Photo:PeTA
On my daily walk to school I passed by a house where the second story windows opened to an almost jungle-like view. And sometimes, if I was lucky, I could see a brown, furry creature pass by the window. Whenever this happened my school mates had to drag me on so that I would not miss class since I rather wanted to stay and watch, hoping for more than a glimpse of whoever lived up there. Rumors about who this was were abundant, from a dwarf to a child with fur to some fantastic toy. But eventually I did find out who it was I was waiting to see: a chimpanzee, living right in the middle of my home town, a town far away from any jungle, let alone any natural habitat where chimpanzees live in the wild.
I was desperate to get a closer look, even had the courage to ring the door bell. But to my utter disappointment I never was allowed to enter the house and never got to meet this chimpanzee. One day the windows were empty, no lush foliage, no movement, no chimpanzee. The people and with them the chimpanzee were gone.
In hindsight, it probably was prudent not to let anyone wander into their house. But it definitely was also ignorant and cruel to have a chimpanzee live there with them, this social creature all by himself, without family, far away from his natural habitat.
There is a bill addressing this situation that needs more support to go forward:
“A bill intended to protect citizens and wild animals has elicited support and a compassionate response from both parties and is moving into the next stage necessary for approval. The Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 2856/S. 1463) passed the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in late July, setting it up for a vote in the whole chamber.”
Please read more here and sign the petition
Thank you for spreading the word on animal awareness!
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