The emergency rescue Chimpanzees In Need fundraiser I am leading has made so much exciting progress over the last two years, and recently celebrated something major - a $1M gift received from an anonymous donor.
The media picked it up because this gift secured a brighter future for eight chimpanzees headed this fall to safety at Chimp Haven, and helped us get closer to saving the remaining other ten chimps.
This month, I was honored to have a feature story in the Los Angeles local publication Peninsula Magazine! Initially they were going to cover the Chimpanzees In Need fundraiser I am leading, but the story also covered my career arc and my book.
It's been fun seeing the article pop up around town, but the best part of all of this is probably when my daughter has teachers and even the school principal stop her to say they read about her mom! My job is rarely glamorous, but it certainly has its perks.
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.
