It pains me to read the previous comment as Ms. Carter IS the redeemer in this story and IS a saint for giving her life to the protection of primates in their native environment. It is such a sad story. I find myself at a loss every time i hear the radio lab episode. The Temerils are the ones at fault, who took the baby lucy at birth, humanized it and threw away their adopted daugter Lucy when they were done with their "experiment." Ms. Carter, I thank you and all of your efforts. Shall yourself, Lucy and all the others you have helped and fought to protect find comfort that there are folks such as myself that deeply appreciate your gifts that have been given to our lives.

Janis Carter should not be revered, she should be held as an example of a horrible mistake of humans thinking they know best. It is almost evil what she did, raise a human as a chimp, teach them the luxuries of human life and then go dump this human-raised chimp on an island in the wild that she was not familiar with and had never been to, without the comforts she grew up with. I don't know how this woman can live with herself knowing she used the innocence of this chimp and then dumped her out in the wild to be killed. What else did she expect would happen? Lucy, the chimp, was taught to interact and communicate with humans and then she was dumped out in the wild without any humans to communicate with. She probably longed for human connection that she could not attain with her wild chimp community, living a lonely solitary life, until one day humans show up again...one could only imagine the excitement she felt seeing humans again. Thinking that they were there to communicate with her and interact, but these humans were there to kill her. Janis Carter, you should be held responsible for this chimp's death and never allowed to care for animals again, you failed.

In January 1982, Cosmopolitan posted an article, "Chimps Journey to Freedom", my interest was with Janis Carter. At that time I wrote to her about the monkey I raised and tought words to. I often wonder if she received that letter and was please to have found a copy today. Thanks to technology today I was able to read this publication.

Glad I found your website , really like your choice of articles and discussion. Cheers ,Richard

Just goes to show you most humans can't be trusted!

What a wonderful story. I heard about it first when I was a child years and years ago. I just recently heard it on npr radio lab. Is Janice still in Africa? Can we donate money to help her?

I went straight to my laptop to find the embrace photo but couldn't find it. Ditto-ing Anthony Sippial! Please show!

Dear Ms. Carter, Just listened to the heart warming story about Lucy on our local station WFUM (University of Michigan). What an interesting life you must be living. My animals, adopted since I retired, are much more domesticated - 2 Nigerian goaties, a piggy, a duck, chickens, 2 bunnies, and a psyco-cat - all when we decided no more animals - after our children left home. Nothing as exciting as your line of endeavors altho I have taken my animal babies to schools for show and tell. Does that count? I know some frown on taming the wild however it is wonderful when they can be "put out to pasture" so to speak - in their normal element even when it is as difficult as it was for Lucy. Our best to you for your ability to "stick to it"! Sincerely and Good Luck, Karen F. (Carter, maybe a long lost relative) Slater

Dear Janis, Its been years since we talked in Guinea and Dakar. I'm delighted to read this up date on your life in Gambia and your continued interest in the chimps in Guinea.

Perhaps one day you'll take that well needed rest and visit us in France. The door is always open to you.

Keep well and continue your good works. As you have said the "story of Lucy" was only the beginning.
Liz Chevlier

Dear Janis,

I am also a wildlife biologist (snakes, frogs, bats), also working within the local community to adjust attitudes towards those with whom we share our world. I was deeply moved by the Radiolab piece about you and Lucy, and your dedication toward those animals and their conservation and that of their species. I very much wanted to say Thank You.

... just can't shutup about this ... did I forget to thank Janis? ... and Lucy? - here done so ... something (wild + free) tells me this also: that Lucy was not afraid of death - not out of ignorance - but out of supreme awareness - what humans would do well to cultivate - such as that which Tibetan Monks / Shamen / Saints + the like so fervently practice against all consumer odds... what being would so hug another for such a long, deep time (as I read online = 3 - 4 hours?) - this - their time, and w/ such intense simplicity?
Lucy chose peace.

Also - I wonder whether or not it was so difficult - and took such time - for Janis to teach Lucy to ingest her natural plant foods (if in the wild) what leaves / plant foods safe to eat, etc. - whether or not it went against any of Lucy's early / past training - perhaps from her original human parents ... Did they unwittingly train Lucy not to eat (for ex.) the house plants / indeed any plants???
Was this a cause for Lucy's seeming stubbornness when she was clearly intelligent enough to learn/relearn such a behavior?

Ouch ... when will we learn?
How dare too many of us humans decline such knowledge in the face of such sacrificial beauty?
I don't know from where such comes to me of feeling certain that Lucy is saying "thank you + goodbye + I love + I love you"... as if she was in touch w/ a fortelling of her end - sad - in this plane-ette... I am a human who fully believes that each + every life form - including leaf + tree + rock + mountain + water + fire + wind, etc. ... each + every ... is totally + completely valid, necessary, divine, certainly destined to be - wherever it is - and no more important than I am ... if you get my drift, and surely so definitely - no less important than I am - truly - there IS - such terrible ONENESS ... and - IF WE DON'T FIGURE IT OUT SOON ... OUCH.

