Petra's Birthday/Anniversaire de Petra

It is Petra's 21st Birthday on February 24th; why not adopt her as a gift for someone special! or send her a special gift! Petra loves brushes, necklaces and shiny gloves and coats.

Petra is an incredibly intelligent chimpanzee. She is intuitive and does not miss much. She seems to know what you are planning before you even know -- always watching and waiting for someone to forget something like a broom or pail of water too close to the caging. Petra is extremely self-confidant. Very courageous, she takes advantage of any opportunity. She loves to explore, observe and learn something new. Petra knows what she wants and knows how to get it, using all of her social skills.

Le 24 février c'est l'anniversaire de Petra. Pourquoi ne pas l'adopter et l'offrir en cadeau pour une personne qui vous est chère? et pourquoi pas lui faire une surprise en lui envoyant un cadeau? Petra adore les brosses, les colliers et les gants et manteaux satinés.

Petra est une chimpanzée incroyablement intelligente, intuitive et très alerte. Elle semble deviner nos futurs gestes avant même que nous le sachions - elle est toujours aux aguets pour
subtiliser un sceau ou un balai oublié trop près des cages. Petra a extrêmement confiance en elle-même, elle est très courageuse et elle tire profit de toute occasion. Elle adore explorer, observer et apprendre du nouveau. Petra sait ce qu'elle veut et comment l'obtenir en ayant recours à toutes ses aptitudes sociales.

NY Post poor taste!

Subject: Did the NY Post joke about killing Obama?
Let the New York Post knowthat this is not OK.

Dear Robert,
Yesterday, the day after President Obama signed the stimulus bill, his first major piece of legislation, the New York Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill's author as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police. In the face of intense criticism, The Post's editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming it has no racial undertones, that it's not about Obama, and that it was simply referencing an incident earlier this week when police shot a pet chimpanzee (an argument that pundits and analysts simply aren't buying).1
It's impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise.
Please join us in demanding that The Post apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print:
http://colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1846-687410
The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there's a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill.2 A reader paging through The Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling.
There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign.3
We're also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama's election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches.4,5 There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected,6 with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a "delivery" for the president.7
There is no excuse for The Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan's outright dismissal of Black concerns.
But let's be clear about who's behind The Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post's owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, and institutions at every opportunity, and we've run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate.8
We don't expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable.
You can help by making it clear that the Post's behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. It only takes a minute:




http://colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=1846-687410
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team February 19th, 2009
References:
1. "NY Post Defends Cartoon, Slams Al Sharpton," Huffington Post, 2-18-2009 http://tinyurl.com/cdmhmm
2. "Obama Photo Preceded Cartoon Of Gunned Down Chimp," Huffington Post, 2-18-2009 http://tinyurl.com/d4jf3m
3. "'Curious George' Obama Shirt Causes Uproar," CBS News, 5-15-2008 http://tinyurl.com/d3ym5w
4. "Post-Racial USA? Not So Fast." Associated Press, 11-15-2008 http://tinyurl.com/b6nw6u
5. "Arson seen in post-election fire at black church in Springfield," Boston Globe, 11-8-2008 http://tinyurl.com/689k4k
6. "Obama never worries about his security despite record number of threats," Daily Mail, 11-27-2008 http://tinyurl.com/bwpr2b
7. "Winnfield man with rifle said he had 'delivery' for Obama," The Advocate, 2-11-2009 http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/39429842.html
8. ColorOfChange.org campaign -- "Dancing with the Devil" http://colorofchange.org/cbci_debates/

Don't forget Gloria on the Radio! Gloria à la Radio!

On Sunday February 22nd, at 1:30 I will be doing a radio interview with Jody Fabrikant. The program discusses many animal issues, events, stories and so much more. We will be talking about Fauna's amazing residents. The program is called, Wag Your Tale WKNY radio.I hope you can listen in.

Dimanche le 22 février prochain à 13:30 je serai à l'émission radiophonique de Jody Fabrikant. L'émission aborde des sujets, événements, histoires à propos des animaux et beaucoup plus. Nous parlerons des incroyables résidents de la Fondation Fauna. L'émission s'appelle Wag Your Tale WKNY. J'espère que vous pourrez être des nôtres à cette antenne.

Pet Chimpanzee brutally killed in Stamfort, CT

This is why it is so important for people to understand that chimpanzees are not house pets!

