Woman works to save chimps

One hippo and 92 chimpanzees may not be typical family pets.

But Sheila Siddle is not a typical woman.

Nineteen years ago, Siddle and her husband David took a dying chimpanzee onto their farm in Zambia at the request of a gamekeeper. And on May 7, Siddle told a crowded auditorium in the Veterinary Hospital about her experiences saving chimpanzees.

"I've always been involved with animals -- it's just something I do and even though I'm not a vet, instinct does tell you how to mend a broken wing and things like that," Siddle said.

Her efforts to rescue sick and abused chimpanzees have taken off, resulting in the founding of the Chimfunshi sanctuary -- two 500-acre enclosures in Zambia, where chimpanzees are allowed to roam free. Today, Chimfunshi is home to 92 chimpanzees.

Although Siddle is 70 years old, she shows no signs of slowing down her efforts, having recently published a book documenting her work titled In My Family Tree: My Life With Chimpanzees.

During the talk, Siddle told stories of different members of her "family," including one chimpanzee who was taken in from a zoo in Tel Aviv, Israel and would only respond to Hebrew until learning English after eight months.

Another chimpanzee came to the Siddles from a meat market where she had developed an addiction to alcohol and cigarettes -- she was forced to quit cold turkey.

Siddle also showed slides depicting the cruelties chimpanzees have suffered from humans. Many of the chimpanzees rescued by Siddle were found in meat markets in Africa, where smugglers and poachers often sell them as food. Others came to her and her husband from zoos and circuses where they had been neglected.

"They say for every one that gets to us, there are ten dead in the forest," Siddle said.

Doug Cress, president of the Great Ape Project and a trustee of Siddle's Chimfunshi foundation, said Siddle was especially interested in visiting veterinary students through the book tour.

"You can get a little more technical" with veterinary students, Cress said. "But it's also things they might not know, and she gets good feedback."

Cress added that the Siddles have recently created an education center to teach Zambian students about ecology and are hoping to set up an exchange program with American veterinary students.

Kathy Heym, president of the Special Species Club which brought Siddle to campus, said that Siddle's work seemed especially appropriate for future veterinarians.

"Most people are small and large animal majors, but there are many people interested in wildlife and zoo care, so it's very interesting to us," Heym said.

College freshman Leigh Seeleman, who returned to campus after finals in order to hear Siddle speak, said she found the talk engaging.

"I was impressed by the brilliance of the chimps themselves," Seeleman said.

For Siddle, her work has great rewards.

"We're trying to give them back something man has taken away from them," she said.

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