I was thrilled to be attending on behalf of the
Primate Rescue Center, where I was joined by the PRC's Executive Director, Sanctuary Manager, and an intern. As is always the case with primatology conferences, it was inspiring and exciting to be around so many like-minded people. I probably wrote that same exact sentence after I returned from last year's
Great Ape Summit... but it's only because it's so accurate!
The event was held in sunny San Antonio, Texas, a tourist-friendly destination that is chock full of history and which also happened to be a toasty 90 degrees for my entire visit. This New Englander had to adjust a tad, and I wish I had brought flip-flops for our evening excursions.
Upon arrival at the hotel and conference center, my driver promptly informed me that not only was the facility known to be haunted, but staff even conducts ghost tours on site! I was happy to have a roommate. Luckily, I experienced minimal paranormal activities, and it was a nice distraction that the hotel was next to the Alamo. The actual Alamo!
I love San Antonio. There is a small stream flowing through the River Walk (a small section of the city filled with restaurants and shops), and ducks would casually accompany us at dinner.
The first day of the conference was unique - instead of sitting in meetings, we toured two area sanctuaries. First we were at
Primarily Primates, an animal sanctuary that was founded in 1978 and is now run by
Friends of Animals. We weren't permitted to take photographs on-site, but we had a walking tour of the facility, where we got to see most of their residents, which includes over forty chimpanzees, as well as many many more monkeys, and even some birds. The chimpanzees were understandably alarmed to see so many strangers at their home (which normally is not open to the public) but we of course kept our distance and kept moving so as to keep the excitement to a minimum. It's always thrilling to see male chimpanzees displaying, although I didn't want them to feel threatened by our presence.
Next we were whisked off to
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, a truly impressive place. What made WRR unique was that not only are they a huge facility in terms of property size (212 acres) but they are home to an immense variety of rescued animals, including large cats, bears, primates, farm animals, birds and reptiles.
Another remarkable facet of WRR is that every animal in their care that can possibly be rehabilitated is reintroduced to the wild. They only keep animals with them who could never survive on their own, either due to physical limitations or being a nonnative species. I immediately felt that this was a place where animals were both truly protected (in every sense of the word) and also respected as strong, independent beings with dignity independent of humans.
The animals living at WRR enjoyed sprawling enclosures that were spacious and full of untamed grasses and trees. As we drove through on our little tractor tour, I saw spider monkeys loping through the grass and I couldn't help but feel honored to have gotten this little taste of what it must be like to see primates in their native homes.
Of course, all along I was simultaneously aware that the spider monkeys, and all the animals at WRR, were there not because they chose to be, and not because they naturally would be living in rural Texas, but because of the mistakes and misadventures of their human captors. With their frightening pasts behind them, these animals were lucky to have found their way to the one sanctuary that, in my opinion, gives animals a life most similar to what they might have in the wild.
The first day of sanctuary tours was impressive, but the next two days of the NAPSA conference was where we all got down to the real issues affecting primate sanctuaries in the United States.
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| Photo courtesy Sarah Baeckler |
Panel discussions covered the gamut, from facility design and fundraising to laws and interstate transfer of residents. One of my favorite parts of the trip was finally getting to meet some of the brains behind our country's primate sanctuaries. These are folks I may have spoken with or worked with in the past, from a distance, but had never met face-to-face, like the founders of
Jungle Friends,
Chimps Inc,
Center for Great Apes,
Fauna Foundation, and key people from
Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (where my book was recently featured in an
auction!),
Chimp Haven, and
Black Beauty Ranch. I won't even try to list the other experts in primate cognition, husbandry, animal rights, and language that were there. Suffice to say, I was in my element.
There was a farewell dinner the last night where we all bonded over primate-themed adult beverages.
The NAPSA founders gave out various awards, and I am honored to say I was there when Shirley McGreal of the
International Primate Protection League was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. At
a similar gathering in any other field, the appropriate audience response would be to clap... but in Shirley's case, the crowd erupted into gibbon hoots.
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Photo courtesy IPPL
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Once again, I was happy to see that everyone from this little part of the world embraces each other and helps support the missions of the various sanctuaries and animal advocacy groups. After all, we all got into this for the primates, and it's because of the primates that we're all still here - grateful to gather and plan how we can make this all work just a tiny bit better.
