In brief
Eli and Susie, two chimpanzees with Hollywood backgrounds, are undergoing rehabilitation at Lincoln Park Zoo, where they are taught to adjust to life among their peers and unlearn human behaviors.
On a rainy morning at the Lincoln Park Zoo, the mood was lively among the visitors, with children excitedly hooting and hollering as they observed the resident chimpanzees. The animals, however, remained undisturbed, foraging for leaves and languishing in hammocks, seemingly oblivious to the commotion. Yet behind the scenes, a different situation unfolded for a pair of former Hollywood stars. Eli and Susie, who made their names in the entertainment industry, have spent much of their lives in captivity and have yet to acclimate smoothly to their new environment. As they noticed two unfamiliar visitors, the chimps rushed toward the edge of their enclosure. Eli, a gentle young adult, approached nervously, while Susie, a spirited female, became distressed upon seeing a camera. “Eli and Susie lived in the spotlight for far too long,” said Jill Moyse, the curator of primates. Their Hollywood careers—encompassing TV shows, music videos, and commercials—deprived them of the opportunity to form bonds with their fellow chimpanzees and to develop natural behaviors. The absence of legal protections for captive chimpanzees until recently has contributed to the prevalence of their exploitation in entertainment. Until the Endangered Species Act was amended in 2015, these intelligent and social creatures were not afforded the same protections as their wild counterparts. The consequences of this trend are illustrated in the recent HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy,” which reveals the grim conditions faced by some of these animals, often relegated to small cages and treated as mere performers.Specialists at Lincoln Park Zoo are undertaking the serious task of aiding Eli and Susie in their rehabilitation, working to help them shed the human-centric behaviors they learned during their prior lives. “Chimp Crazy” highlights the urgent need for reform and raises awareness about the danger and cruelty associated with the pet primate trade. As Kate Dylewsky, the assistant director at the Animal Welfare Institute, pointed out, there is a moral obligation to provide a better existence for these creatures. “We need to advocate for a national ban on the private ownership of nonhuman primates,” she asserted. Through ongoing rehabilitation efforts, Eli and Susie hope to find companionship with their peers, forging a path toward a more natural existence—the life of an undomesticated chimpanzee.
