【推荐2】For four months, puppy Indiana miraculously survived in the woods with a shattered shoulder. She was taken for a wolf and shot while running wild with her mother, Dakota. As a result of the gunshot, Indiana lost not only her leg but also her mother, as the two were sent to different adoption groups. While Indiana was learning to walk on three legs down south, Dakota was 1,000 miles north in New England.

Dakota found her forever home with me on Long Island. I have experience with Nordic breeds, and Dakota, a husky-malamute mix, just needed attention and someone who understood how to approach her. When I first read Dakota’s Petfinder bio, it mentioned that the puppy she’d been running with was shot, and, I assumed, killed. I’m a broadcast news journalist, so I did some research and came across a story from a South Carolina TV news outlet about a puppy that recently had her front leg cut off because of an old gunshot wound. There was no mistaking it—she was a spitting image of Dakota. Her puppy wasn’t killed by the gunshot, just badly injured. I vowed to bring the three-legged puppy home. As I learned throughout my journey to reunite mother and pup, they both needed each other. Back home, Dakota would let out these downright mournful howls on the deck, as if she was calling for her puppy to come back. And potential adopters for Indiana were required to have a six-foot fence because she kept jumping the one at her rescue in South Carolina.

When I finally adopted Indiana, the reunion was magical. Dakota was ecstatic. She couldn’t stop licking her puppy’s face. The love between them is as heartwarming as their story is heartbreaking. Dakota has since stopped her mournful howls. Indiana has never tried to jump my fence. These once-feral dogs now jump onto my bed, lie on the sofa with me, curl up in my lap, and lick me constantly. In spite of their having lived in the wild, the dogs have no aggression whatsoever. I am constantly amazed by how sweet and gentle they are.

【推荐3】One of the greatest challenges in caring for such intelligent animals as chimpanzees (猩猩) is providing them with enriching experiences. Every day, the chimpanzees at Project Chimps receive morning and evening food-based enrichment devices, but caregivers are always looking for more ways to keep the chimps mentally engaged. With 79 chimpanzees, each with their distinctive personality, care staff often find that different chimps react differently to new enrichment.

Last year, we began inviting musicians to perform for chimps to see what they may respond. A violin performance received quite the response. Additional musicians were lined up to visit but the coronavirus has stopped the activities, which we hope to resume in the near future.

This past week, we brought an electric piano for the chimps to investigate. Some chimps, like twins Buttercup and Clarisse, were immediately interested and could not wait to tap out a few notes. Others, like Emma, were more interested in trying to take it apart.

29-year-old Precious has very little tolerance for the piano. She sat off to the side for a few minutes, but eventually she decided that was enough. She called an end to the enrichment session by throwing a handful of waste at the piano. Receiving her message loud and clear, we removed the piano.

We could never have guessed how 33-year-old Luke would react to it. As with many retired lab chimpanzees, Luke has some anxiety issues. He seems particularly distrustful of anything new, including people, food, and enrichment. But when we presented the chimps with the piano, Luke was the first to investigate. We could not believe our eyes—this usually anxious chimpanzee bravely chose to explore something new!

To us at Project Chimps, this is what it is all about: giving chimpanzees the freedom to choose. We are honored to be part of their journey.