Vanilla, a 28-year-old chimpanzee, had never been outside of a cage or enclosure. She is one of the surviving chimps from the New York-based Laboratory for Experimental Medicine & Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP). Vanilla and her sister, Shake, have a new island home at Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Florida.
[Video report, 44 seconds]
We can’t be locking these creatures up, man. In zoos or elsewhere. That creature has feelings, thoughts, sapience. Look at her face when she goes outside and tell me you didn’t know exactly what she was feeling, that you didn’t empathize with her.
Zoos are often a lot more enlightened these days and many do some valuable species conservation work but I know what you mean.
And yes, I can’t recall seeing a display of happiness like that other than a waggy dog when they see their owner.
No zoo does this. She was used for animal testing.
Er, yes, that was the story.