg (we sure miss this guy) in their summer pasture:

Something I truly appreciate about working here is our commitment to transparency and sharing all that we reasonably can about the chimpanzees’ and cows’ lives to connect you all, our amazing supporters, with them and what you’ve helped create in their lives. Nothing that happens here would be possible without you. We always hope to portray how invaluable true sanctuaries are and what they can provide for the extraordinary individuals who call them home. And we always hope to portray the reality of our precious residents’ lives in all it’s forms, along with the reality of what it takes to provide them with the dignity and individualized care they deserve, not only on a monetary or physical level, but also a truly human one. I’ve always said being a caregiver isn’t just a job (well, it shouldn’t be), it’s a way of life. But I’ve come to see more and more that it’s a way of heart.

I won’t lie. This post, and in truth, most of our posts right now are not always easy for any of us to write. While we thrill in sharing (and live for!) so many of the cherished and joyous moments we get the honor of witnessing, in the same, sometimes unspoken, breath they carry the weight of our constant thoughts and current worries of Negra and her daily well-being, along with the challenges and changes she, her group, and we all, are facing. How we can ease these, what we and they have faced in the past, and what we will all face again.

More than anyone else in my life, the chimpanzees show me over and over how to hold all parts of life. With her permission, I’d like to share with you part of what our amazing Dr. Erin so graciously shared with us recently: “I remind myself that struggling does not always equal suffering, that bodily discomfort is part of old age, that death is a part of life…There is a sacredness to this time, and to the care and honor we give Negra and each other.”

Please join us in celebrating Jody, Negra, and all our beautiful resident chimpanzee and cow mamas and their families this month.

Annie:

Betsy (r) and her son, Nutmeg (l):

Foxie:

Honey (r) and her daughter, Meredith (l):

Jody:

Missy (mama to Honey B!):

and Negra:

And the one extended family birthday we’re celebrating this month belongs to Jody’s gorgeous son, Clay! Clay is turning 39 this year and is thriving in his sanctuary home at Save the Chimps. Clay is also half-brother to Burrito, who shares the same father, Mack. (Photo courtesy of STC):

I will end with a Negra story:

I went looking for Negra yesterday afternoon and after repeatedly checking her usual current spots, I began to grow worried when I couldn’t find her. In one more check I headed for the side of her greenhouse that provides a better view of the top platform where you can usually find her. As I turned the corner I could immediately see she wasn’t there. While we wait for temperatures to be warm enough to remove all the greenhouse panels, J.B. recently removed a single panel on one side of Negra’s favorite summertime corner, providing a view to Young’s Hill while not letting the wild and still cold winds through. And to my great relief and surprise, there she was! It takes more effort on her part now to continue doing what’s important to her, but as Shirley Jackson wrote as a symbol of the importance of never giving up one’s individuality, Negra continues to “insist upon her cup of stars”. She is a wonder.

I didn’t take a photo yesterday, but just as in this photo, this is the favored spot and favored pose, complete with doll in the hip pocket! (notice the tiny feet sticking up from her hip 🙂 ):

Thank you all for being here, for walking, celebrating, remembering, and honoring all the ups and downs and in betweens with us all. And for helping us ensure to the best of our ability that each of our beloved friends gets their “cup of stars.”

A pretty big deal kind of April.

April 1, 2026 by Katelyn

We made it! It’s officially spring here in the chimpanzees’ and cows’ corner of the world! I think we’re all pretty thrilled.

We have one birthday celebration this month and it’s a pretty big deal! George is turning 22 and will most likely be screaming and squeaking at the top of his lungs on April 5th, his first birthday since arriving home, his first birthday surrounded by his new family!

George’s almost one year anniversary since arriving to the sanctuary has been full of firsts. Countless firsts, really. I would guess from his limited and dim view of the world for his first two decades of life, it must have been impossible to imagine anything else. So when things changed, literally overnight, he didn’t hesitate to run through every new door that opened even though so much of it must have been extremely scary. The courage he consistently demonstrates is astounding.

Go, George!!

It’s been three months or so since George has been fully integrated with the six members of Cy’s group. So far, it’s been a mind-boggling smooth transition, as far as integrations and chimpanzees are concerned. Thanks in no small part to Cy, the alpha of George’s new family and wearer of a proverbial superhero cape. That said, all the humans (including YOU) and all the members of George’s group played (and continue to play) huge roles in creating a wondrous outcome for him to date.

As George continues to gain more comfort and confidence there will no doubt be family dynamics to work out, but that’s also part of chimpanzee life, and we’re so grateful for how this group has embraced him so far. This is no small life change for any of them!

George and Cy eating breakfast together in one of their greenhouses:

George and Gordo. I think what we love most about this wonderful friendship is that we can’t believe the happy change in Gordo since George’s arrival! As someone who tends to be more reserved and stick to himself, Gordo has been thriving on a whole new level. He initiates play with both his caregivers and the chimpanzees much for often, he appears more at ease within the group, and he just has a buddy he seems to really enjoy hanging out with. We’re so hopeful to see how this friendship continues to develop for both of them.

Dominant female of the group, Rayne, has played a particularly big role in George’s welcome. If there’s any concern of tension in the group, George’s safety, or if he needs reassurance, Rayne joins Cy like two bookends on either side of him making sure all’s well that ends well. As we’ve mentioned before, Rayne is really adept at innately knowing what chimpanzees with different social skills need.

George also continues to bring immense enrichment to his neighbors, Jamie’s group! The girls love to scream and yell at him, spy on him, and just be generally appalled and intrigued at once by the cute, wild, new boy next door. We saw Burrito having a short game of chase with George recently. And as many of you know, Missy in particular loves to race George up their respective hills! (Random chimp house story: Burrito LOVES this video and of all the ones he watches, he demands I play this one for him over and over. Often he, Foxie, and Jamie will sit, eyes transfixed on the screen, suddenly yelling all at once when George takes off running, Foxie reaching out for reassurance – it reminds me of humans yelling in the movie theatre. It’s really funny.).

