Some of the best moments of my life....

Just over two years ago I attended a conference in Kampala, Uganda. As I have always been fascinated by animals, I made a point to visit and do some short-term volunteer work at two of the animal sanctuaries in the area. It was during this time that I met these two young chimps, Otim and Kasumba. Kasumba was a gentle soul and he wanted to be held all of the time and when he was not in my arms, he was clinging to my legs. He would always look up at me with his penetrating eyes and it was then that I fell in love with him. His brother Otim was very lively and had lots of energy. He never seemed to want to be held, but he loved to grab his brother out of my arms and pull him down to the ground when I was holding him .He was independent and though they were in such sharp contrast to each other in their demeanor, they were inseparable. They boys complemented each other, like Yin and Yang; they could not be more different, yet they could not live without each other. They were not biological brothers but had become as twins, always walking together, in the same stride, arms around each other. It wasn't uncommon for them to go up and hug one another. They were quite small at this time, only about two years old, and had been through a journey, coming to the Center as orphans and growing up only in each other's company.

And then I got to return in January of 2014 and see how much they have grown and see their transition from the quarantine as small infants and toddlers to the Chimp Island. They  have not yet been integrated with the older chimps, but they have certainly taken a step towards that. When I visited them, I was surprised because Otim came up first. He literally just jumped in my arms. And not for a second. He wanted to be held.  I am not sure how long I held him, but it surprised me since he is now considered the alpha among the four younger, male chimps. In fact, a snake got into their enclosure one evening and Otim stood tall and puffed his chest out making noises at the snake while the three others anxiously stood behind him. It was priceless to see such a strong boy, a leader, take his guard down and allow himself to be cuddled and loved. The best moment came toward the end of my visit as we walked back toward the Chimp House for breakfast, as Kasumba grabbed my pant legs and then tried to jump in my arms. I thought Otim would try to get down, but he allowed me to shift him entirely to my left arm so that Kasumba could come up on my right side. And, so I held both of the boys for some time, in the midst of the greenery and the sounds of the birds chirping. I could hear nothing else during that time except their song, the rustling of leaves, and the beating of my own heart. And, these were some of the best moments of my life.