• a DRC Chimp Sanctuary Recovers from Arson • the Immuno Lawsuit
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News ISSN-1040-3027, Vol. 41, No. 1 April 2014 INSIDE: • A DRC chimp sanctuary recovers from arson • The Immuno lawsuit revisited • Twin ice storms strike IPPL A Note from Shirley IPPL: Who We Are IPPL is an international grassroots wildlife protection organization. It was IRXQGHGLQE\'U6KLUOH\0F*UHDO Dear IPPL Friend, Our mission is to promote the conservation and protection of all nonhuman primates, Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who is helping us with the great and small. costs of recovery from Winter Storm Pax (an odd name for a storm that caused IPPL has been operating a sanctuary havoc, not peace). Visiting IPPL’s land as we checked out our damages, I realized LQ6XPPHUYLOOH6RXWK&DUROLQDVLQFH how far we have come since moving to Summerville in 1977. We moved to a house 7KHUHJLEERQV WKHVPDOOHVWRI on just 2.7 acres of land, along with four founding gibbons. the apes) live in happy retirement. Soon we learned of lab gibbons in need of care and decided to acquire extra land. IPPL also helps support a number of ,QDQHLJKERUZKRRZQHGD¿YHDFUH¿HOGPRYHGWR1RUWK&DUROLQD0DQ\ other wildlife groups and primate rescue coveted his land, and my dear friend, the late Kit Woodcock, persuaded him to sell centers in countries where monkeys and it to IPPL. apes are native. In 2004, the people owning 12 acres behind Igor’s house began building a IPPL NewsLVSXEOLVKHGWKULFH\HDUO\ development that would hold 12 houses. Luckily, they abandoned the project, and a wonderful member from Louisiana stunned us when she donated the funds to enable us to purchase the land, which was directly behind her favorite gibbon, Igor. About the Cover Then the family living at the top of the road was stunned when the husband was $FRQWHQWHGFKLPSDQ]HHPXQFKHVDQDSSOH NLOOHGÀ\LQJDVPDOOSODQH+LVZLIHGHFLGHGVKHGLGQ¶WZDQWWKHFRVWVRIPDLQWDLQLQJ DWWKH-$&.&KLPSDQ]HH6DQFWXDU\ WKHODUJHKRXVHDQG¿YHDFUHVRIODQG:HFRXOGQ¶WDIIRUGLWEXWOXFNZDVZLWKXV$ LQWKH'HPRFUDWLF5HSXEOLFRI&RQJR foundation gave us a grant, and it covered the entire cost almost to the penny. We -$&. -HXQHV$QLPDX[&RQ¿VTXpVDX acquired this land in 2005. Katanga) was attacked by an arsonist last 0HDQZKLOHRXUJLEERQIDPLO\KDGEHHQH[SDQGLQJDQGZHNHSWRQORRNLQJIRU September. Thanks to IPPL’s generous PRUHODQG)LUVWLQFDPH¿YHDFUHVZLWKDFRWWDJHRQLW7KHQLQVL[ supporters, we were able to help them more acres going right up to the road on the front of the property and into the woods rebuild—and give them courage to carry directly behind, were added to IPPL’s property. on (see page 12). 1RZLW¶VDQG,33/RZQVDFUHVPXFKRILWZRRGHGDQGSURYLGLQJ VDQFWXDU\WRGHHUELUGVDQGPDQ\VPDOOPDPPDOV$QGLWLVKHUHWKDWZHFDUHIRU ZRQGHUIXOJLEERQV Best wishes, IPPL News EXECUTIVE EDITOR 6KLUOH\0F*UHDO 6KLUOH\0F*UHDO MANAGING EDITOR IPPL Founder and Executive Director Sharon Strong In This Issue: ªAction Item! Page IPPL sanctuary’s wintertime blues 3 Painting for Primates fundraiser 7 The Immuno lawsuit revisited 8 Immuno’s long shadow 10 7KDQNVIURPD'5&FKLPSVDQFWXDU\ 12 Cedar, a Barbary macaque for kids 14 $QXSGDWHRQ&$5(¶VEDERRQV 15 ª Indonesian monkey poacher 17 An IPPL member recently did a )DUHZHOO*H]D7HOHNL 19 flyover above IPPL’s sanctuary. *RRGE\HWR&\ULO5RVHQ 19 IPPL ews 2 N | April 2014 www.ippl.org The winter storm ice that looked so pretty in January (above) had devastating consequences when it returned in February (below and left). IPPL’s Wintertime Blues Sharon Strong, IPPL Program Coordinator They say lightning never strikes in the &KDUOHVWRQZHUHFORVHGOHDGLQJWR no snow (to the disappointment of many same place twice, but something similar transportation headaches across several local children), but pellets of sleet bounced DFWXDOO\KDSSHQHGDW,33/¶V+HDGTXDUWHUV counties. Our governor declared a state around and accumulated on roadways. Sanctuary this winter. of emergency. Travel was treacherous, but the ice Two times within as many weeks, 7ZRRIRXUFDUHJLYHUV+DUG\DQG actually looked rather pretty as it bowed severe ice storms struck parts of the Samantha, spent the night before on the down clumps of bamboo, encased the buds southern U.S., and the IPPL sanctuary sanctuary grounds, doing walkabouts and bare branches of our shrubs, and left was in the path of both of them. The throughout the wee hours to check for IULQJHVRILFLFOHVDORQJURRÀLQHV7KHQH[W PHWHRURORJLFDORQHWZRSXQFKOHIWXV downed limbs or other problems as GD\WKHVWDIIKDQGHGRXWOLWWOH¿YHLQFK reeling. the storm approached. Fortunately, the icicles to some of the gibbons. Elizabeth, The first storm came our way on electricity stayed on despite the sleet and $KLPVD7RQJDQG0D\QDUGORYHGOLFNLQJ January 29, part of the same system that freezing temperatures. WKHLUV*XVELWLQWRKLVOLNHDFDUURW wreaked havoc all over the Southeast, $W¿UVWZHWKRXJKWZHZHUHOXFN\ZKHQ $VLWKDSSHQHGKRZHYHUWKLVVWRUP as far away as Texas, Virginia, and we managed to get through the next day’s was to have repercussions we never Florida. Bridges around nearby ordeal without loss of power. There was imagined. IPPL ews www.ippl.org N | April 2014 3 The town of Summerville is also they were simply in for another cold and her. She radioed her fellow staff members known as “Flowertown in the Pines” for nasty day and might just have to go home WRLQIRUPWKHPRIKHUQHDUGHPLVHWKH\ its fragrant stands of loblolly pine trees. early. But it gradually dawned on them thought she was just being melodramatic. We have many of them on the sanctuary that things were going to get much worse. Then branches started raining down, property. They can reach heights of 100 feet That first storm, it turned out, had KDUGRQRXU$QLPDO&DUH&RWWDJHWKH or more. Their branches characteristically weakened numerous tree limbs around main building where we do food prep cluster toward the top of the trunk—until Summerville and beyond. The second for the animals and emergency vet care. (we discovered) they shear off from the onslaught of icy weather sent huge pine That’s when our caregivers went into weight of accumulated ice. boughs—some weighing hundreds of overdrive, quickly got the animals fed On February 12, only two days before pounds—crashing down from heights of breakfast, and started battening down Valentine’s Day, we were struck once over 50 feet. the hatches. They also corralled our six again by an unusual winter storm, this 2XUDQLPDOFDUHJLYHU6DPDQWKD0DUWLQ $VLDQVKRUWFODZHGRWWHUVDQGEURXJKW