I TOLD YOU I WOULD BE BACK!

Since many of you have written that you do not use facebook I will try and go back to the occasional blog post. I can’t believe it’s been two years since I last posted. My brother Denver gave my blog a new look today and I think it looks much better. What do you think?

So much has happened I don’t know where to start!

FUNDRAISING WITH MY FELTED SOAPS

I have been having a lot of fun making Felted Palm Oil Free Soapbars and donating proceeds to different Great Ape Organizations. I get the wool from a sheep sanctuary in Wisconsin. The sheep there are all rescues. They are only clipped and they are never sold, bred, or eaten. So when you buy one of my “Felted Soapbars” you are helping the sheep and the Great Apes!

Naked “Palm Oil Free” Soaps by Utopia Soapbar

Felted Soapbars by ME

PALM OIL AWARENESS

I have been trying to raise awareness about the threat to orangutans due to the of palm oil plantations. Orangutans are dying and their habitat is almost gone. These palm oil plantations have affected our whole Eco system. REMEMBER when you are shopping to always check the labels for palm oil. Palm oil is in everything food, candy, and many household products. To learn more about deforestation, palm oil, other names for palm oil, and its effects check out this website Deforestation Education.

SURPRISE!

To my friends from VegFest that knew how much I wanted to bring home a Bully, it finally happened. I have a pitbull named Molly and she is the coolest!

MOLLY

ANDREW WESTOLL-The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary

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

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



 

 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 (:(|)