Synopses & Reviews
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
An absorbing, bighearted book that grapples with questions of just what we owe our closest cousins in the animal kingdom
Fourteen years ago, a special family of chimpanzees were rescued from a research lab and sent to a rural sanctuary where they could be cared for and loved. For the indomitable Gloria Grow, looking after thirteen great apes is like presiding over a maximum security prison, a Zen sanctuary, an old folks home, and a New York deli during the lunchtime rush. But she is first and foremost creating a refuge for her troubled charges, a place where they can recover and begin to trust humans again.
Hoping to win some of this trust, journalist Andrew Westoll spent months at Fauna Sanctuary as a volunteer caregiver. Here he vividly recounts his adventures in the chimphouse and the heart-wrenching histories of its residents. He arrives with dreams of striking up an immediate friendship with the legendary Tom, a father figure to the rest of the chimps and Glorias greatest teacher. Instead, Tom haunts Westolls dreams. Gradually, though, the rest of the “troop” warm toward Westoll. He befriends Binky, the resident practical joker; Sue Ellen, whose favorite fashion accessory is a beaded necklace; and Chance, who picks the hot peppers off her pizza.
Through Westolls eyes, we witness the chimps remarkable recovery firsthand. Simple things like establishing friendships, nurturing alliances, grooming one another, and playing games of tickle-chase are all poignant testament to the capacity of these animals to heal—and to learn how to be chimps again.
Review
and#8220;
The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary is a true story of endurance and resilience, compassion, dedication and love. I knew the prison-like conditions of the medical research facility from which Gloria Grow rescued these chimpanzees; when I visited them at their new sanctuary I was moved to tears. Finally they had reached a secure haven where, gradually, they could recover from their years of torment. Andrew Westoll is a born story teller:
The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, written with empathy and skill, tenderness and humour, involves us in a world few understand. And leaves us marvelling at the ways in which chimpanzees are so like us, deserve our help, and are entitled to our respect.and#8221;
and#8212;Jane Goodall Ph.D., DBE , Founder and#8211; the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace
and#8220;This book will make you think deeply about our relationship with great apes. It amazed me to discover the behaviors and feelings of the chimpanzees.and#8221;
and#8212;Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
and#8220;This book is a wonder. Passionate, intelligent, moving and, above all, tremendously important, it illustrates the triumph of the wild spirit and offers surprising hope that the human animal might yet be redeemed. Think of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and J.M. Coetzeeand#8217;s The Lives of Animals, and youand#8217;ll have some idea of what it is you hold in your hands. It has been a long time since any author has inspired me to such extremes of compassion and humility.and#8221;
and#8212;Barbara Gowdy, author of The White Bone
Review
"Moving."and#160;and#8212;People, 4/4 stars "The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary blew me away. It is a master work that deserves an audience stretching from the US Congress to medical-school students to the widest possible public." - Bookslut.com "a powerful look at how we treat our closest relatives" - Cleveland Plain Dealer "what I found from the first chapter was compassion, education and some of the best writing I have encountered in a very long time.and#12288; This book is not an in-your-face telling-you-what-to-do animal rights book full of horror, but an account of tenderness, turmoil and traverse spanning over a period of time much longer thanand#12288;when Fauna Sanctuary opened its doors 14 years ago." - Times Union "This incisive book describes the daily lives of 13 resident chimps, their resilience after so much suffering and the invasive research practices that 'render them as psychologically compromised as human victims of domestic violence or political and war prisoners.'...An affecting work about our genetic cousin." - Kirkus "A distressing, deeply important exposand#233; of the suffering we have inflicted on our closest animal relation, the ethics of animal testing, and finally (and happily) a heartening picture of Fauna Sanctuary's commitment and compassion." - Publishers Weekly "The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary is a true story of endurance and resilience, compassion, dedication and love. I knew the prison-like conditions of the medical research facility from which Gloria [Grow] rescued these chimpanzees; when I visited them at their new sanctuary I was moved to tears. Finally they had reached a secure haven where, gradually, they could recover from their years of torment. Andrew Westoll is a born story teller: The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, written with empathy and skill, tenderness and humour, involves us in a world few understand. And leaves us marveling at the ways in which chimpanzees are so like us, and why they deserve our help and are entitled to our respect." --Jane Goodall Ph.D., DBE and#12288; "This book will make you think deeply about our relationship with great apes. It amazed me to discover the behaviors and feelings of the chimpanzees."and#8212;Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation "This book is a wonder. Passionate, intelligent, moving and, above all, tremendously important, it illustrates the triumph of the wild spirit and offers surprising hope that the human animal might yet be redeemed. Think of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and J.M. Coetzeeand#8217;s The Lives of Animals, and youand#8217;ll have some idea of what it is you hold in your hands. It has been a long time since any author has inspired me to such extremes of compassion and humility."and#8212;Barbara Gowdy, author of The White Bone
