Comments on: Primarily Primates Seized

By: PAPA

PAPA — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 02:07:42 +0000

Hello everyone. Here is a little update on PPI. Things are looking real good. Although a few of the animals have been relocated most are still at PPI. Conditions are improving each day. Fresh produce and enreachments start the day. Hay for bedding and blankets are changed regularly. The whole area is being cleaned. A Vet is on the property daily. Thanks to so many good people the entire compound is starting to look like a place for these wonderful creatures to live out their lives in comfort. There is still a lot of work to do but its looking up. Please visit the PPI web site and help in any way you can. I will try do keep you informed on whats going on. There is a lot of legal stuff and “He said/She said” stuff going on but I will NOT go into any of that. Ill just let you know how the creatures at PPI are doing and whats being done for them. If you have any questions please ask them. Ill do my best to answer them all. I am not involved with PPI or any of the other parties involved.

By: eleanore

eleanore — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:06:36 +0000

A friend of mine, a primatologist and primary chimp caretaker, is on her way to the hell hole that is now Primarily Primates. What is being said about the place, all negative, is true and those who were in charge of the animals prior to it’s being seized should all be hung, drawn and quartered. Apparently the OSU chimps have a happier ending at this point than the other hundreds still housed there. We can only hope that there will be room soon at other sanctuaries to take them in so that they can live out their lives in the comfort and health and dignity they deserve – or that PP can at the least be maintained with volunteer help until better solutions can be found.

The volunteers there now are angels.

By: lenny

lenny — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:22:55 +0000

Just seen a show on national geo called is it real. Oliver and his rescuer wallace swett were on and it looked like they were trying to get a dna sample of oliver to possibly link him to man as a lower human species.

My observation after the dna conclusively determined oliver as a chimp brought swetts hope for fame and further lucrative funding to the ground.

By: Judy Green

Judy Green — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:24:46 +0000

How sad, not only for Oliver, but for all of the other animals and people involved. It was such good news when a good home was found for him after all he had been through and now, this!

By: Ohio Cryptonut

Ohio Cryptonut — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 20:15:46 +0000

I now live in the general area of The Ohio State University. Some of these primates came from a facility here in Columbus. The local media has covered this pretty well. The saddest fact of all, is that the keeper of these animals here warned everyone about this MONTHS before these primates were transferred. No one listened to her and officials from the university treated her like she was one of these animal hording “crazy cat ladies.” What a shame, best football team in the country and that’s seems like all OSU cares about.

By: YourPTR!

YourPTR! — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:58:57 +0000

youcantryreachingme – No that’s not what I was thinking about. I can’t remember hearing about gorilla sized chimpanzees?! But maybe that is what it was after all.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:42:15 +0000

Animal rescue is a noble cause, but it is frighteningly easy to get in over your head and be overwhelmed when doing rescue work. Lack of funding, lack of reliable help, lack of space, and most of all, lack of TIME are some of the factors that can lead to a situation like this.

Anyone who has done animal rescue work for awhile comes to realize that it is way too easy to say “there is always room for one more”, and then realize that there ISN’T room. It is so hard to turn them away, even when you know you should. And lots of people will take advantage of a rescuer’s love of animals and just dump them on you.

I have been involved in rescue work all my life, and I have faced overwhelming situations at times. I learned the hard way that after the animal is dropped off, the previous owner thinks that their responsibility is finished. Yet that animal has to be housed, fed, and cared for for the rest of its life.

I rescue (primarily) German shepherds, cats, and reptiles. I take in very few these days because of space and time limitations. I am usually able to place the animals that I rescue into good homes, often after incurring considerable expense in care and medical treatment, not to mention the time and effort it takes to train and socialize them.

But that is not an option with rescued primates. They need a retirement home rather than a rescue-and-place facility. And many primates, especially apes, have a very long lifespan compared to other animals, so they need long-term care. Imagine the expense of maintaining such a facility!

They say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but I hesitate to condemn Mr. Swett out of hand. That is, unless he deliberately misused funds and allowed the animals to suffer.

Of course, regardless of Mr. Swett’s intentions, the situation is intolerable and must be corrected immediately. Hopefully the animals will never have to endure a situation like this again.

I wonder if a foundation will be set up to accept donations and/or allow people to sponsor individual animals?

By: youcantryreachingme

youcantryreachingme — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 03:25:40 +0000

YourPTR! – are you thinking about the gorilla-sized chimpanzees found in the Congo?

By: Ceroill

Ceroill — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:23:27 +0000

Matt, I got that impression of him too, in an interview or two he gave in shows that talked about Oliver.

By: MattBille

MattBille — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:51:19 +0000

I corresponded for a while with Wallace Swett, the owner at PP, and once published a request for donations in my newsletter Exotic Zoology to accompany a story on Oliver. My impression was that he was a sincere guy who cared about the apes but was being overwhelmed by the challenge he had taken on.

Matt Bille