Missy

Sanctuaries are unique places, built out of the necessity to provide nonhuman primates that have endured years in biomedical research a satisfactory place to retire & live out their life with as much autonomy as possible. While this grounds us in everything we do & every decision we make, it also lends to a unique work place and culture. One of the factors of this unique workplace is the language that gets used!

We’ve talked before on the blog about specific phrases that get used often, i.e. “The chimps are off the hill”, but there are also specific ways we talk about the chimps throughout our day. This is one of the most interesting aspects of sanctuary culture, at least to me, and although we’ve likely covered it in a blog before- I thought it was time to bring it back. 🙂

One of the phrases that is used, maybe most often, is that we are serving the chimps a meal. While a lot of us come to the sanctuary using the phrase “feed the chimps”, serving is a more inclusive term that encourages thinking about the chimps as equals. Just as we go to a restaurant and get served our meal, the chimps also choose to come to a meal to get served items from the menu!

Another commonplace term used around here is referring to the chimps as people! Chimps are not human, of course, but they are people with unique personalities. So, you will often hear caregivers say things like “there are a few people being really playful in playroom one!”.

When shifting the chimps or when we are about to serve them a meal, we use the term “inviting” when referring to a certain space. So, if I was about to give Jamie’s group access to the greenhouse and try to close the front rooms off for cleaning, I would say “I am going to invite Jamie’s group into the greenhouse and try to close off the front rooms”. The term invite is appropriate here, because we are giving them the choice- if they choose to leave the front rooms I would close them for cleaning. If not, and someone (likely Jody) has decided that I should not get the front rooms that day, then so be it! We will clean them tomorrow. 🙂

Along with these specific phrases, there are the little ones used so commonly throughout the day that they’re not coming to mind. Foxie or another chimp asking for someone or something, for example.

These terms and phrases may take a while to roll of the tongue, but once they do you realize how natural it is- and then you discover that you have a hard time explaining why they’re used! At the end of the day, our priority is giving our residents (ooh, there’s another one) as much autonomy and choice as possible. This includes giving them the respect they deserve, which lends itself to the language that we use. The language of sanctuary is truly special and it helps put everything into perspective when we think about how we are guests in their home, and should act accordingly.

Here’s some photos of some awesome people in their home! 🙂

Jamie, this morning with her DIY Bolo-Tie in the greenhouse:

Cy, resting his head in his hand:

Foxie, enjoying the morning in the greenhouse:

Gordo, during a lunch forage:

Jamie, resting with her favorite bonobo book:

Missy, trying to talk me into snagging her some tomatoes from the garden:

Lucky, being her sweet-self: