National Animal Rights Awareness Week
June 14, 2022 by Chad -
This week is Animal Rights Awareness Week! Animal Rights Awareness Week occurs every third week of June and was created by the nonprofit organization In Defense of Animals in 1991. The week is used to “honor the animals who have been exploited and killed by humans around the world, and to create an opportunity to direct the public’s attention to the needs and wants of animals, with the idea that animals’ rights must be acknowledged and pushed to the forefront of our global consciousness.”
This year, they introduced six ways to support animals rights:
- Buy cruelty-free products
- Spread the word about animal rights
- Take action to support animal rights
- Research who you are donating to
- Ditch fur
- Go vegan
While I wouldn’t begin to try to force any of you to do any of these, I would humbly suggest doing at lease one or two to honor those who gave so much for the human race. Every little lifestyle choice helps.
There have been some big news recently in the animal rights world.
One such event was about Tonka, a chimpanzee used in entertainment, who was recently rescued after a yearlong legal battle for his release, followed by a nationwide search. When courts ordered for his release from a facility in Missouri, his owner claimed Tonka has passed on. Feeling suspicious around the owner’s story of his passing, a search was conducted for him. He was ultimately found living in a roach infested basement, in a tiny cage. He was immediately rescued and sent to fellow Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance accredited sanctuary Save the Chimps in Florida.
As a caregiver who works with chimpanzees who gave so much and given so little before sanctuary, I personally am thrilled for Tonka who can now walk around, see daylight, and experience a life with more opportunities.
Speaking of Save the Chimps, I am also thrilled the remaining chimpanzees at the Wildlife Waystation will soon call Save the Chimps home! Dubbed the Sunrise Seven, they are the last seven chimpanzees in need of a sanctuary home in the Chimps in Need campaign. This is the same campaign that helped bring Willy B, Honey B, Mave, Cy, Lucky, Rayne, Gordo, Terry, and Dora to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!
As a caregiver to sixteen chimpanzees who have spent their lives in the biomedical industry and entertainment, we strive to make their lives as best as possible. Though we cannot erase their past, we can try to make their lives as comfortable here on out. One way we do this is use chimpanzee behaviors when interacting with them to help promote positive behaviors. Staff also change our language we use when discussing them with each other. The simplest example is that we say we “serve” them meals vice we “feed” them. They are fully capable individuals of feeding themselves, we just serve them the food. When training as a volunteer and staff, we describe it as we are servers at a restaurant and they are the customers. I am a firm believer in the saying that if you change the way you talk and the vocabulary you use talking about certain things changes the way you think about certain things. By doing this, we view all 20 of our residents (bovine included) as separate unique individuals with wants, needs, likes, dislikes, and so much more instead of just some living “thing.”
We also provide them with warm, comfortable blankets to promote the natural chimpanzee behavior of nesting. Each day they are also provided enrichment to stimulate their minds. This helps promote species specific behaviors, curb atypical typical behaviors, and help to alleviate boredom. The have structures to climb upon, and many spaces to choose from to spend their time. The point is to make them as comfortable as possible.
Again, these are 20 individuals who have given so much and were given so little in return until their new lives in sanctuary. And there are many more out there who have yet to find a sanctuary home. This spans beyond chimpanzees and cattle. Species such as macaques, beagles, mice, rabbits, kittens, dolphins, seals, the list goes on, are still used for medical testing, cosmetic testing, and entertainment purposes. This week is used to honor those who gave that sacrifice, and to raise awareness for those still in those still giving that sacrifice.
That being said, please enjoy these photos of our residents living their life in sanctuary!
Here are some photos from yesterday’s Trifecta Jubilee:
Burrito enjoying his breakfast banana-oat waffle!
Terry with a handful of Brussels sprouts during his birthday forage!
Negra with her Hawaiian rolls.
Missy enjoying the Hawaiian rolls she found.
Gordo, with a handful of pineapple tops, scanning the Riverview Greenhouse for more food.
Dora enjoying her cache of celebration foods.
Mave scanning the Oakwood Greenhouse during the forage.
Burrito sipping a cup of sparkling cider.
Negra investigating a new plush toy.
Honey B with a handful of Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes.
Gordo enjoying another pineapple top he found.
Rayne was on a mission to find every pineapple top…
As well as every fingerling potato.
Almost got a photo of Rayne and Honey B looking remarkably similar, however Rayne decided to scan the ground right as the shutter closed.