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02162009/news/regionalnews/bizarre_animal_attack_in_stamford_155493.htm

FROM THIS MORNING'S HUFFINGTON POST

Frans de Waal
Posted February 17, 2009 10:39 PM (EST)

The story of Travis, the chimpanzee, reminds me of a zoo where a visitor had climbed in with the polar bears, and got mauled. One bear was shot. A rather unfair ending, in my opinion. Now there is another sad story surrounding a chimpanzee kept as a pet. Travis, a young adult male kept as a pet in Stamford, Connecticut,attacked a woman on February 16th, 2009, visiting the owner, and ends up shot and killed by the police. Under the circumstances, you can't blame the police, but this doesn't make the case less tragic.
Without going into the details of how well the chimp knew the human visitor, or what the effect may have been of the Xanax in his tea, we should consider that this was a 15-year-old male. This is precisely the age at which males begin to domineer females of their species and challenge more established males. If you have ever seen male chimps work on their status it is obvious that they are real risk-takers, employing their considerable strength to move up and not caring one bit about the injuries they may incur. Travis was a time bomb waiting to be set off.
Adult chimpanzees are totally beyond unarmed human control, and have been known to kill people. At a sanctuary in Sierra Leone, in 2006, a group of chimpanzees turned on a local driver and Western visitors, killing the driver and seriously injuring the others. Fatal attacks on humans have occurred at zoos as well.
Chimpanzees are smaller than us. On all fours, they only reach to our knees, so people often misjudge their force. You can see how muscular they are when they effortlessly scale a branchless tree. It's a feat of strength no human can replicate. The arm pulling strength of the male chimpanzee has been measured at five times that of athletic young men, and since apes fight with four "hands," they are impossible to beat. This is so even if they're prevented from biting as was done by a man I once met, who traveled carnivals with a chimp. Every macho guy was ready to wrestle the ape, thinking it would be a piece of cake. But even hulks the size of a pro-wrestler found it impossible to control the man's partner.
What makes apes so strong? Muscle density may be part of the answer, which would also explain why apes can't swim: they lack buoyancy. The pound-for-pound output power of ape muscles is estimated to be twice that of our own species.
It is well known to those who work with chimps in captivity that if one of them is able to get a hold of a human arm or ankle through the bars, there is no way to free yourself by force. The ape has to voluntarily release. A chimp can move its entire body up hanging by a single finger: don't try this at home!
It's tragic that perhaps the attacked woman will lose her life, or at least her face, not to mention the price that Travis paid for the incident. All as a result of lax laws that let people keep undomesticated animals at home. A chimp is no pet and will never make a good pet however well treated. People are lured into keeping them because they are cute when they are young, but this is naïve and irresponsible.
But there are other reasons not to keep nonhuman primates as pets. Chimps may be particularly dangerous, but even smaller monkeys are not made for a life in a human home. Hundreds of accidents happen every year in which monkeys bite owners or visitors, which is why many of them end up without teeth. Is this a way to treat our fellow primates: emasculated and detoothed?
This is why we need organizations, such as ChimpHaven, which take in animals like this, remove them from human homes, and release them onto large islands where they live a more natural social life. No diapers are needed here. They live in a green setting in which they mingle with fellow apes, doing no harm to humans and humans doing no harm to them.
-- Frans de Waal


HUFFINGTON POST'S FEBRUARY 18 REPORTING OF THE KILLING (with videos)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/17/travis-the-chimp-shot-dea_n_167527.html

Remembering Our Special Valentine/En souvenir de notre Valentin

Valentine's Day has never been the same for anyone that had the honor of meeting Billy Jo. Billy Jo passed away February 14th, 2006. It is hard to believe that it has already been three years. I do believe that we can be thankful that he was the first one to make it out on the new islands. He was a sweet soul and unfortunately Billy Jo did not have many chimpanzee friends but he did have the love and admiration from all of his human friends.


We miss you Billy...

1968-2006

"Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"

Le jour de la St-Valentin n'a jamais plus été le même pour tous ceux qui ont eu l'honneur de rencontrer Billy Jo. Billy Jo nous a quitté le 14 février 2006. Il est difficile de croire que ça fait déjà 3 ans. Je crois que nous pouvons nous compter chanceux qu'il fut le premier à se rendre sur les îles. Son âme était si douce. Malheureusement, Billy Jo n'avait pas beaucoup d'amis chimpanzés cependant il avait l'amour et l'admiration de tous ses amis humains.

Tu nous manques Billy...

1968-2006

"Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"

Valentines Day, from my heart

Valentines Day at Fauna, will always be one that fills us with a great deal of emotion. It is a time when we are reminded of how fragile and how durable our hearts really are.
It is a time that we should be sure to think about the amazing loves in our lives. Even if they are not with us anymore, our hearts have been marked for life, by those we love, and by those who love us.

It is also when our hearts need to be open to love, remembering who we love and to loving unconditionally.

