I wrote a blog post after Maggie, our last long-timer Chimpanzee passed away in March. In that post, I noted my suspicion that in the near future, we could lose our remaining three Chimpanzees. Sadly, now that suspicion has come to fruition.
ReHoming our remaining Chimpanzees is more than just eliminating them from the Zoo's collection. It's about those three individuals, Twiggy, Nick and Qadeer. Them as individuals is what is most important to me in this.
Yesterday morning, I parked and closed all apps on my phone, before going into the Zoo. I know better not to check email at certain times to keep my inner peace. Still I glanced at it before closing. I got an email from an outside (the Zoo) contact, confirming my suspicion. My first thoughts went immediately to Our Chimps. To what those thoughts had been back in March when my suspicion was, that this could happen. Our Chimps as individuals are where my concerns are.
Ten years ago, I started my crusade to make sure our three Chimpanzee long-timers home at Our Zoo was secure. That crusade was successful and Our Zoo welcomed four additional Chimpanzees after that. Their home at Our Zoo should have been secure as well.
Our Zoo acquired Qadeer, Nick, Twiggy and Jamie in 2019. Once the new Chimpanzee enclosures were completed, it was necessary for the Zoo to add to our three long-timers to make the group size acceptable by AZA/SSP standards. Qadeer was brought here first. He came from a rough situation where I was told he was low in social standing, picked on to the point he lost fingers and toes. Introducing him to Our Cobby benefited them both. It gave Cobby a male friend, his first in over fifty years, and it gave Qadeer acceptance within his new family group. Jamie, Twiggy and Nick arrived seven months later. The girls, half-sisters, had lived together their whole lives, and with Nick reportedly for decades. Just under two years later, the new family group lost their Patriarch, Our long-timer Cobby. Not long after that, Jamie passed away. Last year they lost Minnie, and this year Maggie. This group has suffered enough, the thought of removing them from their home to me is unconscionable. My emotions tug a bit more for Twiggy, as she lost her Sister, and also had an injury early this year that kept her separated from the group, and after Maggie's passing, left her the lone female.
I wrote in that post, or one after it, that the Zoo should acquire one or two females so Twiggy has same gender friends, but not anymore males because it's unnecessary since we have two and they are seem to have a good relationship.
At the time of Maggie's passing, my suspicion was fueled by then Director Tanya Peterson's disrespect, disregard, and general lack of care for Our Chimps, coupled with her disrespect, disregard, and general lack of care for Our Orangutans, whose living environment has been shit since the day of their arrival. Her mismanagement, her zero attempt at raising funds to build the Orangutans an appropriate home here, has left them living on two tiny concrete islands. I had a feeling that now that all our long-timers are now gone, she would send our remaining Chimpanzees packing, and move the Orangutans into their home. I originally thought she would see it as an opportunity to solve her Orangutan housing problem, but now, and I mean this moment as I am literally writing, I see very clearly, that this was most likely her plan all along.
When Peterson tried to kick our long-timer Chimpanzees out of their old Triple Grotto home in 2015, public outrage forced her to keep them, and build them a new home. It was reported that she told a lead donor it would benefit the Chimps and future Apes. She meant Orangutans. She took two years to start construction on the Chimps new home. I have always maintained she tried to wait for one of them to pass away, so the Zoo would have no choice but to reHome the remaining two, allowing her to proceed with her original plan and her agenda to rid Our Zoo of Chimpanzees. It is my opinion now, that is why she never made any effort to give the Orangutans a proper home, or spend money on them at all. It is my opinion, she was again waiting for our long-timers to pass away, so she could reHome the remaining four (now three) who arrived in 2019, and move the Orangutans into their home.
Regardless of my opinion now about what I think Peterson's plan was all along, make no mistake, if the Triple Grotto exhibit site had been rebuilt for the Orangutans, before or soon after their arrival, both species would have secured homes at Our Zoo. Losing our remaining Chimpanzees, is on Tanya Peterson.
Maybe if Peterson had cared, she would have spent less time on sinister plans and more time trying to not only raise funds for Our Orangutans, but save funds instead of the long list of unnecessary spending, like the Million Dollars spent on the train extension bullshit.