one ironically named “Pax” (Latin for ZDVWKH¿UVWWRVXVSHFWWKDWZHPLJKWEHLQ them indoors. Our caregivers worked as ³SHDFH´ &LWLHVDQGWRZQVDORQJWKH(DVW IRUDWRXJKWLPHRILW$WDERXWLQWKH a team, spotting each other and scanning &RDVWIURP*HRUJLDXSWR0DU\ODQGDQG PRUQLQJVKHZDVKHDGHGWRZDUG*LEERQ the treetops for imminent branch falls. beyond were covered in snow and ice. +RXVHZKHQWZRVHFRQGVDIWHUKHDULQJ 7KH\KDGWRIRUPXFKRIWKHGD\ 7KRXVDQGVRIÀLJKWVZHUHFDQFHOOHG DORXG&UDFNDIRRWEUDQFKIHOOWRWKH Wednesday, nearly every 10 seconds Initially our animal caregivers thought JURXQGODQGLQJDERXW¿YHIHHWEHKLQG DQHQRUPRXV6QDSIURPDIDOOLQJOLPE The first winter storm bowed down our bamboo and covered our trees and shrubs in ice (background). Two weeks later, a second storm sent weakened pine boughs crashing to the ground, battering a variety of structures (clockwise from top left): fences, our trusty pickup, gibbon enclosures and runs, gibbon houses and other buildings, and the otter ponds. IPPL ews 4 N | April 2014 www.ippl.org somewhere on the property sent our moments, the three other animal care already been fueled, prepped, and animal caregivers scrambling in the staff members started sprinting toward stationed in readiness for the previous cold and freezing rain to make sure that WKH$QLPDO&DUH&RWWDJHZKHUHVKH¶G weather event. no animals had been harmed. The area last been seen. They politely asked her, But with a generator, you can’t EHWZHHQWKH$QLPDO&DUH&RWWDJHDQG once they realized she was safe, to please just “set it and forget it.” You have to WKHRI¿FHEHFDPHDQRI¿FLDO1R*R=RQH UHVSRQGDOLWWOHPRUHSURPSWO\ make sure the equipment hasn’t run from all the debris. %XWWKHPRVWGUDPDWLFQHDUPLVV out of fuel, tripped a breaker, or run Even worse, some branches, where FDPHZKHQ-RKQ0F*UHDOVWHSSHGRXW into some other difficulty. Our animal they sheared off the tree trunks, had RIRXUWUXVW\)RUG5DQJHUSLFNXS caregivers took it in turns to monitor pointed ends that would pierce the roofs to remove a fallen tree limb that was the generators day and night to make of various structures like enormous blocking the path. Within seconds, a VXUHDOOWKH*LEERQ+RXVHVZHUH MDYHOLQV3DOX3DOXDQG-DGH¶VKRXVH large branch came crashing down and comfortable and secure. Our caregiver was especially pummeled (although, FUXVKHGWKHUHFHQWO\YDFDWHGFDE-RKQ Brandon Spivy pulled the unenviable thankfully, none of the branches made it amazingly, had escaped unscathed, but graveyard shift Wednesday evening/ LQWRWKHLUUHLQIRUFHGLQWHULRUHQFORVXUH the truck was a total loss. 7KXUVGD\PRUQLQJ$URXQG$0 we counted six holes in their roof from $WDERXW$0WKHIUHH]LQJ KHVHQWRXWDUHDVVXULQJ)DFHERRNSRVW wayward branches. rain started up in earnest and the power “I can report that all of the gibbons, $V6DPDQWKDVDLG³,WZDVOLNHDZDU went out. The storm left the sanctuary otters and dogs are currently warm zone.” ZLWKRXWHOHFWULFLW\IRUVRPHKRXUV DQGZHOO´ Once, our senior animal caregiver Fortunately, we had about half a dozen $OOGD\7KXUVGD\DVFOHDQXSHIIRUWV 0HJ0F&XH-RQHVZDVVORZWRDQVZHUD gas and diesel generators lined up to began, everybody kept an eye out for TXHVWLRQRYHUKHUZDONLHWDONLH:LWKLQ provide emergency power. They had returning power and residual snagged Thank you to everyone who