Make a Chimp Smile! Supporting Great Apes!

GREAT APES NEED OUR HELP!!!

2011-11-04T21:44:00.000-04:00

The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act
& Fundraiser for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hi!
Sorry I haven't written on my blog in a while. I've been real busy with school and have also been working hard mailing out letters to our representatives asking them to support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. My final count of letters collected and mailed was 2551. I couldn't have done it without my mom and brothers Denver and Christian helping me. It was real hard sorting them by zip codes and looking up their representatives. I mailed letters for Florida, Virginia and Connecticut.

Looking up addresses of Representatives

I also wrote my own letters to different congress people and senators and mailed them one of my great ape tags. It would be really cool if someone would send me a picture of them wearing one of my tags. Last month I wrote the president and sent him a great ape tag too. I hope he writes me back because that would be really cool!!!

Here are my great ape tags that I mailed out.
I also gave them out to the students at
Holy Family Catholic school when they
asked me to come speak on Earth Day.
That was really fun!!!

I was really happy when we finished!!!

If you haven't contacted your representative yet
PLEASE DO!!!!
Special thanks goes out to all the people who have been working hard to help the chimps like the Humane Society of the United States and Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine. PCRM just had a letter writing party in Seattle which is really cool. I hope the chimps got lots of new supporters. If you live in Washington they have a page about writing the Senator.

Thank you to everyone who helped me

and took the time to sign and write letters!!!

FUNDRAISER TO HELP SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHIMPS AT CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY NW

I'm really excited about doing a fundraiser for Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW. There are seven chimps at the sanctuary they are Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, Missy and Negra. In 2008 the chimps were rescued from a lab in Pennsylvania to the sanctuary. They spent most of their lives locked up in a basement of a laboratory and were used in bio-medical research. In September they finished an outdoor enclosure for the chimps called Young's Hill. Check out the video!!!

If you follow me on Facebook you already know how much I really like the blog and videos. The chimps all have their own personalities and it is fun to see how they act and play with each other.

The sanctuary is planning on building an on-site medical clinic for the chimps. So if the chimps need medical care they won't have to leave home. I really wanted to help with a fundraiser for them and I hope all of you will want to be a part of it too!!!

Check out the things I have in my Etsy Shop. All the proceeds will be going to Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW.
Right now I have Great Ape Tags and Eco-Friendly Tote Bags for sale.

Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act/Great Ape Tags
These are really cool!!!

Eco-Friendly Tote Bag

I am hoping together we can make the lives better for the chimps and all great apes.
Please click on the link to shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/MakeaChimpSmile and share this blog post with your friends on facebook and twitter so they can learn about the chimps that need our help. To learn more about Chimpanzee Sanctuary North West and meet the chimps visit their website and blog http://www.chimpsanctuarynw.org.

THANKS FOR VISITING MY BLOG

MAKING CHIMPS SMILE!!!

Your Chimp Friend

Brandon

SEE WHO MADE A CHIMP SMILE!!!

2011-08-06T08:45:00.001-04:00

THANK YOU ALL
FOR YOUR DONATIONS!

SO FAR WE HAVE RAISED $3662.62

SEE WHO MADE A CHIMP SMILE!!!

Rickey Wood Raebca

Jeffery Smith Tau

Eric McMillan Ein5tein

Albert Bangi Alison Chapot *

Jack Curley Alpha Team/Therisa

Steven Day Alpha Team/Ralph

Patti Greene Jackie Londa

Christine Lane Dennis & Kathy Fawcett

Teena M. Gregory Debra Simicich

Anonymous ???                                      Anonymous???
Deanna Wood                                         Tamela Burgess*
Theresa Strunk *                                    Denver Wood
Diana                                                       Candy MacDonald
Jennifer D                                               Grandma & Granddaddy*
Dena Daugherty*                                      David Rieck
Ruth Clark                                               Mary Izzo
Denise Wilson                                          Tina Gonzalez
Annoula Wylderich                                  Gregory Welch
Linda Robinson                                        Aunt Vee & Uncle Sam
Dana Moss                                               Marie Guadagno
Idan Oz                                                    Samantha & Ivana*
Doreen Ingram* Kaite McGrew
Jennifer Ball * Marcia Leach
Tanis                                                       Laurie Harrison
Julie Harding                                          Jan Meltzer
Monica Best    Amy Atherton
Catherine Mollyneaux* Jason Shanaman
Kelly Denton Eva Devin
Wesley Creigh Bob42jh

YOU CAN MAKE A CHIMP SMILE TOO!

SPECIAL THANKS GO OUT TO

ALL OF YOU IN AFGHANISTAN & IRAQ !!!

THANKS FOR ALL BEING PART OF MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE!!!!!

