Jaybee’s Story
Jaybee Chimpanzee
Photo: © Save the Chimps
Although his pre-lab history is unclear, Jaybee was castrated, which suggests that he may have been a “pet” or in a circus. Nonetheless, he ended up a research subject at both the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) and the Coulston Foundation. Because Jaybee was castrated, he could not be used for breeding and was instead continuously made available for research protocols.
When LEMSIP closed in 1997, Jaybee was not among the lucky ones who went to sanctuary. Instead, because of his physical stamina, he was chosen to be sent to Coulston to endure further research, from which he was finally rescued in 2001.
En route to the Coulston laboratory, somehow aware of his fate, Jaybee is said to have expressed a woeful and terrible cry. He pleadingly reached for the hands of a caregiver who described him as “the most terrified chimpanzee, [he] had ever seen.”
Now free from the lab, he will spend the rest of his life in sanctuary at Save the Chimps in Florida. Jaybee is a smart fellow who understands humans well, which often gives him the upper hand! One of his favorite tricks: stealing the water hoses.
The Comforts of Home
Jaybee Chimpanzee picks bright and alive colors
Photo: © Save the Chimps
Jaybee sat alone in his indoor enclosure, with a perfect circle of monkey chow biscuits surrounding him. He was found that way by Dr. Carole Noon when she returned to the Coulston Foundation in New Mexico after all of its chimpanzee research subjects, including Jaybee, were rescued into her sanctuary.
Dr. Noon’s understanding of chimpanzee behavior helped her to correctly conclude that Jaybee was trying to make a night nest – a source of comfort and a daily ritual for chimpanzees in the wild. Dr. Noon immediately brought Jaybee all of the scraps of cloth she could find. On that first day of her taking over the Coulston facility, there was little available for her to give him, but he made do, and she recalls he was intensely happy to receive even these scraps.
Today, at Save the Chimps sanctuary, Jaybee is offered his choice of blankets every day. He picks those with the brightest colors. Now, he is surrounded by blankets, friends, open space, and the love of his caregivers, all of which offer Jaybee the comfort that he was deprived of in both of the labs where he had spent hard years. Save the Chimps is a far cry from the barren environment he knew in research.
His sad years in labs were confounded by the fact that Jaybee may have once known comfort (since he may have been raised by humans as a “pet” or a circus entertainer), only to have it all stripped from him in the labs. Typically, chimpanzees who have been raised in a human environment struggle in their newfound captivity, with the lack of comfort, control, or any semblance of safety and ease. Although Jaybee’s pre-lab history is unclear, former employees at Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) noted that Jaybee had a difficult time adjusting when he arrived at the lab, and was often sullen and angry.
Now, in his permanent sanctuary home, Jaybee has comforts, good food, and caring chimpanzee and human friends. In this safe and loving environment, he is inspired to get comfortable and creative with his blankets. Recently, Jaybee surprised his caregivers when he tore a hole in a blanket. They were confused by his seemingly destructive behavior. He set them straight when he proceeded to put it over his head and wear his “poncho.” It took several days to convince him to give it back and use a new one so his poncho could be washed.
Sources
Jaybee’s story is based on information supplied by Save the Chimps.