Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest
Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary
I have a lot of thoughts, but few words. It was a lovely day. Thanks to Katelyn today and staff and volunteers over the last few days who prepared the party in Jody’s honor and in honor of all moms.
This bowl and lilacs were for Jody, placed over her burial site:
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