Please email me your address so I can send you a Thank You

ANDREW WESTOLL-The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary

2011-05-10T18:12:00.003-04:00

Hey Everybody!!!
I wanted to introduce you to Andrew Westoll. I know lots of you that support great apes already know who Andrew is but for those of you who don’t I will tell you. I met Andrew through twitter when I first got started speaking out for chimps. He was one of the first people that I followed and on the list of people I hope to meet one day.

Andrew is a primatologist and a writer. He has done some really cool stuff, like spending a year in the Central Suriname Nature Reserve following capuchin monkeys. Who wouldn’t love following monkeys through a rainforest? He also was able to live by, watch and get to know 13 chimpanzees that had lived for decades in a biomedical lab. These chimps are at Fauna Sanctuary which is outside of Montreal, Quebec.

I am really excited about Andrew’s new book “The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary”. I have been waiting for it to come out. My mom ordered it for me so it should be here soon. Andrew has written about all the chimps he has gotten to know at Fauna. I know this is going to be a great book and when you order it a portion of the proceeds goes to help the chimpanzees at Fauna.

“Andrew Westoll is a born story teller: The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, written with empathy and skill, tenderness and humour, involves us in a world few understand. And leaves us marvelling at the ways in which chimpanzees are so like us, deserve our help and are entitled to our respect.” - Dr. Jane Goodall

If you are interested in ordering this book just click on the book on the top right of this page and while you wait for your book to come read Andrew’s blog “The New Animalist”. Here you will learn more about the writer and the primatologist, Andrew Westroll. Also you can follow Andrew on facebook & twitter.

Below is a blog post from "The New Animalist" By Andrew Westoll.

My Time with the Chimps:
An Introduction
POSTED ON DECEMBER 21, 2010 BY ANDREW WESTOLL
In the summer of 2009, I spent ten weeks living and working at the Fauna Foundation, a sanctuary for abused and neglected animals just outside Montreal, Canada. Fauna is home to over one hundred animals of all shapes and sizes, but its most famous residents are a very special family of chimpanzees.
Fourteen years ago, these chimps were rescued from a biomedical laboratory. In the lab, they’d spent decades suffering through countless invasive surgeries like punch- and open-liver biopsies, dart-gun knockdowns and day after day of barren captivity. They’d been used as test subjects in vaccine trials, and injected with lethal human diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. Their lives had been utterly miserable and devoid of just about everything an ape requires to live a happy, dignified life. Some of them were driven psychotic by the experience.
But at Fauna, the chimps have begun to heal. And what’s even more amazing it that they’ve begun to trust humans again. This is what my next book, The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, is all about. It’s a biography of the chimps and the woman who saved them, Gloria Grow, who continues to look after them to this day.
When I moved in to Fauna in 2009, thirteen troubled chimpanzees were living there. To honour that magic number, I’m going to post thirteen memories of my time with the chimps right here on The New Animalist, and on the Walrus Blog, as well. Posts will appear about once a week, as a countdown of sorts to publication. Come May, when the book will be in stores across North America, you should all feel a little closer to Fauna and the remarkable apes who live there.
Each post will be named after an individual chimp. So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to the mighty Jethro….
THANKS FOR COMING BY AND VISITING MY BLOG & PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS SO THAT THEY CAN ORDER ANDREW'S NEW BOOK TOO!!!
Your Chimp Friend Brandon

CATHERINE MOLLYNEAUX IS STILL MAKING CHIMPS SMILE!!!

2011-02-20T20:36:00.003-05:00

Catherine Mollyneaux is hosting another fundraiser for

Make a Chimp Smile!!!

Catherine has designed and made some really nice "Wildlife" hand embroidered greeting cards and bookmarks. These card sets are special and each one is different. All proceeds for these sets of cards and the bookmarks will be donated to the Save the Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida to help migrate a chimp to one of the 12 islands.

The card sets can be purchased through Catherine's Etsy Store. There are four different Wildlife sets. Each card is finished with beautiful parchment on the inside which is blank so you can write your own special message. Each card is wrapped individually in Acid Free Clear Sleeves. I will post a link for each set.

Wildlife Greeting Card Set 1

In this set you will receive a leopard & cub, adolescent chimpanzee, a tropical parrot and a snow leopard bookmark. To see more pictures click on the link http://www.etsy.com/listing/68499177/save-the-chimps-make-a-chimp-smile.

Wildlife Greeting Card Set 2

In this set you will receive a beautiful horse & her colt, a female gorilla & her baby, a mother zebra & her cub and a beautiful white tiger and her cubs bookmark. To see more pictures click on the link http://www.etsy.com/listing/68500848/save-the-chimps-make-a-chimp-smile .

