Author Archives: Andrew Westoll

In the early years, Gloria invited some of the lab technicians who used to work with the chimpanzees to visit Fauna. Although these visits were ostensibly for the good of the chimpanzees—some of them had built genuine friendships with the … Continue reading →

Tom arrived at the Fauna sanctuary in 1997, with a very serious injury on his foot. Just before he’d been scheduled to leave the lab, he’d got into a vicious fight with Billy Jo, during which his foot had been … Continue reading →

Early on in the evolution of Fauna, Gloria received some sage advice from Dr. Jane Goodall when the famed primatologist and activist visited the Fauna sanctuary for the first of many visits. “I was so embarrassed,” Gloria says now about … Continue reading →

Every summer, to keep the infuriating cockroach populations under control, the Fauna chimphouse is fumigated. Before this can happen, though, all the chimps need to be coaxed outside, where they will live for an entire week on the islands while … Continue reading →

Nobody knows where Toby was born. Some say he was wild-caught in Africa, while others say he was born in a zoo in small-town Quebec. Either way, Toby spent much of the first 24 years of his life at the … Continue reading →

Sue Ellen has a weakness for large, bearded men. This could be a remnant of her childhood spent in the circus. Gloria suspects that at some point in Sue Ellen’s difficult life, she enjoyed a deep and loving friendship with … Continue reading →

During my stay at Fauna, some of my relationships with the chimps were much more demanding than others. Take my friendship with Chance, who along with Rachel is one of the most disturbed chimpanzees at Fauna. At first, I thought … Continue reading →