At Fauna we think of those we have lost, and now we think even more of those we love, because we lost someone so dear to us on this day 3 years ago. It naturally keeps us in the present, and trying to enjoy and remember so many wonderful and special memories. It brings to mind our great loves in life, special friends, and our families.

So, for us this is a very special time, we will always remember this day, and of course think of some of the most amazing individuals, we have had the privilege and honor of knowing.

On Valentines Day we celebrated the Birthday of our dear Pablo. It was a date we chose for him, since we did not know exactly when he was born, and it was just the perfect day for such a unique and special fellow. He was to be one of the first to leave us, and the most shocking loss. He was here with us for such a short time, and we always felt he deserved more time in his new life.

Then, three months later, we suffered a truly painful loss. It was our Annie, the matriarch at Fauna, best friend, mother and teacher. One of the wisest, kindest beings I have ever met. This loss marked our hearts in a deep way, and took a toll on everyone in Annie’s life, but in particular her closest friend Donna Rae, who became withdrawn and distant.

When Annie’s best friend Donna Rae died, her death was felt profoundly by her Chimpanzee family, and to witness their pain, was so very difficult. To understand and see the love shared and the bonds formed, one can see how deeply affected everyone would be. I found at this time, the pain was more for those left behind, than for Donna Rae, who my heart told me, was in a better place, with her friend Annie, and her own family from Africa. That was a comfort, knowing she would no longer suffer, or be sad.

Pablo, Annie, Donna Rae

Eleven months later, on this Day of the Heart, Valentine’s Day, and the day that will never be the same again, for any of us who knew Billy. It would be the day he left us.
He was laughing and playing, when he suddenly dropped that morning. My last image of Billy was of him laying on his back, with my brother positioned over him, his mouth on Billy’s, trying to put air back into his lungs, massaging his heart, desperately working to keep him alive, and put life back into his body. It is an image that will remain in my mind forever, and one I can barely force myself to think about, even today.
We were all there, and we were uncontrollable, we cried, we were in shock, and in so much pain. It was an unbearable blow to all of us, and to the many friends who had met Billy, and knew what an amazing and truly special Ambassador he was. His loss was so difficult to accept for so many people, his friends here at Fauna, people he had never met, and those who knew him well.

It was his heart that killed him, and our hearts that broke. We will never lose, the love we shared with him, or the love we still have for him.

Billy Jo, Jeannie, Little Man

One would think after all of that, how could we take another loss, but on January 1st,
eleven months after losing Billy, one of my very first Chimpanzee loves left us too, our beautiful Jeannie, who took a piece of my heart with her, when her heart stopped beating.
A beautiful soul, who inspired me to do what I do, and who still keeps me inspired, and always will. I will forever hold Jeannie’s heart in my heart.

With another eleven months passing, one of the most darling, loving, kind and beautiful little beings was taken when his heart could no longer continue. Little Man, our dear little Capuchin Monkey joined his family, leaving us filled with sadness, once again.

Certainly one of the most tragic loses at Fauna was the loss of Sophie, who had arrived on November 6th, 2007 from the Quebec City Zoo, with her two close friends Spock and Maya. Sophie died after suffering terribly with an enormous gastric ulcer, only 6 months after coming to Sanctuary at Fauna. In the short time we shared with Sophie, it was very clear she was extremely special, and not having more time with her, was a tragedy.

Sophie

So on this Day of the Heart, not only do we remember our Chimpanzee, and Monkey family, but we can not help but think of all the wonderful and very special beings we have loved and cared for here at Fauna.

None will be forgotten, and all, will be forever, a part of our hearts.

Over the years I have met and fell in love with some very special beings, Cats, Rabbits, Pigs, Cows, Goats, Orangutans, Dogs, Parrots, Monkeys and many Chimpanzees. I will think of all of them on this special day, and remember how much I loved them, and will always love them.

At this time, I would say to all of our friends and supporters who have lost someone dear to them in the past year, or at all. Let us remember them, and open our hearts. Letting more love in, to feel all of the emotions that come with loving. This includes the pain, the emptiness, the tremendous feeling of joy and happiness when we are in love, and most of all the pleasure in giving love.

When we lose someone we love, we usually decide we will never love like that again. What a mistake that would be, because if we can feel that much pain and love that much, then we have no choice but to love again, and even more than we did before. Remembering how fragile life is, how important every moment is with someone we love, and to remember how strong the Heart really is.

That is what I will think about this Day of the Heart, and I will think of all of you with your enormous hearts, loving and strong.

Our hearts have been forever touched, and we are blessed.

Have a Special Valentines Day,
With love,
Gloria