Wildlife Greeting Card Set 3

In this set you will receive a beautiful lion resting peacefully on the African plains, a family of ring tailed lemurs, a mother panda and her cub and a horse & her colt bookmark. To see more pictures click on the link http://www.etsy.com/listing/68501956/save-the-chimps-make-a-chimp-smile .

Wildlife Greeting Card Set 4

In this set you will receive a beautiful elephant and her calf, the elusive black panther and her baby cub, tropical parrots on a swing and a female tiger and her cubs bookmark. To see more pictures click on the link http://www.etsy.com/listing/68503073/save-the-chimps-make-a-chimp-smile .

These cards are special

anyone who receives one is going to love it!!!!!

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER!!!!!

Help me get to one of the islands!!!!

THANK YOU CATHERINE FOR LOVING CHIMPS!!!

your chimp friend,

Brandon

CAREGIVERS NEEDED: EIGHT CUTE LITTLE MONKEYS ARE IN NEED OF A HOME!!!

2011-02-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

MAKE A CHIMP SMILE

UP TO SOME MONKEE BIZNESS!!!

HI EVERYONE MEET NICKI, CLYDE & DARBY!!!

This fundraiser is being hosted by me and my friend Catherine Mollyneaux. Catherine was so nice to donate these Sock Monkeez to Make a Chimp Smile. She is also a BIG supporter of the Great Apes!!! Thank you Catherine for loving Great Apes & Making Chimps Smile!!!

Proceeds from this fundraiser will be donated to Save the Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida to migrate a chimp to one of the 12 islands.

There are eight cute little monkeez looking for new homes. They also come with an outfit so you can dress them up if you want too. There is a pilot, wizard, fireman & more. It is really easy to adopt one! This is for a really good cause and I will make each caregiver an Adoption Certificate.

Please look through the ebay listings below. All you have to do is move your mouse over the pictures and click on the one you like. Also you can click on the link http://shop.ebay.com/makeachimpsmile/m.html to my ebay page.

MONKEE ADOPTIONS-CLINK ON A MONKEE

I know it would make these monkees happy if you could also share my ebay link http://shop.ebay.com/makeachimpsmile/m.html with your friends & family on facebook and twitter.

I want to give a special Thank You to Catherine & my Mom for helping me with this fundraiser!!!!

Also to all of you for supporting Great Apes!!!

your chimp friend,

Brandon (:(|)

MEETING HARRY HMURA & MY SURPRISE VISIT TO THE CENTER FOR GREAT APES!!!

2011-02-10T16:30:00.027-05:00

I have wanted to tell everyone about my chance to meet Harry Hmura and my surprise visit to the Center for Great Apes. I thought since this week is Florida Week for the Animals put on by Animal World USA it would be a good time! Animal World USA is a non-profit that works bringing people and organizations together. They are dedicated to spread awarness of the plight of the animals in the world.

Well, I knew I was going to be able to meet Harry because he called and said he was coming to Florida. Which was really cool!!! I know most of you who follow my blog and facebook group "Make a Chimp Smile!" already know who Harry is but for those who don’t I’ll tell you!

Harry is from Chicago and one of the coolest musicians out there! He started playing when he was only seven years old and likes to play blues and jazz. For my friends that play Halo you probably don’t know it but you have heard Harry play. On the soundtrack of Halo 1, Harry played the “Rock Anthem for Saving the World. On Halo 3-ODST there are many soundtracks that he played and on Halo Reach he performed the song “We Remember”. I think that is really cool!!! You can learn more about Harry and his music by visiting his website at http://harryhmura.com/ and follow him on facebook.

Harry Hmura

Harry isn’t just a great musician he is also the voice of the Great Apes. He is a big supporter and advocates for great apes used in entertainment and in research. He was really nice to help me out with my “Great Ape Protection Act” video. He also has a foundation “Musicians for Apes”. Where musicians and fans support our closet relatives. Also Harry has put on lots of shows that support great apes!

I didn’t know it but when my mom was driving me over to meet Harry we were meeting him at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida. I was really surprised and everyone was really nice there. First I watched a movie about the sanctuary and the great apes and then I got a tour of the sanctuary.

Me & Harry at the Center for Great Apes

When you walk through the sanctuary you can hear the chimps and orangutans getting excited to have visitors. There are lots of trees and bamboo growing around the big enclosures. It is almost like being in a forest. A really cool thing is there are chutes and tunnels where the apes can follow you as you are walking through. They can also go visit friends in other enclosures by going through the tunnels.
Click on Sanctuary Habitats to see pictures.

I really liked meeting all the apes but I was really excited about meeting the orangutan Sammy. He was in the movie “Dunston Checks In”. I really liked that movie but now I know it is wrong to use great apes in entertainment. I also got to meet Bubbles. He was Michael Jackson’s chimp. He likes to fill his mouth with water and spit it on you. He can spit water really far and he got me and my mom. I liked that! Now I tell everyone Bubbles spit water on me!

