let the season begin (insert accordian solo here).

My morning run & Belle and Sebastian's I'm a Cuckoo were interrupted by a brief phone call from one of my favorite girlfriends, who I call Mama Fox (she some-of-the-times refers to me as the Runaway Bunny & other times Peter Pan). I used the opportunity to stretch and cool down when a box labeled POETRY hanging from a wrought iron gate caught my eye. I peeked inside as I confirmed plans on the phone & pulled out an atomic green sheet of paper w/ not one but TWO poems (!!) printed in black. While saying goodbye to the other end of the line I folded up the pen-to-paper tangos, and then bolted down E Aloha (imagining that I was not running, but rather swinging through lush canopy formed by the trees on either side of the street-- these are the thoughts that keep my feet moving when I am tired from the previous mileage).

The last stanza of the second poem (both written by a man called Gary Snyder), read:

I pledge allegience to the soil 
of Turtle Island
and to the beings who thereon dwell
one ecosystem
in diversity
under the sun
With joyful interpenetration for all.

The first two lines of the piece, entitled For All, are "Ah to be alive/ on a mid-September morn". The sentiment is so relevant-- one I felt as my lungs filled with crisp almost-autumn air and then again with ev'ry exhalation... and one I felt yesterday while I visited Towan & he came over to the glass to show me his chalk drawing. My heart beats a little quicker when I share a moment like this with him. Mostly because he makes me feel like I'm not the only ape that is excited to share little bits of beauty w/ people nearby. That feeling of sameness is one of the more reassuring I've ever felt. I suppose I owe Mr. T and Gary Snyder a v.v. big Thank You! for providing reminders of why this mid-September is an especially lovely time to be living here in the now. 


The last day that I felt compelled to write, it was because of a person I met who invites adventure into his life, who sees magic in the tiniest places. When we are together strangers approach us for conversation & he is always ready to engage a new face in the Latest&Greatest. He is willing to allow a ten minute walk to take an hour, because he understands that sometimes one must stop and absorb ev'ry detail of this bustling world (& that takes time, takes patience). He doesn't mind that when I see a dead bumblebee on the sidewalk I have to pick it up and place it in a garden to rest in peace; he doesn't mind that when I see a piece of neat graffiti that I am compelled to photograph it and ponder the source; and most of all, he doesn't mind that inevitably at some point during our daily excursions I mention that I wish Towan could see ALL the things I see because I know with all my heart he'd feel so inspired and just as in awe of how strangely golden the world is (and his reactions would no doubt fuel his art).



Interpenetration is a word I had not known before reading it in Snyder's poem, but it is now one of my favorites. To wish for those around you to experience the visceral joy of being one with their environment and to take the time to be a part of whatever surrounds them is laudable. I have nothing but respect for the people & creatures who facilitate and encourage that experience. Towan lives at the zoo, which means he is limited to what shows up at his door-step, but! he never seems to miss a chance to investigate a novel garment or an interesting visage.

Perhaps, it is his ability to appreciate the little things that allows him to deal with annoyances so stoically. After showing me his art, he settled down to work on it some more. Bela followed him and made a grab for one of his two pieces of chalk. While her second attempt was successful, Towan did not seem to acknowledge her trespass. His tolerance is admirable, but then again he has so many traits that I admire and try to cultivate in my own self-- he is a Bodhisattva if there ever was one. 

--Emma (coffee with Towan)

one ape in particular

This is Towan (the same Towan mentioned in Sean's orangunookie post). At 43 he is entering old age for an orangutan, but he's more than achy joints and wrinkles-- he is an ambassador to his wild cousins in Borneo and Sumatra, allowing us city-folk a small glimpse into the ways of the arboreal ape.

Back in December I started a blog called Coffee with Towan so that I could share thoughts/observations & photos of Mr T and his family. Once in a while I throw in a set of gorilla or jaguar shots, but the orangs are my focus.

Towan, Chinta, Melati, Bela, and Heran each have incredibly varied personalities, yet all share enviable zen-like qualities. After having had the chance to observe them consistently for the past eight months, I can confidently say that no matter a person's gender, age, creed, music preference or hair color we can all learn something about ourselves from this awesome species. Here are some shots from a recent visit with Towan.

Conflicted about zoo apes

I think a lot of people are like me, kind of conflicted about zoos. I love to learn about new animals, and visit old animal friends. Of course, we all love to see a baby animal… chimp, orangutan, gorilla, they are all wonderful. On the other hand, there’s the issue of captivity.

I recently wrote a blog post about respecting all animals, and I suggested that maybe zoos needed to reexamine their breeding policies:

“Zoos today are much better at keeping their chimpanzees for their full 30 or 40 or 50 years on this earth, but – and here I’ll probably tick off my zoo friends – I am conflicted. Most accredited zoos try to give chimps enrichment to fight boredom and to stimulate healthy behaviors, but it still seems insufficient to me. I wish zoos would stop reproduction in captive chimp populations. I love seeing a cute baby chimp as much as the next person, but I’m not sure we should have the right to breed them just to subject them to cement, cages, and human dominance for ‘exhibition’ purposes for their entire life.”

Not long after I wrote that, a chimp expert challenged my long-held beliefs. I usually HATE to admit when I'm wrong, but this one is easy. I was wrong.

Steve Ross chairs the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) “species survival plan” (SSP) for chimpanzees, and I was impressed by what he told me about improvements in zoo standards for the care of chimpanzees. I was especially delighted to hear that accredited zoos are taking an active role in providing new homes for “retired” show chimps.

“We have kept the birth rate purposefully low, as we have been making a concerted effort to open up space for chimps from the entertainment and pet industry,” Ross told me. “Working with Project ChimpCARE, we have brought 17 ex-pet and ex-actor chimps into the population in the past five years or so, including 14 ex-actors from a movie trainer’s facility last year.”

Fantastic! Read more from Steve at my blog post, Chimp expert challenges my long-held beliefs.

Lovely Lucy, at Smithsonian National Zoo,
has long held my heart.

Now, the next question… How are zoos caring for their orangutans? In my three years as a volunteer with a zoo primate program, I often heard visitors lament the perceived sadness of the quiet orangutans. Lori Perkins, the chair of the AZA SSP for orangutans, has promised to tell us what accredited zoos are doing to make sure our lovely red apes have a fair shake in life. Maybe Lori can help resolve the conflicted feelings of zoo visitors - like me - who have had the privilege of looking into an orangutan's eyes…

- Dawn
A Chimp Trainer's Daughter