Chance

Chance is very beautiful, with silver hair covering her body and face. She has a very round frame and can often be spotted hanging out in front rooms. She enjoys alone time more than any other chimp, but lets caregivers know when she is in the mood for interacting by doing her unique lip smacking.

Chance is a very solitary chimp. She enjoys alone time and locking herself in the front rooms. She spent years alone in laboratory so she must find peace being alone. She is often hard to find because she naps in the different structures on the islands, far from the building. Despite enjoying her solitude she gets along well with her close family, particularly Rachel, Jethro and Regis. She is often part of this social group and spends time grooming and playing with her friends. Chance used to be very close to our late resident Toby. Chance, Rachel and Toby were inseparable. Since Toby’s passing Chance’s personality has really transformed. She has become bolder, more outgoing and less reserved. She is less afraid to stand up to her peers and isn’t afraid to ask us for what she wants.

She has come a long way since her laboratory days. She enjoys trying to scare staff, play tug of war, give open mouth kisses through the fencing, and even stick her tongue out at you!

History
Chance was 15 years old when she arrived at Fauna in 1997. For the first 15 years of her life she lived completely alone in a very small baboon cage in the laboratory. For many years she didn’t even have other chimps in her unit to look at or communicate with.

There is no way we could ever imagine what that life must have been like, nor the damage done to her body and soul. She was so deprived and her spirit destroyed. She was aggressive, distrustful, suspicious, very shy and so terribly scared.

Chance’s 15 years in research aged her body, tortured her soul and robbed her of the life she deserved. Once she found life in sanctuary, she essentially was reborn. However, she was reborn with scars, trauma and deep emotional wounds. Our responsibility is to help Chance overcome some of her fears, forget her past and help her heal — but that is not an easy feat.

In Chance’s first years at Fauna, Annie was there to help. Annie was a nurturing mother figure to Chance and the others. When we lost Annie only five years after her arrival, it had a deep effect on Chance. She had come so far in those early years but that loss really set her back. No one really filled Annie’s place, and when Annie died Chance lost the only mother she ever knew.

It took years, but Chance grew closer to her half-sister, Petra. She eventually developed very special bonds with her adopted brothers — Jethro, Regis and Binky. She has always been close to Rachel and used to spend a lot of time with Toby.

Some of the older residents who are no longer with us, like Billy Jo, Tom and Pepper, all played important roles in Chance’s life. After Pepper’s death in 2012 when Chance was 29 years old, her life changed yet again. This time it opened a new door that has had a remarkable impact on her.

Chance often chose to be in the same space as Pepper and Sue Ellen, frequently trying to go visit with them. However, her lack of social skills made that almost impossible. Chance would join them and within a few hours be evicted because of her behavior. Pepper would not tolerate Chance’s bad manners and didn’t seem to appreciate that her acting like a troubled teenager. Naturally that makes sense given Chance’s past because although she was 15 when she came to Fauna, her life really began at that time. She had to learn how to do things, be social and most of all, how to live in a family. She had to forget and overcome years of pain and suffering, and to trust and love someone.

Sue Ellen was alone after Pepper’s death and she was very lonely. She actually seemed to welcome Chance into her world, and she gave it her best. There were some squabbles, but there were some really special moments too. After many months of living with Sue Ellen, with Sue Ellen’s patience and support, it seems Chance is at last finding her place and most of all finding her way once again. The time spent alone with Sue Ellen, has changed Chance for the better.

Now that Sue Ellen spends most of her time with Dolly due to her unique disability and living situation, Chance is in a group with Rachel and often part of a larger social group including Jethro and Regis. When it ends up being too much for the girls, they often find ways to get some alone time by closing themselves in a room or retreating to a sheltered area on the islands.