Adapting
August 5, 2016 by J.B. -
People who have been incarcerated for long periods can have trouble adapting to life outside prison once they are released, a phenomenon we call institutionalization. Chimps are no different.
For the Cle Elum Seven, life in the lab was horrible, but after as much as 35 years it made some kind of sense. The deprivation they endured flipped the world on its head – metal and concrete were familiar and comforting, while grass and open sky would become sources of discomfort and fear. It’s perverse, that these chimpanzees should have to learn to adapt to what was their birthright.
It’s tempting to think of reaching sanctuary as the end of a harrowing journey, but it is only a step in the process. When the chimps first set foot on Young’s Hill, they were scared. The world outside was big and unknown. Eventually, their fear became exhilaration as they explored their new territory. More and more now I think we see in them something akin to appreciation or even reverence for the outdoors.
This process of adaptation continues and will likely never be complete. I think these chimps see themselves as visitors to the outdoors. It’s not their home. They take what they need before returning to the familiar surroundings of their indoor enclosures. But they are each adapting in their own way, and in their own time.
Just look how far they’ve come.
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Well said JB! But I think one could also say that for wild chimps, that their process of adaptation continues and will likely never be complete as well.
It is all so bitter sweet. Your comment about the chimps being “visitors to the outdoors” is an enlightening perspective. At first this saddened me, but I realize that it’s also a happy truth because now they actually have the opportunity to stay inside or go outdoors, they can choose where they want to spend their time. They have different environments to adapt to and it is heartwarming to read they have established a reverence for the outdoors. What a gift you have given them! They will never be wild, but they have a beautiful, safe home now, they have a family too. Individually and as a group, they have come so very, very far thanks to all your love and care. …….I will never understand how they have mustered up courage to overcome all their fears.
Well said.
The beauty of this is that they have a safe enclosure/”nest” to return to each day…