The best part of the visit was hearing Harry play for the great apes. The chimps and orangutans really liked it. They would watch him and some would even move to the music. When Harry would stop playing they would start hooting. I think they were telling him to keep playing! You can tell the chimps and orangutans know Harry and love his music.

Harry playing for his friends the great apes!

Me & Harry

I wanted to thank Harry & Everyone at the Center for Great Apes for the special visit! I am hoping everyone will learn more about the Center for Great Apes. Please go to their website http://www.centerforgreatapes.org/ so you can meet all the apes and learn about the Sanctuary. Also when you make a donation a 100% of it goes to the care of the chimps and orangutans. You can also become a member which is really cool because you will get an invitation to Member’s Day where you can visit the sanctuary. I have been saving my money to become a member because I can’t wait to go back!!!

Here is a great video!!!

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALWAYS MAKING CHIMPS SMILE!!!!

your chimp friend

Brandon (:(|)

SEND YOUR FAVORITE CHIMP A NEW FLEECE BLANKET FOR THE NEW YEAR!!!!

2011-01-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!!!
Guess what? I'm having another fundraiser starting today and ending on the 13th of January.

THIS ONE IS REALLY COOL!!!!

For a $10 donation made to my firstgiving widget to the right or at this link http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/brandon-wood/migrateboy you can send your favorite chimp at Save the Chimps in Florida a nice soft fleece blanket for nesting.

The donation for the blankets is really good. Usually these blankets cost $20 and then you would have to pay for shipping. So $10 is a great price! You could even send 2 chimps a blanket if you really wanted too! If you are not sure which chimp you want to send a blanket to click on Meet the Families and you can go there and meet the chimps.

After you make your donation please email me at Binkswood@gmail.com to let you know what colors I have and to which chimp you would like to send it to so I can make a tag for it. You can also post it in the comment section of the firstgiving page where you make the donation.

WE HAVE BEEN MAKING BLANKETS FOR THE CHIMPS!

fabric to make the blankets

My mom and my brothers Denver & Christian have been helping me. They are even sending a blanket to a chimp!

Here are the different colors!

1 peace sign

2 pink

3 red

2 light blue

3 royal blue

THIS IS THE ONE I MADE FOR ELWAY!!!!!

HERE IS THE ONE CHRISTIAN MADE FOR MELODY!!!

HERE IS THE ONE DENVER MADE FOR BOY!!!!

Don't forget to let me know which chimp you want to get your blanket so I can make a special tag to who it goes to and who it is from.

THERE ARE ONLY 11 BLANKETS

SO IF YOU WANT TO SEND ONE

MAKE A CHIMP SMILE

CLICK ON THE LINK!!!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/brandon-wood/migrateboy

Thanks everyone!

your chimp friend,

Brandon

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-12-30T12:20:00.000-05:00

A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES OUT TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THE CHIMPS AND SUPPORTED THE GREAT APE PROTECTION ACT THIS YEAR!!!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know about stuff I have been doing. It has been a year since I started fundraising for the chimps and speaking out for them.

I was hoping that The Great Ape Protection Act would have been passed. I have been learning about bills and how laws get passed and I think that it takes too long. I hate that chimpanzees have been suffering so long. If you haven’t Taken Action yet for the Great Ape Protection Act PLEASE DO!!!!!!

The Humane Society of the United States has a campaign "Chimps Deserve Better" and you can go there and learn about what is happening to the chimps and how you can help. This is really important and please send the link below to your friends.
https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4665

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS!!!

I know lots of you that follow me on facebook and twitter know that I got to go to Connecticut to the Roots & Shoots summit and hear Dr. Jane Goodall speak. That was the best! I already knew a lot about Dr. Jane and David Grey Beard. But it was really nice to see her and hear the stories again. Better than YouTube. If you get the chance to hear her speak you should really go. She is so nice and does lots of things for the chimps and all animals.

This image is copywritten ©JGI 2010
Meeting Dr. Jane Goodall
Gombe and Beyond: The next fifty years at
Western CT State University on
October 8, 2010.

I am still fundraising for Save the Chimps and I am hoping that all the chimps will be moved soon to one of the islands. These chimps deserve to be able to run and play on one of the islands. I think it is really cool that they can lay in the grass or sleep under the stars if they want to. If you would like to make a donation please click on the link http://www.firstgiving.com/migrateboy to go to my firstgiving page.

Thanks & Happy New Year!
your chimp friend,
Brandon

LET'S MAKE 2011 THE BEST YEAR FOR THE CHIMPS

ALL GREAT APES!!!

JASON SHANAMAN - ARTIST & SCULPTOR HOSTING FUNDRAISER FOR MAKE A CHIMP SMILE!

