RIP Martine Colette - Wildlife Waystation Founder & An Original Voice For The Animals

I had followed the Wildlife Waystation for many years and admired Martine Colette for what she had done for so many Animals.  

After filmmaker Donna McRae contacted me to inquire if the Chimpanzee Cobby in my many YouTube Videos was the Cobby she grew-up watching in a TV Show called Cobby's Hobbies.  Threw our subsquent conversations, I shared Cobby's history.  Donna had no idea that he was taken from the wild, and the horrors of how those abductions occur.  The more information I provided, sparked the idea for her next film.  The film that would become, Cobby: The Other Side Of Cute. 

I had been communicating with Staff at the Wildlife Waystation, since my search for "Lancelot Link", the TV Chimp I grew-up watching, uncovered him as Charlie "Chuckles", a Resident there.  Staff was wonderful, sharing his story and current photos of him with me.  

I was heavily involved in the making of the Cobby Movie.  Not only the obvious, opening my photo and video archives to the production, but as Researcher.  Martine was one of the handful of people I wanted for the film.  I wanted her, and Charlie to be a part of this.  I'm grateful to Staff who I had been communicating with for connecting Martine with the production.  I am thankful to Martine for her participation in the film and opening up the Waystation to Donna and Michael (Vale).   I wish I could have met this lady in person, but am comforted by the connection to her I did have.

When I first watched the film at it's San Francisco Premiere in 2018, I remember there being a quote from Martine that grabbed me.  I wanted to include it here.  Today, via streaming, I have rewatched Martine's interview and the end several times now, and it is not there.  Maybe I'm not remembering accurately, seeing it in the theater was an emotional experience.  That said, watching it now after Cobby has passed, has had me sobbing.

Recent times has seen all three of these important Beings, leave us.  While gone from us physically, their affect on us is lasting.  Bless them all.

Thank you to Cobby for the Friendship, it is one of the most special experiences of my life.  And to the San Francisco Zoo circa 1968 for giving him a forever home, when he needed one.

Thank you to Charlie for bringing Chimpanzees into my life. While you brought me so much joy, I'm am sorry my young self did not know the horrors of your life in entertainment.

Thank you to Martine Colette, for your care and compassion that led you to create the Wildlife Waystation, that became home to so many non-Human Beings in need, including Charlie.  Thank you for your empathy, that made you a strong voice for the welfare of the voiceless for so many decades.    

Please read more about Martine's life.  There are now many obituary articles, as well some detailing the controversy that led her to step away from the Waystation.  Regardless of those allegations, in my opinion that does not take away from the good she did for Animals for so much of her life.  I liked this on from 2014.

https://www.samaritanmag.com/animals/wildlife-waystation-rescues-neglected-abused-lions-tigers-bears-oh-my

Also my related post about the Chimps In Need Project that is still on-going, as 18 Chimpanzees still remain at the now closed Wildlife Waystation pending funding for their rehoming to Sanctuary.

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2020/12/new-consider-helping-chimpanzees-at.html

Finally, if you haven't already, you can stream Cobby: The Other Side Of Cute on several platforms, find out which one is a fit for you. ... The film came out good.  The only thing that I would have done different is I would not have concentrated so much on Cobby's former trainers life that didn't connect to Cobby or Chimpanzees.  I think a better use of that time on screen would have been with Cobby's first San Francisco Zoo Keeper, who I connected the filmmakers with but they passed on interviewing him.

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/cobby-the-other-side-of-cute