Born 1975, possibly in the wild. Celebrated birthday: Mother’s Day.
Died April 30, 2023 in her sanctuary home.
Jody was used primarily for breeding during her years of use by the biomedical research industry, and had a total of nine babies during this time plus two miscarriages. Three of her surviving children, Andrea, Bart, and Clay, live at Save the Chimps (STC) sanctuary in Florida. Clay is also Burrito‘s half brother. Jody’s son Levi was one of fourteen chimpanzees involved in a dispute in 2011 because they were moved from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) laboratory to the Texas Biomed laboratory instead of going to Chimp Haven sanctuary in Louisiana. Fortunately, Levi and the others in that group did eventually go to Chimp Haven, all because people spoke up on their behalf. Jody’s daughter April never made it to sanctuary; she died in 2012 at APF of a respiratory virus. Jody’s children Opy and Adam also died before making it to sanctuary and we don’t have information about her other two children, Cliff and Taylor.
In between her many pregnancies, the industry managed to also use Jody in hepatitis vaccine research.
She often played the protector or worried “mom” within her group. She loved foraging for and harvesting food from the outdoor habitat and had an incredible “dinosaur groan” that she made when eating something particularly exciting. She was skillful at making nests and never missed an opportunity to kick her feet up and relax, often in “happy baby” pose. She played with her friends, and some of the funniest play sessions were between her and Negra. Jody embraced all that the sanctuary offered, and we are so glad we, through your support, were able to provide her with a new life. Thank you for continuing to keep her presence within you.
See the video of her chimpanzee family saying goodbye.
Donate in memory of Jody today or become her Chimpanzee Pal (in memorial). Jody currently has 15 pals (in memorial):
you were an amazing light in so many lives. sweet peace after your sweet life at CSNW.
Jody (and her family of friends in sanctuary) continue to be a light in my life even after her recent passing. Her eyes lit up when she saw lilacs and she smiled from ear to ear when she was anticipating savoring eating the blooms. Her presence remains with all of us who loved her. I am deeply grateful that she was able to find sanctuary and to live for many years with as much freedom of choice as possible in an environment of support, safety and love.
I was born and raised in Seattle; graduated from the UW. I moved to San Diego in 2000 and have followed Chimpanzee Northwest for years. I was so sad about Jody’s passing and spinal injury. What was the result of
her necropsy that resulted in her death. Did she have a stroke or heart attack that took her so quickly?
In thinking about Jody, I went back through and looked at the beautiful photos taken of her over the years by CSNW staff. Jody is what my great-grandmother would have called an “old soul”–someone who has lived through alot including some very hard times, but who retains the capacity to love and be open to life. The CSNW photos of her capture that idea so beautifully, and also show that Jody trusted and loved those around her.
I loved Jodi deeply and am so happy that after years of having 9 babies taken from her and then suffering through bio medical research testing, she was able to come to sanctuary where she was loved by her human and chimpanzee families. She holds a special place in my heart and always will. She’ll always be ‘my great pumpkin thief’.
Jody will always be in my heart. Her joy of living was beyond comprehention thinking about what she went through. You could get lost in Jody’s eyes. They drew you in and showed one her deep thoughts but she hardly ever told what those thoughts were.
My favorite memory of Jody was her love of lilacs. I share her love of those blooms and thats how i will remember her, with lilacs.
When I first met the chimps, it was Jody who really tugged at my heart strings, her with the limp lower lip and the kind face. I remember she hung back a little, seemingly shy, but clearly sizing me up – was I a good witch or a bad witch? That was what was so amazing about her, despite the trauma of having all of her babies taken from her, she always kept that gentle demeanor. Over the years, I was so impressed with her natural maternal instincts – the way she anxiously waited at the Young’s Hill gateway for everyone to get safely back inside and the time she made a mad dash to retrieve a doll Foxie had left outside before the gate was closed for the night. It breaks my heart that I will never see her again, but I resolve to at least try to be as kind a soul as she was.