2010-11-26T20:40:00.002-05:00

Jason Shanaman who is a sculptor is hosting a fundraiser for Make a Chimp Smile! You can read his bio below and he also has a website sculpture by jason shanaman .

The sculptures for the fundraiser are called "Primal Thinker" and they only cost $40. Jason who loves great apes and has supported other sanctuaries with his art is generous to donate 50% of his proceeds to Make a Chimp Smile. I'm really excited about this and hope that everyone will support this fundraiser. My mom bought me one and I can't wait till it comes in the mail. This would make a really nice present for someone and be supporting chimpanzees too!

Primal Thinker

6 1/4 inches tall

Hydrostone bronze coat edition limited to 75 castings $40

Eco cold cast bronze limited to 35 casts $80

"Jason Shanaman started sculpting in 2002 and mainly focused on frogs and lizards. Around 2005 he started to focus on orangutans and then went on to helping with fundraisers for Dr. Gary Shapiro of Orangutan Republik by donating sculptures and creating new work like magnets to help out and raise awareness. He has since went on to create sculptures of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees as well and has a strong desire to see the end of confinement for chimpanzees used in medical research and is also very supportive of the Great Ape Protection Act. He is currently creating new work of various endangered animals to be cast in environmentally friendly casting materials. His primary focus however will always be the great apes."

THANK YOU JASON FOR MAKING CHIMPS SMILE!

To place your order for Primal Thinker

Just click on the link to Jason's etsy store http://www.etsy.com/listing/61321262/chimpanzee-sculpture-primal-thinker to place your order.

or you can contact Jason Shanaman by email jssculpture@hotmail.com

or through his website sculpture by jason shanaman

Remember these are limited edition so order today for the holidays.

THANK YOU!!!!

I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A NICE THANKSGIVING!

Your Chimp Friend

Brandon

TEDxYouth@TampaBay! November 20, 2010

2010-11-21T18:23:00.004-05:00

TEDx Youth @ Tampa Bay was so much fun. Everyone had something great to say. You can see my interview here.

Here is a slide show that I also made for

TEDxYouth@TampaBay

TEDx slideshow Make a Chimp Smile!

View more presentations from Make A Chimp Smile.

If anyone wants to be part of tedx next year please visit

http://tedxyouthtampabay.com/

CHECK OUT MY NEW VIDEO!

2010-11-05T15:13:00.004-04:00

Hey Everybody,
I am going to be a presenter at the TEDxYouth@TampaBay on November 20th. I made and submitted this video to be played at the event. I hope you guys like it and send it to your friends so they can learn about the Great Ape Protection Act too!

TAKE ACTION LINK https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4665

"I BELIEVE...

We should all speak out for those who can't speak for themselves."

The images and audio of this video are copywritten and do not belong to me.
I was granted permission to use them for this video.

Information & Images
The Humane Society of the United States
http://www.hsus.org/

Chimps Deserve Better Campaign
http://www.chimpsdeservebetter.org/

Musician & Songwriter     Harry Hmura
http://www.harryhmura.com/

Musicians for Apes
http://www.musiciansforapes.com/

Song Title - Haven's Home

Special message to chimps still in medical labs.
I BELIEVE!

I wanted to say thank you to Jennifer & Harry for helping me out with the pictures and music to do this video. Also thank you to everyone who watched and supported the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326, S. 3694). Please share this with your friends on facebook, twitter and email.

Please join my Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117790614931971

Thank you!
Brandon

I REACHED MY FIRST GOAL!!!

2010-11-05T14:38:00.041-04:00

Hi Everybody!

For those that haven't seen yet. We did it!!! Thanks to everyone who supported Make a Chimp Smile we raised $2500 to migrate a chimp. Save the Chimps Sanctuary will be announcing it soon. I will post it too!
I am really happy and everyone was so nice that donated. I couldn't have done it without everyone helping me spread the word.

I started this blog last December to migrate a chimp name Boy to Save the Chimps. He was lucky enough to be migrated before I raised enough money. Now he is able to spend the rest of his life being free on his island. If he wants to he can sleep under the stars. Or he can climb to the top of a platform and lay in the sun. He is getting good food to eat, breathing fresh air and spending time with his family. I can't wait for the new chimp to get there!

Boy at Save the Chimps Sanctuary

Fort Pierce, Florida

I have raised my goal up another $2500 to migrate another chimp. I have lots of ideas on new fundraisers so I will let you know when I post them. I will also put them up on the Make a Chimp Smile facebook group and twitter page.

