Today was the day that was long awaited for; we ventured to Fort Pierce for our first day of service at Save the Chimps! Upon arrival we were welcomed with open arms by Monica, the Volunteer Coordinator. Her devotion to the sanctuary was an inspiration to us all, and her nine years of dedication was not overlooked. Our day of service began with an orientation led by Monica and as she described the long history behind the facility we experienced a wave of emotions. The sanctuary was founded by Dr. Carole Noon, who dedicated her life to saving mistreated chimps around the country. Her first rescue welcomed 20 chimpanzees to their new safe haven 2,000 miles across the country. Some time later, Save the Chimps was able to secure around 260 chimpanzees from a medical testing center in New Mexico. This was recorded as the largest chimp recovery in history. For decades these animals were isolated and kept in 9x13 cages. Many of the chimps had never experienced the interaction of another chimp, nor the simple luxuries we experience such as fresh fruit. Monica detailed how emotional it was to watch these chimps feel grass beneath their feet for the first time in their lives. Antidotes like these remind us how much we take for granted. As much as were ecstatic to be working with chimpanzees this week, we began to realize the gravity behind the protocols at the facility. Working with chimps is not a safe profession despite how rewarding it is at the end of the day, and we were made fully aware of that through security procedures.
Once our informational orientation was completed, we were able to jump right into the swing of things. The rest of our day was consumed by some of our group organizing and creating enriching tools for the chimps. Some of which included stuffing over 300 tennis balls with sunflower seeds with the looming concern of developing carpel tunnel. The rest of our group organized the leftover supplies and gifts from their "Chimpmas" that they celebrated with each chimp over the holidays. We accomplished a lot of work today, but had a lot of fun along the way with the staff and our group! Monica led us on a tour around the grounds and introduced us to many of the chimps that would talk to or spit at us! Throughout the tour, we began to realize how unique each chimpanzee is. With each chimp harboring its own individual mannerisms, the 250 residents are not short of personality. Our first encounter was with Clay, Monica's "boyfriend". Playfully, Clay filled his mouth with water and sprinted towards us. He climbed half way up the fence before shooting most of the water out of his mouth at us, saving only a little for another surprise attack when we let our guard down. Then there was April, rescued from the entertainment industry, her talents include spinning around on one foot and hiding under blankets. Her island gave the phrase, "Monkey see Monkey do" a new meaning when all of her fellow chimps picked up her twirling trick. Later we had the pleasure of meeting Arthur. He spent the first year of his life as a mascot for a minor league baseball team. Today he enjoys eating bananas, blowing kisses, and begging any passerby's to show him their bellies (raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by Arthur!).
Every chimpanzee we encountered on our first day helped us to realize how important the work we will be accomplishing this week is. All the chimps rescued have faced their own individual hardships that led them to the sanctuary. Each chimp has shown immense resilience and it is truly inspirational to see how far they have come. We hope to return to Mizzou with some of the greatest lessons these beautiful creatures can teach us. Our experiences today put our own lives and personal difficulties into perspective. We are already so grateful for the opportunity to serve these animals and are eagerly awaiting to see what the rest of the week has to offer.
PS Note the chimp on the playground in the background!!!
- Fort Pierce homies
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