It's mind-blowing and shameful that Peterson is not even there anymore, and Our Zoo is still furthering her agenda, when they should be righting her wrongs.
I literally have a post in draft titled, Righting Past Wrongs - The UnDoing of Tanya Peterson.
That said I had high hopes that new management would have a game plan to prevent any further destruction to Our Zoo. I would expect new management to take a look at everything that happened while Tanya was here and try to make things better. This is not better.
With the action of reHoming Our Chimpanzees, I certainly do not like the direction Our Zoo is going.
From 2014-2018, Our Chimpanzees security weighed heavy on my mind and emotions. For the last six years, the living space of Our Orangutans has weighed heavy on my mind and emotions. I have had several ideas for how the Triple Grotto site could be rebuilt while both species are still occupying existing enclosures. Both with homes secured here. I have had one in a draft post for months. Last week, the best of all suddenly came to me. It does involve the Orangutans moving into the Chimpanzees home, but does not have the Chimpanzees being moved out of Our Zoo. It has Triple Grotto being rebuilt for them. I recently realized that our remaining Chimps don't make use of the dayroom window, or the netting in their yard. Both something the Orangutans would, and would need in newly built enclosures. The Chimps like being outdoors and on the space of both Grottos currently being used, a huge outdoor front moated enclosure would be ideal for them. It would also save on netting, glass and additional supplies to build the Orangutans a yard and a dayroom. And yes, there is a way to do all this, with both Chimps and Orangutans staying on site.
I feel like I make efforts in thought that others don't. It's frustrating because I can only put forth ideas. Those who had a say in this, should have tried to keep Our Chimpanzees here.
So, now we're going to have the Great Ape Passage, with No Chimpanzees. Not only is this move not fair to Our Chimpanzees, it's an emotional upset for those of us who love them. Regardless of whether the Zoo has ever respected that, visitors become endeared, attached and care. Additionally, it is a blow to Our Zoo to lose another large Animal species. It gets in line with the transferring out of our Pygmy Hippo, River Hippo, Tiger, too many Primates, including five Monkey species, and our Siamang. And if my suspicion is right about the displacing of Our Lions, so Pandas can take over the Lion House, we could lose Our Lions too.
I have heard the Panda Plan is irresponsibly still on. So, at the rate things are going, it looks like Our Zoo will soon be, The San Francisco Panda Gardens.
While writing my thoughts for this post, I started to feel like I let Our Chimpanzees down. Even though I have put alot of time and effort into documenting and networking, the Orangutans plight, need for a home, and the moral crime of funding Pandas which includes a new Lion enclosure, I obviously haven't gotten the attention to the situation and Need that was, or is needed. I feel like I should have tried harder, and Our Chimpanzees would not be leaving.
I tried to help both Our Chimpanzees and Our Orangutans. I grew-up with our long-timers, and when their home here was threatened by Peterson in 2015, I launched a crusade to save them. That was successful, and they got a new home built. When they were locked out of their new yard, so Our Orangutans could get out of the caged tubes Peterson had banished them to, I called the SSP Chimpanzee Coordinator who I was friends with, and the next day, Our Chimps were in their yard. Sadly that meant Our Orangutans were back in the tubes. It was extremely sad, a no-win situation for either species. I then called the USDA, which I was told allegedly got things rolling in Triple Grotto for Our Orangutans to have their own yard. With the exception of pushing harder to get media attention to their plight, I really tried. I really have given so much of myself, for so many years, often to a detrimental point, but that's what you do when you care.
I will continue to push for a rebuild of the Triple Grotto site, in hopes that Our Zoo will one day be home to Chimpanzees again, even though it won't be Our Three that have a piece of my heart.
I know Our Orangutans will be very happy in the Chimps home, and they deserve that happiness. I've shed many tears throughout their plight, and will share in their happiness, I just wish it didn't happen like this.
Post Publishing Note:
I published this post six hours ago. It already has some views, but I just woke-up and realized that I didn't come right out and say I was sad and pissed. Expressing my feelings was the catalyst for this post. As I wrote, my feelings were expressed in different ways. Hopefully the words I did use to illustrate the situation, made my feelings obvious, because make no mistake, I'm Sad and Pissed that this is happening.