There are still 60 more chimps that need to be migrated from New Mexico to Florida. I am so happy that Save the Chimps was able to rescue them from The Coulston Foundation. I am hoping more people will learn about what these chimps went through and want to help migrate them to one of the islands at Save the Chimps Sanctuary.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Come back Soon!

your chimp friend,

Brandon

Make A Chimp Smile in Africa Day 5

2010-08-06T12:03:00.001-04:00

AFRICA WEEKS FOR THE ANIMALS

August 2 - 15, 2010

I am having fun working with

Art of Conservation, Inc. in Rwanda

I wanted to show you some pictures of the kids wearing chimpanzee and gorilla masks. Julie from Art of Conservation was nice to send me some. The masks are really cool! The students wear them and put on song and dance performances.

Putting on a show with the gorilla masks

another show wearing chimp masks

I really like these masks and everyone looks like they are having fun! They have other cool masks on their website on the merchandise page. They have orangutans, elephants, lions and more. If you really like one you can buy one! Click on the link!

Julie has posted more art work done by the students on her blog Art for Gorillas. The kids did gorillas with different expressions like happy, sad, angry and sleepy. They are really good. They also did art with tissue paper. I like all the colors. I might do that on my next mask.

I finished my chimp mask and I am working on a new one. It takes a long time to make one because the paper mache takes a long time to dry. It took almost 2 weeks for me to finish this one.

me wearing my chimp mask

guess what kind of great ape mask this will be?

FUNDRAISER

SUPPORTING THE KIDS OF RWANDA

THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS!

First I want to thank everyone who has already donated and supported our fundraiser. I am really excited to send the kids in Rwanda friendship bracelets and write them letters. Please ask your friends to support this cause and send them to http://www.etsy.com/shop/metamorphis2010 so they can get a friendship bracelet too!

MAKE A CHIMP SMILE IN AFRICA

2010-08-02T20:21:00.004-04:00

MAKE A CHIMP SMILE IN AFRICA

August 2-15, 2010

I have been really excited about doing the weeks in Africa with Animal World USA-International. " Animal World USA-International is pleased to announce that the 1st Africa Weeks for the Animals is scheduled for August 2-15, 2010. This time will highlight the importance that African animals play in our world and bring communities together on behalf of the animals and help African organizations to help the animals. " http://animalworldusa.blogspot.com/2010/07/1st-africa-weeks-for-animals-august-2.html

Through Animal World USA I learned about about the organization Art of Conservation, Inc. they are located in Rwanda and they are having an official Africa Week for the Animals event.

They teach kids about having a good environment for people and animals. They have a cool website and blog you should check it out. I really like that the kids get to learn about the gorillas and do things to protect and care for them.

When you click on the link http://www.art-of-conservation.com/ you can see a great video of the kids singing "Saving Gorilla Habitat, One Song at a Time." The kids singing are also dancing with masks. I really liked the masks so I thought I would like to make one for them.

My brother Christian helping me

Here is my finished mask.

Julie Ghrist is the founder of Art of Conservation and she is going to be celebrating Gorilla Art Weeks. She is going to be sharing pictures that the kids have done on her blog. Each day a blog post will have different pictures made by kids in her classes of the endangered mountain gorilla. Monday August 2nd will be the first day.

WE CAN SUPPORT THE KIDS OF RWANDA &

THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS TOO!

I really wanted to do something for Animal World & Art of Conservation. So I started selling friendship bracelets. I have already sold a few.

The friendship bracelets are only $5 and shipping is free. But when you buy one I am going to send you one and also send one to a student in Rwanda. The bracelet will be a gift from you. I thought it would be cool to send them friendship bracelets to show them that we support everything they are doing.

I hope everyone will be a part of this fundraiser because it is for a really good cause. The bracelets will be listed on Etsy on Tuesday the 3rd. The web address is http://www.etsy.com/shop/metamorphis2010.

To learn more about Africa Weeks for the Animals please call 877-454-0807 or visit the website at http://africaanimals.org/ .

WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SUMMER!

2010-07-30T13:51:00.009-04:00

North Dakota

Hey Everybody!

I’m sorry I haven’t written lately but I have been real busy. I had lots of end of the school year projects and then my Dad got to come home from Afghanistan to visit us. We had so much fun! We went to my grandparents in North Dakota and did lots of fun stuff! We also drove to Canada and spent a week and on our drive back to North Dakota we walked through the Peace Gardens. That was really cool!

Christian, Dad, Me & Denver at the Peace Gardens

Making s'mores with Grandma & Christian

Me & Granddaddy

I wanted to thank everyone for all the Birthday Wishes & Birthday Donations that were made to Save the Chimps. I didn’t know that turning 10 was going to be so much fun!!! I really loved the Birthday Party the chimps had for me at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute .
That was the coolest!!! Click on the Birthday Party and go see the pictures. Thank you CHCI!!!

Cool Cake!!!

We blew out the candles! It was Granddaddy's birthday too!

I also want to give special thanks to my Mom & Dad, Grandma & Granddaddy, Theresa, Tamela, Jennifer and Triana for thinking of me on my birthday and for loving the chimps.

