Tales of Pasa
Written by Maria Witz
This Story’s Author
Life tends to present us with moments that change the path we are on and/or our perceptions. I had been at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary for just one day and was so enjoying all I was learning in just 24 hours and the many inspirational stories I was hearing from staff. One such story was shared by Stanley who has worked for over twenty years with the sanctuary. Stanley started in the position of Cook but one day his career took a slight pivot because of his breakfast encounter with Pasa. Pasa is a 26-year-old female chimpanzee who came to Ngamba Island at just 6 months of age, after being rescued from being illegally captured and traded. And yes, she was named after the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance.
So the story goes, Stanley was in the kitchen one morning when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, to his surprise there was not a human looking for coffee, but rather, Pasa! Pasa proceeded to give Stanley a morning hug then, not being a coffee drinker, grabbed some bananas and made her way out of the kitchen. It should be noted that Pasa was supposed to be in her designated chimp area but this young lady strategically found a way to do some morning visiting.
The very cool part of this story that just hit my heart was that Stanley decided in that moment he wanted to work closer to the chimps and be a Caretaker. That one moment of human – chimp connection lit a spark. Stanley, after many years as a Cook, has now been working as a Chimpanzee Caretaker for about 14 years.
After hearing this story, I was watching Pasa a little closer. The next day I was helping the team distribute some porridge, leaves and straw bundles to the chimps as they were turning in for the night. After all the other chimps hopped in their hammocks for a good night’s sleep, Pasa stayed at the bars clapping her hand and foot together with a very obvious look of ‘give me something’. She also held out her hand which was another clue she wanted something 😉. We did sneak her a small piece of carrot thinking she simply wanted a little extra snack, but even though she thoroughly enjoyed the carrot, that apparently was not what she wanted from us. She continued her hand/foot clapping and her look of insistence became stronger by the minute. Five minutes passed, ten minutes passed, 15 minutes passed, so it was obvious she was not backing down. I so wished we had some means to better communicate. Finally, I suspected she may want some straw since not every chimp received a bunch. When I handed her one, she happily accepted and in less than a minute had ran to the back of the room where she quickly jumped in one of the last available hammocks and made her comfy bed for the evening. In today’s world where there are so many challenges to female empowerment and equity, no matter your species, I just thought – you go girl – you knew what you wanted and you stayed strong until you got it –
If you would like to support Pasa or any Chimp at Ngamba Island, consider an adoption through Friends of Chimps!
