Ricky Gervais--you know him as a comic, author, actor, singer--as the asshole boss David Brent in the British television series "The Office," and the desperate actor Andy Millman in the series "Extras." His humor is excruciating. He is everyman, and we watch in horror as vanity and ego bring him down like cheetahs chasing a gazelle. Gervais is a funny, all right, but did you know he was also a caring humanitarian and philanthropist? Of course you didn't.
Ricky Gervaisas David Brent on "The Office"
Ricky Gervais on Late Night with David Letterman, January 9th, 2009.
This chimp saw snow for the first time last Saturday, December 13th. The chimp lives in Cle Elum, Washington, at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW).
Keith LaChapelle built CSNW to provide lifetime quality care for formerly abused or exploited chimpanzees. The sanctuary also advocates for great apes through education and collaboration. The seven chimps LaChapelle took in--nicknamed "The Cle Elum Seven"--had spent their lives undergoing liver bioposies for a hepatitis vaccine and were forced to breed heavily. Now the chimps are recovering in a safe home.
Keith La Chapelle spent a fortune of his own money building the sanctuary, and is now actively fundraising to keep the place afloat. I first heard about the project through my girlfriend Wendy. She met with CSNW staff and worked on their strategic plan as a graduate student, and she was inspired, to put it mildly.
Watch the ABC News story about the chimp sanctuary here.
Meet Foxie, one of the Cle Elum Seven: "Prior to her sanctuary life, Foxie was used in Hepatitis vaccine research and as a breeder for the biomedical research industry. Foxie had five babies during her years in biomedical research, including a set of twins. All of her children were taken away from her when they were very young - sometimes just days old. Foxie adopted a doll to care for at the sanctuary - a Troll doll with bright pink hair."
Visit the CSNW website, where you can meet the chimps and learn their story, or sponsor a chimpanzee through the Chimpanzee Pal program. It’s not too late to make a gift donationto the chimps for Christmas. If you give your gift by Monday, CSNW can get a card out to your gift recipient before the 25th!
Ricky Gervais as David Brent on "The Office"