MY TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY!

2010-05-03T16:37:00.000-04:00

I had so much fun in New York! I went to a special lunch at the Four Seasons for Save the Chimps and got to speak to everyone about how I got started with the chimps. Everyone I met was really nice there and they do a lot to help the chimps. After the lunch they brought out a really big plate of cotton candy and that was the best!

In this picture is Triana Romero, Irene Crowe, me and the biggest plate of cotton candy!!!

I also got to meet Jon Stryker from the Arcus Foundation. He is really nice and he has done a lot to help chimpanzees. You can go to his website http://www.arcusfoundation.org/ and read about how they support chimpanzees and human rights.

Me and Jon Stryker

When I was in New York I also went to the top of the Empire State Building. You can see everything from up there. So I took lots of pictures. Also I went to this fun place called Mars 2112. It is a restaurant where you take a spaceship to Mars and when you get inside they have aliens walking around and a game room. This was so much fun!

Alien and me at Mars 2112

New York City is a really cool place to visit and I hope I get to go back again real soon!

THINGS I HAVE BEEN DOING! WHAT YOU CAN DO TOO!

2010-03-28T20:21:00.000-04:00

Chimpanzees in labs have never climbed a tree or touched grass.

We need to Change this!

I have been working real hard speaking out for the chimps. I have given out lots of my bookmarks and asked lots of people to contact their congressman and support the Great Ape Protection Act H.R. 1326. You can do this too! It is easy. All you have to do is go to http://www.house.gov/ and put in your zip code to find your representative. Please write them and also visit my online petition at the top of my blog.

Also there are lots of sanctuaries that could use our help. Of course they need money but they also need fleece blankets for nesting, nuts, peanut butter and other things. You can collect donations from friends and family and mail a care package. I did this and it was so much fun!

Go to http://www.savethechimps.org/wish-list.aspx

Here you will get a list of things the chimps like and need.

There are also other sanctuaries that need things for the chimps they are the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW) and the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute. I sent packages to them too!

I am getting ready for Central Florida Earth Day 2010! I am going to have an awareness table where people can see my backboards and learn about chimps in labs and in entertainment. I will also be speaking on a panel so people will know how I got started speaking out for the chimps. I am excited and hope that I will get a lot more people to sign my Great Ape Protection Act letters and also that they can learn about the chimps.

I AM HOPING MORE PEOPLE WILL SPEAK OUT FOR THE GREAT APES!

FRUIT CHIMP GAME

2010-03-15T19:00:00.000-04:00

Fruit Chimp

Online Games

Calling all kids who want to blog for the chimps!

2010-03-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

Chimpanzee Abuse

2010-03-09T19:45:00.000-05:00

This video is sad. The trainer is mean and hurts him. I wonder what he did to Tarzan when he was at home. You can see that Tarzan is scared. It says that Tarzan died soon after this.

Chimpanzee Memory Test

2010-02-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

This is a really good video. You can see how smart chimps are. I tried to remember the numbers and it was really hard. See if you can. I found lots of videos that show how smart chimpanzees really are and they have a really good memory. This chimp is only seven years old.

GREAT NEWS!!!! BOY IS HOME!!!!

2010-01-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ten more Chimps were just migrated to Save the Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce Florida. Boy was one of the first ones on the bus. I am so happy that he is finally home where he can roam free on his island with his family!

Boy is around 40 years old. He has had a hard life. He was captured in Africa when he was just a baby and spent almost his whole life in research labs, where he lived in a small cage. These research labs did terrible things to Boy, where he had to have lots of surgery and lots of tests.

In 2002 Save the Chimps rescued almost 300 chimpanzees from the Coulston Foundation and Boy was one of them. I have never met Boy and I don’t know if I ever will. But that’s ok because I am so happy just to know he is free to be on his island. If I get any pictures of Boy on the island I will post them so you can see!

2010-01-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

I WROTE TO MY CONGRESSMAN!

HERE IS THE LETTER I GOT BACK FROM

CONGRESSMAN BILL POSEY

January 11, 2010

Dear Brandon,

Thank you for contacting my office to express your support for the Great Ape Protection Act. It is good to hear from you.

As you may know, this bill was introduced on March 5, 2009 by Rep. Edolphus Towns (NY-10). This legislation bans invasive research on great apes, as well as prohibits federal funding towards such research. The Great Ape Protection Act also includes provisions prohibiting the transport of apes for the purpose of invasive research and breeding.

Since its introduction, H.R. 1326 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. While I do not sit on this Committee, please be assured I will keep your concerns in mind should this bill be considered on the House floor.

Thank you again, Brandon, for contacting me. It is an honor to serve you in Congress. If I may be of service to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Bill Posey
Member of Congress

UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION AT RESEARCH LAB

2010-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

THIS IS ANOTHER SAD VIDEO!

EVERONE SHOULD SEE THIS AND HELP THE PRIMATES!

I am trying to find out what discoveries have been made from torturing these primates. I have done alot of google searches but haven't found anything. If anyone know what cures or medicines were discovered using Chimps and other primates will you please post them. I think they have suffered enough. Please help stop them from hurting them.

The Cruelty Of Using Great Apes In Entertainment

2010-01-04T18:14:00.000-05:00

Just stuff I have learned!

2010-01-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

You won’t believe what I have discovered about Chimps! Not everything thing I have learn is nice. Most of it is very sad. People are still selling chimpanzees on the internet as pets and to become entertainers. If that isn’t bad enough there are still labs doing testing on Chimps. They keep these Chimps in small cages and do testing on them and abuse them.

I thought after what happened with” Travis the Chimp” that laws would have been made. It was terrible what happen to Charla Nash but it was not Travis’s fault. Chimpanzees are meant to be in the wild. They are very intelligent animals. They are very social and live in family groups and we cannot force them to live like humans.

Did you know that when a baby chimp is taken away from the mother she mourns her whole life? This is happenening in Africa and and in labs.

Did you know when you go to the circus and see a chimp smiling he is not happy but scared? Chimps don’t smile. Their trainer’s beat, shock and abuse them. So when you are watching and laughing at the show. The Chimp is scared that if he doesn’t do what he is told he will be beaten again. When these chimps become 8 or 9 years old they get too big to control. So they end up in labs, people’s backyards, or small zoos. This is a sad and lonely life.

Save the Chimps is the worlds largest Sanctuary for Chimps. They have rescued the Chimps from the Coulston Foundation in New Mexico. This was a terrible lab that mistreated chimps for decades. They infected chimpanzees with human diseases and bred them for medical experiments.

Save the Chimps isn't open to the public but when you think about it that is good. I know when I went to a small zoo last year and kids were throwing food and poking at the monkeys and chimps. It was sad and the parents do it too. This zoo was dirty and the Chimps were in small cages. How would you like to be in a cage with people laughing at you and throwing cookies and popcorn at you? That is scary. I know there are some zoos that do the best they can with what they have but there are small zoos that don't have the room for monkeys or apes. Even though I love animals the gorillas and chimps. I don't think I ever want to go back and see that. Save the Chimps is clean and the chimps get good food to eat. Best of all they can run free on their islands.

MERRY CHIMP-MAS! & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-12-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

For those who missed CNN Christmas morning. The Chimps had a Merry Christmas as you can see here on this video!!!!

http://us.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/12/25/zarrella.chimpanzee.christmas.cnn

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

LETS MAKE 2010 A GREAT YEAR FOR THE CHIMPS!!!

History of Save the Chimps Part 1 & Part 2

2009-12-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

WATCH THESE VIDEOS!!!! YOU CAN LEARN ALOT ABOUT WHERE THE CHIMPS CAME FROM AND SAVE THE CHIMPS!!!!

How to Donate on My Blog!

2009-12-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Hi!
It is me Brandon. I wanted to tell you the ways you can donate through my blog. First I put a firstgiving tab on the right of my page. If you click on that you can make a donation with your credit card. Firstgiving will collect the donations and once a month make a payment by check to Save the Chimps.

If you are my family or close friends and have my address you can mail me a check made out to "Save the Chimps". I will be mailing the checks in as they come. That way your full donation will go to my goal of $2500. Make sure you write down your full name, address and phone number. So you can get a special Thank You Note!

You will be able to watch my progress through my firstgiving page and on my blog.

My goal in starting this was to have Boy migrated. If he is lucky enough to migrate before I can raise enough money. All donations will still be going to Save the Chimps. It is very expensive to care for these chimps so every little bit helps.

Don't forget to Make a Chimp Smile!!!!
Thanks Bye

My Goals!

2009-12-11T18:23:00.001-05:00

At first my goal was to get a chimp as a pet. I started to learn all about chimps. After lots of google searches and reading I found out that chimps are better and happier in the wild. I found the site http://savethechimps.org/and I learned alot. Everyone should go there and look at the pictures and read where the chimps came from.

My new goal is to adopt Elway!!!!!

When you adopt a chimp you are helping Save the Chimps care for the chimps. The money is used for vet care and food and whatever else the chimps need. Also I want to bring Elway's dad Boy to Florida. So they can be together. It cost alot of money. It is $120 to adopt a chimp and $2500 to migrate one. So I started this page to help raise money. I have lots of ideas. First I am going to email my family and friends and see if they can help.

Please donate if you can and send your friends to my page so they can learn about chimps and donate too.

Don't forget to come back and see how much money I have raised!