For reference.
She REALLY like the pineapple tops.
Jody looking as beautiful as ever.
Mave waiting for us to bring out yesterday’s menu of celebration foods.
The Cattle in their new pasture:
Honey
Meredith:
Betsy:
Nutmeg and Betsy:
And a few snapshots from today:
Jamie in her Greenhouse:
Foxie:
With Jamie in the background.
Can you spot Orange Blossom?
Dora and Mave:
I hoped you enjoyed that photo dump! 😅
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such beautiful animals
Thanks, Chad! I did enjoy that, and I was able to find Orange Blossom! 🙂
LOVED the “photo dump” but am frustrated because I couldn’t spot Orange Blossom.
Also very much appreciated your careful explanation of animal rights, especially as they relate to the CSNW residents.
Thank you, Chad!
Orange Blossom is under her chin.
What a treat, Chad! The cattle look so healthy and content in their new meadow. As for the Chimps…..so good to see how happy they are and I’m sure we all take your advice to heart and think of all the animals that are not so fortunate. I love the fact that they have such a variety of healthy foods and they get to CHOOSE their favourites……light years away from their previous existence.
PS….I remember JB saying thank you to Jody for moving her blankets from the doorway….it seemed such a natural response, just as we would acknowledge another human.
These gentle, intelligent beings deserve all of our support and respect. Thank you for sharing these sweet faces with us – I ove to see them enjoying their lives.
Well written Chad. I could hear the passion ( and frustration) in your writing.
And love the photo of Rayne gazing at her pineapple top! And Negra looking at the new toy! And, well, all of them really
Thank you Chad for your expertise and sharing it with us.
I do agree that change starts with the language we use, we as a people need to become way more aware of that in my opinion.
Your photo-taking is amazing; beautiful photo’s of every one, and I love that you put the names underneath so I can test myself in recognizing the chimps….I only got Rayne and Honey B. wrong; I thought for sure that was Jaimie and Jody.
And is Dora still okay with Mave’s “ownership” of her?? It is undeniable that Mave loves Dora to bits.
Chad, what a wonderful post to start my day! I agree w/ others’ statements about our gratitude that they can live their best lives possible now, including the bovines, despite their checkered pasts. I hope those memories for all of them have faded into oblivion. Great pics, as always. I love the look on Jody’s face when she’s excited about food. Her eyes light up & she gets an expression that looks like rapture! One of those from the past is a pic of her looking at lilacs she’s about to eat. So precious!
Thanks Chad for directing the focus on the importance of this week. There are countless organizations fighting for animal rights and a quick google search will help anyone decide who to follow and support. Signing petitions/letters is free and in doing so we can make a difference. Oftentimes our tax dollars directly support animal cruelty! Blows my mind. Even little actions help, like never visiting “roadside zoos and attractions”. Sadly, cruelty is all around us. Or why I love you guys. CSNW sets the standards for individual rights, actually you raise the bar! It is seen in everything you do…. language, transparency, respect, compassion, ethics, and so on. All your residents have suffered some form of physical and/or psychological pain. Despite their dark pasts, when I look at them today, I see happy, healthy, individuals who are free to make their own choices. Free from human exploitation. Individuals who are loved for who they are. Thanks to this blog, we see this every single day. So thank you for showing the world how all non human animals should be treated!
Another thank you for this most excellent photo dump!! Wowee! You outdid yourself Chad, and you made my day. The Moo Crew appears to be groovin’ in the new pasture. Loving every single photo.
Tragically ironic when today New York’s Supreme Court denied Happy the 51 year old elephant, alone in a roadside zoo for 40 years, the right to release to a sanctuary. The justices ruled that Happy is not a person under the law (although a profit-driven corporation is) and has no right to self-determination.
The humans at CSNY are truly amazing and compassionate to animals and primates alike. If only the rest of the species was, especially those with power beyond their intellect.
I read that news today too Francoise,
It made me so sad and angry.
very hard to understand the “thinking” on that decision.
Chad thank you so much for this blog and for the helpful information and reminders and all the beautiful pictures of these amazing beings.
Thanks for the great pic’s today Chad. What a great blog post. We can all do more to help ALL the living beings on this planet.
I like the list, and I’m happy to say I follow all 6 of these suggestions, but I know I can always do more for Animal Rights. Reminds me to get out my Meat is Murder T shirt.:innocent: