TRAVELING TO NEW ORLEANS WITH SOSA AND ANGEL-Sept/00

Angel is owned by a lady who lives in New Orleans and each year she likes to have Angel come for a two week visit, so this year, she said to bring Angel's friend Sosa as well and that she would pay for all the extra expenses.  I was invited to go along to help look after Sosa and Angel. 

We were housed on a sprawling Plantation owned by the family.  The next day, we went to the  luxury hotel owned by Angel's owner.  Angel was to work on a commercial and filming was being done at the hotel. So, it seems that Angel was having a "working holiday".  I felt  sorry for her, because I could see that she hated being dressed up and made to perform all day long.  She instinctively knew that she was being used.  Personally I prefer to see chimpanzees as chimpanzees, not caricature  humans. 

Meanwhile my job was to look after Sosa at the Hotel while Angel was filming her commercial which went on for a few days.  Sosa quickly became the terror of the hotel.  He would reach out and pull people's hair and just generally terrorize everyone.  Without having him on a leash, he was very difficult to control.  On one occasion, we were in a room full of people and I was told to pass him around for others to hold him.  By the time he came back to me, he was so angry that he grabbed my finger in his mouth and would not let go.  I thought for sure that I was going to loose my finger. Everybody was around trying to get him to let go and I was in tears. Finally he did.  I think he felt betrayed by me, that I had passed him around and he was saying "Do not do that again!".  I guess that is why mother chimpanzees have big thick hairy fingers, but I have heard that even they are often missing fingers. Sosa's owner, showed me his fingers and it looked as if he had three fingers sewn back on as a result of his animal encounters.   Spoke with the owner and said that from that point on I wanted to have Sosa on a leash, it was becoming too dangerous for me and for others.

Now that I was with Sosa each day, he started to think this was a permanent arrangement and that I was now the one who would be looking after him for the rest of his life.  So he would go up to his owner, say lots of "obscene"  things and then run back to the security of my arms.  I felt so bad that I could not explain the real situation to him, that soon, it would be back to the way it was.  It was then that I thought about trying to buy him and have him sent to a Sanctuary.  I asked the owner how much to buy his freedom and I was told $30,000.  That is not an outrageous sum for a young chimpanzee, as I have read that Labs have paid  up to $60,000 for a chimpanzee and other trainers will pay that as they can make a lot of money off these babies. But to me $30,000 US was beyond my means.  I would call home and say "Sosa is mine, I have to get him, and have him put into a GOOD sanctuary".

There was a swimming pool at the Plantation, and so I thought that I would give Sosa a swimming lesson, even though Chimpanzees are not suppose to like water.   I held him in my arms and we went into the pool and he definitely did not enjoy the experience.  Sosa grabbed me by the ear with his teeth, (Ouch!) and he would not let go until I took him out of the water.

I thought it would be fun to let Sosa sleep with me at night. He obviously thought it was fun too, because he jumped up and down on the bed for half the night. I would pretend to be asleep, breathing heavily and he came over and put his finger on my lips. I opened my eyes, looked up at him and he was so cute, looking down at me with a smile on his face.  I had to laugh, so he found me out.  Finally Sosa exhausted himself and fell asleep.  He looked so adorable for such a naughty boy.  However, because I needed my sleep I had to put him in his cage at night, but I kept him by my bed.

Rather than stick Sosa in his cage while I took a shower, I decided to take him with me.  Locked the door and jumped into the shower. Well, Sosa started hooting and screaming,  acting like he was really scared for me.  Next thing, I know he has jumped into the shower with me, perhaps thinking he has to protect me, all the while he is still screaming from the water coming down on him.

The next day, I take Sosa with me again while I have my shower, thinking that he will probably be calmer and not want to repeat jumping into the shower.  However, this time, I was no sooner in the shower than he was right there with me, enjoying himself this time.  Opening his mouth and letting the water run in, just like a typical child.  So much for Chimpanzees not liking water.

At the Plantation there was a stable of horses, beautiful, well cared for horses.  They were owned by the brother of Angel's owner who also owned the Plantation as it was a family holding.  It seems that he was not too thrilled about the chimpanzees coming to the Plantation.  However, when a riding partner turned up with the chimpanzees, he seemed to have a change of heart.  As a competitive equestrian, he seemed to enjoy having someone who could keep up to him, racing along the trails and jumping the logs.  How could I not, having a beautiful, talented mount to ride.  He said that I should keep up my riding,  and think about competitions, but there is only so much I can do.  Now, I prefer to keep my riding as a hobby.

One day, while I was in the house with Sosa, and talking with my Mom on the phone,  I heard a chilling scream.  I excused  myself from the phone and looked outside to the pool area to see who was screaming, but the screaming had stopped, so I had no idea what had happened.  I was to learn later that it was Angel screaming during one of her training sessions.  I do not know what took place, but I do know that my Mom was getting upset from all the chimp horror stories and questioned the wisdom and safety of my being there. 

Even though a nice, cute New Zealander I had met on the set of Angel's commercial offered to show me New Orleans's,  I could not bring myself to stick Sosa in his cramped traveling cage for such a long period of time.  I would do my riding while Sosa had his afternoon nap, but I could not justify keeping him in that cage beyond those times. 

One day while we were all sitting around the pool, Angel was sitting on the trainer's lap and he was telling the owner how close they were, etc. and then  I noticed that he was twisting Angel's finger.  So that was how he had her sit on his lap.  Months later when I learned that he  was going to be in a parade with Sosa, it was upsetting because I knew that he would probably keep Sosa sitting still by twisting his finger. 

 On another occasion the chimps, myself, Angel and Sosa's owners were at a restaurant.  Suddenly, Sosa's owner says to me, "See to Angel, she is eyeing that young girl".   I said "what am I suppose to do?".  This was the first time that I had seen Angel glare at someone with hostility.  I think she felt she could take out her frustrations on children because she now knew she was stronger than them.  To distract her, the trainer asked her to perform something for the people in the restaurant but she would not, so he excused himself with Angel and took her into the washroom.  Her owner said that he was going to teach her a lesson and I said  " I do not think I like the lessons he teaches".  She said nothing.  I was beginning to resent big time, being a party to any of this.  When they came back, Angel performed. 

As we sat around the pool, Angel's owner commented to the trainer that she did not like the way Sosa looked at him.  She said that she could tell by the way Sosa looked at him that he would turn on him one day.  She suggested that he take Sosa back to the Coulston  Foundation and exchange him for another chimpanzee, a female.   To his credit he did not seem enthused about doing that or maybe he knew Coulston would not be agreeable for whatever reason.  From that point on, I was so paranoid about Sosa being sent back to the Coulston Foundation.

One afternoon when it was time for Sosa to go down for his nap, he balked at going into his cage, so his owner kicked him into the cage with the comment that "he should remember that".  I screamed at him, "what are doing, do you kick your own children?".  He said it was his way or the highway.  I said I prefer the highway, so he said that he was going to put me on the next flight out of New Orleans.  Then I guess he thought better of it, or else my riding partner might have put HIM on the next flight out. Or perhaps, it was just the thought of having to look after two chimpanzees all by himself.

Angel's owner decided that she wanted to take Angel to a school, for a type of show and tell.  The trainer tried to tell her that Angel had to stay in her cage, but the owner decided that she wanted to hold Angel.  Well, what a commotion, with Angel trying to get at the children to bite them.  She gave Angel back to the trainer and decided that she did not want to own Angel any longer. (The complete Sosa and Angel blog is on my website www.leslie-ann.com)

LOCKED IN A CAGE WITH ANGEL

During one of my visits with Sosa and Angel, I have an opportunity to spend time with Angel alone in her cage.  When  she realizes that the door is unlocked she makes a bee line for it. I rush over and grab the door, but I am no match for her strength and she gets out. However there is a fence around the perimeter of her cage and that gate is locked.  The owner puts her back into her cage and says that he will have to lock me in with her and asks if that is OK.  I agree. However, the image of her chomping down on that girl's hand goes through my mind. A bite which went right through the hand and required many stitches.  We spend the afternoon grooming each other and bonding.

On another occasion when I was locked in the cage with Sosa and Angel, Sosa would go give Angel a push and then come running back to me for protection. Beginning to notice that Sosa is afraid of his owner and am told that when Sosa made a move to bite someone during one his photo sessions that the owner picked him up by the ear and swung him around.  I begin to wonder whether this abuse is just an isolated incident or something that happens regularly.  I begin to suspect that the owner feels that the best way to control Chimpanzees is through fear. Once read somewhere a trainer saying  that he would rather face down a lion than an enraged chimpanzee. 

One day,  Angel came over grabbed my hat, swished it around in her bucket of water and then put it back on my head.  She stood back, studied me, decided that she wanted  my hat, so she took it off my head and put it on her own head.  When it was time for me to go, I had to get my hat, so I sneaked up on her and grabbed it.  Angel  was so angry, she came  towards me stomping and hooting, but stopped short of grabbing the hat back or ANYTHING  else. The next time I went up I took Angel her own hat. She was so stoked.  I will put up a photo soon of Angel wearing her hat.

GOING TO THE RANCH

With Angel on my mind, I head out to the "Ranch".  Begin to get nervous, there are only guys at this ranch and I do not know them.  Decide to do a drive-by first.  The place doesn't look too spooky, so I decide to drive down the long driveway.  I am greeted and lead over to a very, very large cage where I see the baby chimpanzee, Sosa, clutching a doll and rocking back forth, like an autistic child.  Given instructions to not at any time put my fingers through the cage, as  Angel or Sosa might decide to bite off a finger.  When the cage door is unlocked, Sosa  flies into my arms.  I am told that Sosa is the grandson of "Ham" the first astrochimp into Outer Space, who paved the way for Sam Sheppard to become the first American into space which ultimately led to the Moon landing.  It seems that "Ham" had to pull a lever some fifty times during his mission, and performed his duties to near perfection.  I also learn about the Air Force Chimpanzees who are now warehoused at the Coulston Foundation living under terrible conditions and being subjected to outrageous experiments.  I am told that the chimpanzees  live in small cages for the duration of their lives which is about forty to fifty years and that the place smells.  This is so shocking! Can not rid myself of the image.  Sosa was so lucky to have escaped that life.  However, was to learn later through research that Ham had no offspring.

We take Angel and Sosa to their tree house.  Just then a young girl shows up with her mother making enquiries about volunteer work with Sosa and Angel.  We all  sit together and watch Angel and Sosa play.  When Angel takes Sosa into the playhouse with her, the owner asks me if I want to go up and join them.  I decline, feeling that I would be intruding.  However, the young girl decides that she would like to visit.  Well, as soon as she sticks her head inside the playhouse, what a commotion from Angel who becomes  hostile and the young girl practically tumbles out of the tree.  Needless to say that was the end of any desire to volunteer and mother and daughter drive off.

Sosa and Angel come down from the tree house and we all lay down on the grass side by side.  Angel runs her hand up my pant leg as if  looking for something.   Is this her way of saying that I have been accepted?   It is now time to put Sosa and Angel back in their cage, however, when Sosa is put back in, he screams for me with arms outstretched.  It is too pitiful; so  I ask the owner to please, please  let me spend more time with him.  The cage door is unlocked and  Sosa flies into my arms once again. I spend the afternoon with him playing "follow the leader" with Sosa as the leader, of course.  He gives  me discreet backward glances to make sure that I am following him.  It really impacts on me that Sosa is not an animal, but like any other human toddler, no different from my niece who is the same age.

The next weekend, I drive back up to Ventura, it is about a three hour drive from where I am staying in San Clemente. This time I go for a walk with Angel and while we walk she is picking up sticks. She finds a particularly heavy stick and hands  it to me.  What does this gesture mean?  Is it her way to say, do not worry about me having a stick, because you have a bigger one or here, you might need to protect yourself.  When we return, the owner quickly takes away Angel's stick and admonishes me for letting her carry a stick which he says she could quickly turn into a weapon.  I suppose that is true, but why would she want to strike me?  I was always taught by my riding instructor to trust my horse.  I think the same applies here. I mean a horse can kick, but a horse will not intentionally kick you to hurt you if there is a bond.   Not for one mille-second did I feel threatened by Angel and her stick.

  MY CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH SOSA AND ANGEL Date:2000

I was leaving a surf competition when something made me do a double take....Two chimpanzees! Told my friend that I would see her later, had to check out the chimpanzees.  People were having their photos taken with one of them, Angel who was three years old  and I am sorry to admit it now, but I was one of them.  Wish I could apologize to Angel for being a party to that.  I wanted to get close to her.  I was to learn that Angel hates posing for the camera with a passion.  It is not so much the taking of photos I think, but being required to sit for hours and posing, putting on a fake smile.  Some people displayed  affection towards her and other people screamed  if she came too close, treating her like a freak.  This has to affect her emotionally.

Angel and I clicked,  I felt something between us,  in spite of the fact that she sees so many people every day. I was to learn later that she had chomped down on a girl's hand during one of her photo shoots and yet I felt no threat.  I hung back and spoke with the owner who admitted that Angel did seem to like me.  I asked if I might visit Angel and I was given directions to the "Ranch".

Good Night Sweet Prince

SOSA  AND  ANGEL  JOURNAL

INTRODUCTION

Update: As a result of Apollo(Sosa) the chimpanzee's death, I will now be free to tell  Sosa's Story with the hopes that it will help all the other Sosas out there.  I will be updating the journal with information I was not able to add while he was alive.  Happy to report that Angel is now at a sanctuary in Florida and that Cody and Sable have also gone to a very good sanctuary.  This journal was posted on my website beginning in 2000 and continued through to Sosa's death in 2006.

As a sixteen year old I wanted to go live with the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda.  Diane Fossey was my hero. Dr. Sandy Harcourt a renowned Primatologist who had worked with Diane Fossey in Rwanda, would be awakened by my calls at 5am or  6a.m( I forgot about the time difference).  He was always very nice and would give me suggestions on how I might get myself into their program in Rwanda.  I would call the operator in Rwanda and ask for the number of Kerisoke, Diane Fossey's camp set high in the Virunga Mountains.  Just talking to  the operator, someone who was actually living in Rwanda was very exciting.  Then the civil war broke out  and  I turned my attention to Borneo.  I would call Dr. Birute Galdikas the famed Orangutan expert who asked  how I got her number.  I found her to be very nice and supportive of my aspirations.  She told me that she was not much older than myself when she first went to Borneo to live with the Orangutans. However, not having the resources at sixteen to leave and live among the Great-Apes,  something my parents were not too thrilled about, I instead concentrated on my sports (my parents tricked me into that, to get my mind refocused) and I found myself going off to San Francisco to train with the US National Women's Epee coach.   However, as I grew older I knew that I was not cut out for living in Africa or Indo on a permanent basis and so resigned myself to a life without the Great-Apes.

Little did I know that my sports would bring me full circle, but instead of Gorillas or Orangutans, it was to be a couple of chimpanzees who would tug at my heart strings and perhaps to  set me on course again.  Through Sosa and Angel, I was to learn of the plight of the American Chimpanzees, all the hundreds of chimpanzees who are stored in small cages at Research Labs-the most infamous one is the Coulston Foundation in New Mexico.  No experiment is taboo as long as someone is willing to pay for it.  I can not shake the image of all those wonderful beings locked up and suffering.

The following is based on some my experiences with Sosa and Angel. I feel bad having to divulge what I have, but in the end I had to decide what was best for Angel with the " dead eyes" and Sosa.  Now (Date: 2003-2004), this trainer has three more babies from the Coulston Foundation.  Since I am no longer in a position to make sure Sosa is ok, I worry more about him, because he is a male chimpanzee whose days as a performer are rapidly drawing to a close and I know that this trainer's training methods are based on fear.  So I have been in touch with some organizations trying to find out if Sosa is ok and this account is for their info as well.