Senior Primates

Not so long ago, I was in Uganda and stayed for a few nights at a wildlife sanctuary in Entebbe. It was both heartening and sad at the same time. 

Nearly all the creatures here had either been found as orphans or with injuries. I was impressed with the dedication and decency of the keepers who did the best they could given budgetary limits. 

Still, most of the animals were old and many of them seemed lost. This of course was subjective as I have a soft spot for all creatures great and small, thank you James Herriot.  

The great apes here were especially notable as they are our nearest cousins in terms of DNA. The expressions on their faces were hauntingly moving and I couldn’t help but see something like intelligence and comprehension in their eyes. 

For example, the senior chimp to the right watched me patiently as I observed him. I may have been guilty of anthropomorphizing, but I was certain this guy had a sad look in his eyes, almost as if he wasn’t sure how he’d arrived at such a place.

Another senior chimp walked about with a kind of distant look in its eyes, while another seemed plagued with alopecia. I wondered what their stories were, if they missed their own kind or felt somehow lonely. I know some will say I’m reading into them, but I have little doubt that most animals feel emotions similar to us. I defy anyone who doubts that to spend a day with these orphaned apes and tell me they don’t feel the same kind of loneliness we do.