Letter published in The Laurinburg Express

This week, I was horrified to come across an August article in North Carolina's The Laurinburg Express that highlighted the work of a facility that deemed itself a sanctuary - but that promoted the private ownership of monkeys. Photos accompanying the article featured monkeys dressed in human clothing and being paraded out for photoshoots and events in public areas.

My work on behalf of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance is often focused on the differences between accredited, reputable sanctuaries and other facilities (often called pseudo-sanctuaries) who may call themselves a sanctuary while engaging in exploitive activities. It is important to publicly correct misleading information on this topic, because it's the only way to ensure that true sanctuaries can be recognized and supported for their important and lifesaving work.

Fully aware that many members of the general public don't recognize these distinctions, I dashed off a letter to the editor of the paper. It was published within a few days, and I am grateful that the paper did not edit my letter down, even though it was over the allotted word count. Read my letter here.

Researching The Founders: Shirley McGreal

The fourth trip I took to research and interview sanctuary founders for my new book was to South Carolina. There, nestled in an unassuming and leafy green suburb, is the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) - one of the very first primate sanctuaries in North America.

It was lovely to live on-site with Dr. Shirley McGreal, the sanctuary's founder, and spend a few days with her. We took many slow strolls around the sanctuary grounds, accompanied always by the gentle hoots of her 34 gibbons.

There was so much history there, and Shirley was a wealth of information about her many decades with the sanctuary.

I had never been to IPPL. I'm so glad I was able to visit finally experience it.

Dr. McGreal is a legend in not only the primate sanctuary community, but in animal rights as well. Her work spans the globe and will continue to influence generations of primate protectors to come.

Thank you to the New England Anti-Vivisection Society for their generous support of The Founders!

Researching The Founders: Patti Ragan

After spending some time at Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, I drove 3.5 hours down to central Florida for part two of this trip - to interview Patti Ragan, founder of Center for Great Apes.

I was fortunate to once again stay on-site on sanctuary housing. The Center for Great Apes is a magical wonderland of exotic plants and even more exotic animals, and I had to pinch myself about getting to sleep there!

As Patti drove me around on a golf cart and talked to me about her life, we collected edible flowers that had dropped and saved them for the chimps to snack on later.

We were observed around every bend. I loved it.

Thank you to New England Anti-Vivisection Society for funding this trip, and my future trips as I interview sanctuary founders for this book. Your support is invaluable! Sending you all the Chimpanzee Love (check out the photo below...)