JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — If anyone is living or has lived through a traumatic experience, they are encouraged to seek out help.
Anyone really only pertains to humans.
Other creatures don't have the capability of getting assistance on their own.
Thankfully, there are humans that have dedicated their lives to helping other animals of nature.
One example close to home is the Primate Rescue Center in Jessamine County.
The sanctuary has welcomed primates from around the region, even the country, in for rehabilitation since the late 1980's.
More than 30 years of care, 19 of which have included Eileen Dallaire.
“I fell in love with the organization and the animals many years ago and made it my life goal to help them thrive in this environment," Dallaire said.
Dallaire is the rescue center's executive director, overseeing the 44 primates across more than 10 different species that call the center home.
It's a role Dallaire takes very seriously to right the wrongs these animals have felt by other humans.
“Once they make it here. Knowing that you have a direct hand in making up for all the things humans may have done to them in the past," Dallaire said.
From spider monkeys to snow macaques, these animals on the mend vary in species as well as stories.
Some of them were left to run wild in the modern world before being rescued, others were saved from dangerous environments like drug dens in Kentucky.
However, the standout stories tend to lie in the chimpanzee enclosure.
Eight chimps who have been with the sanctuary for more than 20 years.
Some were saved from chemical lab testing while others were rescued from malicious owners keeping them in far from ideal living conditions.
“In 1998, there was a case in Georgia where an individual was housing five chimpanzees in A 10X10 concrete bunker. No access to the outside. No regular access to food or water," Dallaire said.
“There are some individuals who have been so isolated as pets that they’re very aggressive toward other monkeys. Sometimes we have to adjust our own expectations.”
It's a constant balancing act to understand what each primate needs to heal.
Similar to how we evaluate the mental, physical and emotional health of humans.
Outside of being one of the only such sanctuaries like this in the immediate area, the Primate Rescue Center is one of the few facilities that house both chimpanzees and other monkey species simultaneously.
This distinction gives the PRC the opportunity to act as a bridge connecting to other facilities across the country.
“A lot of the sanctuaries are further south like in Texas or Florida. We serve a really unique position to also in the actual transport of monkeys from Northern Regions to those southern regions," Dallaire.
Dallaire hopes to one day "work herself out of a job."
Meaning there is enough education and understanding from the public to respect these animals and not abuse them.
Until that day though she is confident in her and the center's ability to fulfill the mission of lifelong care for these primates.
“The individuals that are here now can live decades. The chimpanzees can live anywhere between 50,60 and 70 years old," Dallaire said
"We need to make sure that we can fulfill our promise of lifetime care for that lifetime commitment that we make to each and every individual that we rescue.”
If you want to learn more about the Primate Rescue Center, click here.