I find it incredible that no mention is made of the fact that the project was initiated by Eddie Brewer, and his daughters Stella and Heather carried it on until very recently, when Stella sadly died and her husband David and others members of the Chimpanzie Rehabilitation Project were ousted, in a very unpleasant manner. I have visited Baboon Islands and stayed with Stella and her husband David, and have therefore witnessed the fantastic work done by Stella. Of Janis Carter I cannot comment because she was never there. I have got to know the villagers in Sambel Kunda and the other projects that are still going strong that were started by Stella and David Marsden, and now run by Heather, Stella's sister.

I worked in The Gambia as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1971-73. I met Stella and Heather Brewer there who did early chimpanzee behavior research in The Gambia paralleling Jane Goodall's work in E. Africa. I know the Brewers were instrumental in developing the Gambia River island preserves and the family was still active in the work in The Gambia till recently. I find it a glaring omission in this story for there to be no mention of the pioneering work done by the Brewer family.

When I was a little girl growing up in the 1950s we had a picture book about a chimp. The chimp was dressed in clothes (perhaps a red dress?) and the story was about the chimp's daily life as a little "girl". Could this have been about this Lucy?
Corinne

On RadioLab.org I recently heard the story about "Lucy and Janis." I was one of the most poignant stories NPR has played. As another listener said, God bless Lucy and Janet.

Jane Goodall came twice to my school in Dallas. She was, as I suspect Janet would be in person, one of the most tranquil people I have ever met. I suspect we have a lot to learn from nature that would help us in politics and government.

I came in on the tail-end of Lucy's story on Radio Lab..only caught perhaps, at the most, 10 minutes of it, and, yet, her tragic story affected me profoundly and I found myself weeping for this little half-human, half-ape who became the unwitting victim of her human engineered anachronism. I do not excoriate those who raised her as their child, nor the impetus for her return to the wild..it is apparent that their research was instrumental in understanding our closest relatives.

It is quite inntriguing to me, after reading comments in this site (written by people last year) that her story has affected so many in much the same way that it affected me...I found myself also weeping for her while reading reading her story on the Radio Lab site.

I applaud Janis for her lifetime of committment to working wirh the people who live in the area where Lucy and the others were left and for her part in fostering a "peace agreement" between the humans and their needs so that they can understand the needs of those sentient creatures with whom they share their existence and can find common ground for being able to live together in equinamity.

The image of Janis with Lucy, along with various photos of Lucy throughout her life, can be viewed in a slideshow on the Radio Lab website:
http://www.radiolab.org/2010/feb/19/

Last night, I learnt for the first time the story of Lucy, the chimp, and Ms. Janis Carter. I was driving from Columbus to Cincinnati, OH after visiting friends and family, and almost jumped out of my seat when I heard that Janis was in The Gambia, my country of birth.

For me, an American-Gambian, the more interesting questions remain: Why did Janis decide to "resettle" Lucy in The Gambia and not a zoo in New Jersey?

In general, I am troubled by some Westerners, even with the best of intentions, who travel to Africa to "save" or in Janis' case "resettle" Lucy, while paying little to no attention tn the people.

In sum, this story is about arrogance and unexamined prejudices, being lived live out to tragic ends- ongoing experiments to teach Gambians, Guineans, just as they did with Lucy, new tricks. I pray that unlike Lucy, Janis' story has a happier ending.

Professor Abdoulaye Saine
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056

To Janis and Lucy- may God bless your beautiful souls.

I would really cherish a download of the photo of the embrace so aptly described.

Dear Janis,

Your dedication and stick-toitiveness was amazing in regards to Lucy, and the other chimps you stayed with in Gambia.
I feel it is a gift that we have you among us to show what love and care to other beings can be.
Thank You from the bottom of my heart.
Carol Durran

Where is the photo of the hug?

I heard this on NPR on the way home from work, I pulled into a gas station to get gas and could not get out til I heard the entire story. Got my gas and then had a good cry over Lucy. I wish she hadn't gotten unruly and could have just continued her human life. I think there was a clashing of her 2 worlds, not being fully human. I am so grateful that Janis was loyal to her so as not to feel totally abandoned. I was heartbroken over her demise. You can't help but love Lucy. even after death. She is certainly part of my memory and so she lives.
I just read a book about a library cat named Dewey, in Spencer, Iowa who became a community loved cat. I was overjoyed to hear about Dewey's life and his effect on the community as the librarian who authored the book told of the love between Dewey and herself and the life of Dewey at the library and sad as he aged. Face it, animals have a place in our lives and we just naturally love them in the same way we love our children. I love Dewey and Lucy just from hearing about them. Gin Sollars, Dixon, Il.

