Kindred Beings: What Seventy-Three Chimpanzees Taught Me About Life, Love, and Connection
By Sheri Speede
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Enter a world of tender friendships, staunch loyalties, violent jealousies—and enduring love.
As a child, Sheri Speede knew that she wanted to advocate for animals in any way she could. But it was not until many years after veterinary school, when she was transporting a chimpanzee named Pierre away from a biomedical facility as part of her job as a conservation advocate in Cameroon, that Dr. Speede discovered her true calling. She began to search for land for a forest sanctuary for captive chimpanzees that were held on chains and in small cages at local hotels.
Dr. Speede eventually founded the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center, a forested home for orphans of the illegal ape meat trade. One chim- panzee, Dorothy, was rescued by Dr. Speede and her colleagues from a bleak existence imprisoned on a chain and forged a deep friendship with her. Dr. Speede explains how chimpanzees, like humans, are capable of a broad spectrum of emotional behaviors—both hateful and loving. Dr. Speede also candidly reveals her own struggles as a stranger in a foreign culture trying to adjust to rural African village life. And she admits that unlike Dorothy, she was not always kind, gentle, and forgiving.
Dorothy died of old age at the sanctuary, and a photograph of Dorothy's funeral, in which Dr. Speede cradled Dorothy's head while her family of chimpanzees mournfully viewed her body, went viral after being published in National Geographic. The world was surprised at the depth of the chimps' grief at the loss of their friend, but Dr. Speede was not. Through the chimps, she had come to understand the meaning of love, loyalty, and true connection.
While this is a compelling story about the emotional complexity of the chimpanzees she rescued and befriended, it is also Dr. Speede's story. Major events in her personal life, including love affairs, dangerous run-ins with criminals, and the birth of her daughter, unfold as the development of her primate rescue center runs parallel to her own development. Ultimately, Kindred Beings is a story of profound resilience, of both the apes and the woman who loved them.
Related to Kindred Beings
Related ebooks
In the Company of Animals: Stories of Extraordinary Encounters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCommunicating with Orcas: The Whales' Perspective Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Badger Behaviour, Conservation & Rehabilitation: 70 Years of Getting to Know Badgers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ghosts of Gombe: A True Story of Love and Death in an African Wilderness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsManipulative Monkeys: The Capuchins of Lomas Barbudal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The New Chimpanzee: A Twenty-First-Century Portrait of Our Closest Kin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Orca Scientists Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shark That Walks On Land: and Other Strange But True Tales of Mysterious Sea Creatures Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great White Bear: A Natural & Unnatural History of the Polar Bear Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEndangered Orcas: The Story of the Southern Residents Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Just Like Us: A Veterinarian’s Visual Memoir of Our Vanishing Great Ape Relatives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A True Story of Resilience and Recovery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spirits of the Coast: Orcas in Science, Art and History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Whale's World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlmost Human: The Story of Julius, the Chimpanzee Caught between Two Worlds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Do Animals Think and Feel? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Elephants to Mice: Animals Who Have Touched My Soul Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Storytelling Apes: Primatology Narratives Past and Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica's Neighborhood Bats: Understanding and Learning to Live in Harmony with Them Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Archaeological Oceanography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crazy Critter Lady Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Whale: The True Story of an Orca Named Luna Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSmokey Bear: The Cub Who Left His Pawprints on History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Volcano Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Puget Sound Orca in Captivity: The Fight To Bring Lolita Home Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking Space for the Dead: Catacombs, Cemeteries, and the Reimagining of Paris, 1780–1830 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRescue Dog Tales: The Story of Arthur and Sixteen Dogs Who Found Forever Homes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOf Orcas and Men: What Killer Whales Can Teach Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Kindred Beings
6 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The author established a sanctuary for chimpanzees who had been kept in captivity, and for orphans. An interesting story, but written in a fairly flat and undramatic style that leaves one with a lot of questions about the personalities, motivations, and emotions of the people involved. Basically, the author seems to like chimps better than people, and even gets a bit defensive about justifying her time away from the chimps to give her daughter a marginally more normal life. Some historical information and perspective about other chimpanzee rescue operations, if any, and others who have studied chimps in the wild, would have been interesting.