Chimps and Maps – A Passion Project

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been mesmerized by maps. And for as long as I can remember, my heart has belonged to great apes. I’ve never considered these two passions to be connected – but now that I’m at Chimp Haven, the world seems right when I think about giving my maps to the chimps.

Maps can be a practical tool or elicit an emotional reaction. They can guide you to a location, keep you on a trail, or fill your imagination with treks you’d like to take someday. For me, they’re a journal of where I’ve been and where I want to go. They hold memories and foster aspirations. Recently, I sifted through a box of maps I’ve stashed away over the years and got to reminisce about big trips, small treks, family milestones, and adventures with friends. As I sifted through them, I didn’t expect to start daydreaming about the chimps who reside at Chimp Haven.

I started imagining Emma looking at a map the way she looks at picture books. I thought about Al taking a “map treat” the way he takes “magazine treats.” I looked at a small trail map and thought, “Wotoni might carry that in her hip crease.” I imagined Natalie clapping for another map after she got her first one. Would Bart take his map to the top of the pole to enjoy in solitude? And, of course, I imagined Una waiting patiently for all the higher-ranking chimps to get their map treat before it was finally her turn. Would she treasure it the way I do? I hope so.

Distributing maps to our entire colony of chimpanzees is a passion project for me. Each map will be carefully smeared with peanut butter, honey, or some other chimp-approved treat. Each “map treat” will symbolize the unique story of each chimpanzee – a personal map that charts their journey and leads them to Chimp Haven, their final destination and their forever home. While the maps will ultimately be destroyed by the chimps, the joy they bring is better than any intact map sitting in a box.

Adrienne Eyer

Behavior Technician