George, safe and cozy in his tortilla blanket nest. Among his first nests and what we envision to be countless comforting and creative nests to come:

George arrived with a built-in fan club. The other fifteen chimpanzees, for obvious reasons of coming from labs and/or a facility that largely wasn’t open to the public, were virtually unknown by the outside world before the sanctuary became their home. Of course, they’re all widely known and deeply loved now. But with George, it’s really been something to witness.

If George needs it, it arrives! Gift cards are a welcome constant for his favorite food items. George doesn’t have any Chimpanzee Pals?! Boom! George has 22 – more than anyone else! Donations have handwritten notes to him on them (this delights and awes our local bank, btw). New, but devoted blog and social media followers watch over his progress and well-being. Again, this is true for all of the chimpanzees and cows, but it’s most apparent right now with George being the new guy.

While these things also make us smile, it’s so much more than that. When I said you play a huge role in how embraced George has been and the wondrous life created for him, I wasn’t kidding. In a world that feels it goes sideways on the daily, to see so many people come together and quite literally save and transform the life of one individual feels miraculous. And yet, I think it merely speaks to the innate good to be found in us humans. But at a time when our hearts need to feel that more than ever, to feel a sense of community, you all have been the proverbial cape wearers, right along with Cy. Thank you so much.

And we’d like to also celebrate a birthday in our extended family. Missy’s son, Josh, is turning 39 today, April 1st! Josh was among the chimpanzees (along with Cy’s and Honey B’s groups) who were in need of homes when Wildlife Waystation in California, the facility they’d spent most of their lives at, suddenly closed. Josh, along with his group mates, were so fortunate to land at an incredible sanctuary, Center for Great Apes, in Florida (photo courtesy of CGA).

Some of us had the amazing gift of meeting Josh last year while attending the NAPSA (North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance) conference. He’s gorgeous, just like his mama and half-sister, Honey B! He shares a similar body shape with Missy, though he clearly got the floof in the family. (Photos courtesy of CGA):

Missy:

Happy April, friends! We’re just so grateful for you being here!

March celebrations!

March 3, 2026 by Katelyn

If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll know that we just wrapped up our “Month of Love” Valentine’s posts in which we highlighted each of the extraordinary chimpanzees and cows who call the sanctuary home, along with how you can become their sponsor through our Chimpanzee Pal and Bovine Buddy programs. We’re thrilled to say that between them all they received 93 new Pals and Buddies! You all are amazing and that’s definitely a record!

Our heartfelt thanks to each of you who were able to sponsor one of our 21 sanctuary residents, to include Jody and Nutmeg in memoriam. And to those of you who are new George Pals, many thanks for welcoming him as your pal. As the brand new guy, he of course went from having zero pals to having 21! And we’d like to send a special thank you to our three supporters who, incredibly, each sponsored the whole family of chimps and the whole herd of bovines!

Sponsorships, as all of your donations, in-kind gifts, volunteer work, follows/shares/likes, and presence, have contributed to creating a true sanctuary for the chimpanzees and cows. Every day forward and further from the ones they left behind, is because of you and the community you’ve help build here and we could never thank you enough.

Looking ahead to March, our birthday celebration belongs entirely to Cy! Cy is turning 36 on March 12th. Cy being Cy, it seems only appropriate he should have the entire month to be (extra) celebrated.

We’ve said it countless times before and most certainly will countless times to come, but Cy is a really extraordinary individual. In regards to being the alpha of his group, though I think he’d prefer a non-management position, we couldn’t have asked for a more incredible leader. Given Cy’s background of being taken from his mother at birth and raised in a lab without the ability to learn chimpanzee social and communication skills from his family, his innate leadership, and just all around best guy heart are even more remarkable.

Not long ago, J.B. wrote about the deep admiration and awe held for our “Person of the Year“, which speaks so beautifully to just how special Cy is. You can also read (or re-read) Kelsi’s wonderful “Love for Cy” post for further swooning opportunities. 🙂

If I had to guess, “reading, relaxing, and retired in peace” would be Cy’s “other job” choice:

And as far as March goes for the the humans, I would say most of us are probably pretty excited to be welcoming a return to daylight savings time on March 8th (our schedules change with daylight savings in order to give the chimpanzees the most daylight opportunities to enjoy their outdoor habitats), not to mention the official arrival of spring on March 20th!

As someone who grew up with the redwoods and wild, northerly ocean, I’ve always been of the mindset that the darker, the foggier, the colder, the better. And even though it’s been uncharacteristically mild, I have been waiting for spring since the first day of winter. (Sorry, winter, maybe another time). I think I most love what the more easeful and light-filled days of spring bring for the chimpanzees, cows, barn cats, and all who call the sanctuary home. Including those who will be welcomed to the world any day now – fawns! baby birds! coyote pups! flowers! butterflies! bees!….

I bet Negra can already taste all that spring grass! Same, Neggie, same. 😉 :

In memory of Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty

March 1, 2026 by Katelyn

Our heartfelt thanks to Joan O’Flaherty for always choosing to honor her parents, Ned and Noreen O’Flaherty, through graciously sponsoring annual days of sanctuary in their memory.

“My parents loved animals and supported conservation and would be pleased that you have given a safe haven and a life worth living to so many chimpanzees and cows. Thank-you.”

We’re so honored to include Ned, Noreen, and you, Joan, in our sanctuary family! Thank you for the difference you make in their lives!

Betsy, Honey, and Meredith in their summer pasture last year: