IVSA Journals - Fall 2015 | Page 24

My second rotation was held at "save the chimps" sanctuary in Florida. A place that can only exist there and in my dreams. The sanctuary is home for about 250 chimps, all harmed by the medical experiment industry, the entertainment industry and private people who held them as pets. I was surprised to discover that in the USA it is legal to have a wild animal as a pet. The Sanctuary is their home. They will never be able to return to nature. No-one is allowed in but the workers, volunteers and donors who financially “adopt” a chimp and are allowed to visit them once in a while. The place isn’t open for entertainment reasons at all. The