The Chimpanzees In Need rescue effort I am leading is focused on safely rehoming and caring for the 41 chimpanzees left at the suddenly closed Wildlife Waystation animal refuge. Part of the reason that the Waystation was unable to continue caring for its animals was that its founder, Martine Colette, had retired in 2019 and the unaccredited organization was not strong enough to survive without her. Now, even she is gone.
Martine passed away recently after a long illness. She was a friend of mine, and I respected her passion and zeal. She made me laugh.
Though she was never a member of NAPSA, I still felt it was important to speak out in her memory.
I spoke with a journalist from the LA Daily News, and the story was then picked up in a number of other outlets. Read the full story here.
