Kari Bagnall–founder and executive director of Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, which offers permanent care to nearly 200 monkeys retired from laboratory research, who are former pets, or have been confiscated by the authorities—recalls the first monkey that entered her world and forever altered her life.
As part of this account, Bagnall describes creating the earliest iteration of Jungle Friends, and we go on to discuss the array of challenges faced by those who run animal sanctuaries.
These involve enormous commitments, and enormous sacrifices—often including having your home on the premises, endless hours (always being on duty), dealing around the clock with animal illness —and these things don’t begin to address the enormous financial burden of food and veterinary care, and the related, relentless demands for fundraising…