Synopsis
In 1997 Gloria Grow started a sanctuary for chimps retired from biomedical research on her farm outside Montreal. For the indomitable Gloria, caring for thirteen great apes is like presiding over a maximum security prison, a Zen sanctuary, an old folksand#8217; home, and a New York deli during the lunchtime rush all rolled into one. But she is first and foremost creating a refuge for her troubled charges, a place where they can recover and begin to trust humans again.and#160;
Hoping to win some of this trust, the journalist Andrew Westoll spent months at Fauna Farm as a volunteer and vividly recounts his time in the chimp house and the histories of its residents. He arrives with dreams of striking up an immediate friendship with the legendary Tom, the wise face of the Great Ape Protection Act, but Tom seems all too content to ignore him. Gradually, though, old man Tommie and the rest of the and#8220;troopand#8221; begin to warm toward Westoll as he learns the routines of life at the farm and realizes just how far the chimps have come. Seemingly simple things like grooming, establishing friendships and alliances, and playing games with the garden hose are all poignant testament to the capacity of these animals to heal.and#160;
Brimming with empathy and winning stories of Gloria and her charges, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary is an absorbing, bighearted book that grapples with questions of just what we owe to the animals who are our nearest genetic relations.
Synopsis
This is a fascinating and moving account of a remarkable community of chimpanzees who gradually learn to become chimps again after spending years in research laboratories.and#160; Brimming with empathy and touching stories, this book makes us question just what we owe to the animals who are our nearest genetic relations.
Synopsis
“This book will make you think deeply about our relationship with great apes. It amazed me to discover the behaviors and feelings of the chimpanzees.”—Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
“This book is a wonder. Passionate, intelligent, moving, and above all, tremendously important, it illustrates the triumph of the wild spirit and offers surprising hope that the human animal might yet be redeemed. Think of Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation and J. M. Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals, and you’ll have some idea of what it is you hold in your hands. It has been a long time since any author has inspired me to such extremes of compassion and humility.”—Barbara Gowdy, author of The White Bone
Synopsis
and#8220;Astonishing . . . Moving.and#8221; and#8212;
People and#8220;The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary is an unflinching, visceral look at the emotional and physical damageand#8212;actual, real damage done to specific, individual apesand#8212;in some of Americaand#8217;s most notorious biomedical research labs. It is also the story of humans who were driven to provide them with refuge, retirement . . . and, ultimately, their inherent right to dignity.and#8221; and#8212;Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants
IN THE CANADIAN WILDERNESS, Gloria Grow has created a rehabilitation center like none other. Thirteen chimpanzees, rescued from zoos and medical testing laboratories, now call Fauna Sanctuary home. After decades of cruelty and deprivation, these resilient primates are finally free to eat, sleep, play, and roam in peaceand#8212;all while fighting their personal demons. Primatologist and author Andrew Westoll lived and worked at Fauna one remarkable summer, and The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary is his poignant testimony to the capacity of these animals to healand#8212;and to learn to be chimps again. This is an absorbing, bighearted story about the species more closely related to us than any other.
and#8220;There is plenty of moral outrage in this book, but there is also plenty of wonder . . . Impassioned and well reasoned.and#8221; and#8212;Cleveland Plain Dealer
About the Author
Andrew Westoll is an award-winning narrative journalist and the author of
The Riverbones, a travel memoir set in the jungles of Suriname. Before becoming a writer, Andrew trained as a primatologist in the South American rainforest, where he studied wild troops of capuchin monkeys. He now lives in Toronto.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Chimphouse Floor Plan xi
1. Full-Moon Week 1
2. Zihuatanejo, Quebec 15
3. Our Disquieting Doubles 35
4. Blueprints of a Dream 51
5. The Cage Hospital 65
6. Toby and the Hoodlums 82
7. Operation Cucarachas 115
8. Tales from the Campfi re 129
9. The Pressure Washer 145
10. Inner Sanctuary 171
11. War Memorials 193
12. The Haunted 224
13. The End of an Era 248
Afterword 259
How You Can Help the Chimps 263
Further Reading 265
Acknowledgments 267