This is a profoundly sad story on all levels. Another example of well intentioned and curious humans finding that their initially innocent actions have unintended and tragic consequences for other creatures. Being the most "intelligent" species, we have a responsibility to care for our fellow earth dwellers and Janis Carter has made direct and successful efforts to do just that. Her actions after Lucy's death, which will benefit Gambian chimpanzees for generations, are Lucy's legacy. Thank you Janis for not just walking away.

Would it be possible to E-Mail the picture of Lucy hugging Janis to me?
I do not want it for commercial purposes. This was a heart rending story of a little being who was not completely wild nor completely domesticated. She could not live in our world. She also could not live in the wild. Perhaps her death did accomplish some good for all such creatures, and Lucy at least finally found peace. There should have been a better way to avoid this little heart being broken.

I lived and worked in The Gambia for a number of years only a short distance from Janis Carter's compound. She was a very close friend and we saw each other often and we shared countless hugs of joy and sadness as her journey of walking and talking with these incredible beings unfolded around us. I can assure you all that Janis is one of the most caring, compassionate and loving human beings on the planet. Regardless of how capable, wise or well-intentioned we are, disasters always strike in life. What is important when that happens is how we deal with those disasters. Janis never walked away... she always did her best to deal with them, and knowing her, she is still doing that.

All my best, dear friend. I miss you and I miss our hugs and our talks with the animals.

Michael Jaquish
Author and International Security Consultant

I was saddened to learn today of the tragic way in which Lucy's life ended. Maury Temerlin was a professor of mine at the Univ. of Oklahoma back in the late 1960s/early 1970s. I also had been to his home outside Norman, OK many times and although I never inter-acted personally with Lucy, I do remember seeing her out there. One evening in November 1973 in particular remains a vivid memory. I came to the back door of the house. The whole back wall was glass. Inside I could see that Lucy was walking around and when I tapped on the window she just sort of glided across the floor for a distance of perhaps twenty-five feet in a graceful exhibition of controlled power to peer at me through the glass. It was the first time I realized what graceful creatures the great apes are. That this wonderful and trusting being may have been slaughtered by poachers for profit is beyond tragic; it is an obscenity. Perhaps Maury and Jane were wrong to raise her as family member--which she really was to them--but on the other hand how would we ever know just what wonderful kindred spirits Chimps are without knowing them intimately like they did? Rest in Peace, Lucy, you were beautiful while you were here.

What a heartbreaking story. There are doubtless many lessons to be drawn from it, but the one that is brought home most forcefully to me is the responsibility that we assume when we become another being's primary caretaker--be it child, animal, or animal/child. If you teach that being to love you and to expect love in return, you have created a sacred and unending obligation.

Janis acted out of love, that much is clear. I hope this radio story brings her much wider fame and support in her work. I will think of her often.

Dearest Janis:
You are a remarkable soul. I cannot thank you enough, on behalf of Lucy. You are such an example of how to BE the very best in life. Mere words can never express the profound, heartfelt love I feel for you, because of what you have done for Lucy.
God bless you, honey.

I too am haunted. I can't stop thinking of Lucy's sad story. And the photo of her hugging Janis is burned into my brain for all time. So dejected and thin and hopeless, Lucy still found only love in her heart. You know she wanted to go home but she had learned it was no longer possible. What a wise girl Lucy was. Her ability to accept the unacceptable and still give love in the face of rejection and abandonment fills my heart with awe. I don't know many humans who could respond in kind. Thank you Lucy for showing us what dignity and love really look like.

A haunting story that challenges us ethically and renews the urgent warning against callous, anthropocentric, and short-sighted experimentation with or exploitation of life - especially in this brave new world of bioengineering and genetic modifications.

The line between experimenting with humans and chimps & other animals is merely contingent: the Nazis crossed it, the famous Tallahassee Syphilis Experiment crossed it, etc. This is true not just biologically, it keeps happening in our misguided social policies, too. Many such policies are centered on so-called "dis-incentives and incentives" for "appropriate" human behavior based on deeply-flawed premises, causing untold human suffering & tragedy.

We do not have to look very far for one such example: just take a look at current US border enforcement policies (since 1995 over 5000 *known* deaths by dehydration, drowning, hypothermia, etc., and counting). LOTS OF ANONYMOUS (HUMAN) BONES SCATTERED IN OUR SOUTHWEST DESERTS, TOO.

My heart aches for the animal Lucy's and human Lucia's of our modern dementia. Another world surely is possible.

I like reading these comment boards, especially for such a moving piece of journalism, but I don’t ever participate. After reading some of the comments critical of Janis Carter’s efforts to rehabilitate the first chimps, and Lucy, I feel compelled to chime in.

Have you ever thought you were really doing the right thing, but later found out it wasn’t that easy? If not on Baboon Island, where should Lucy have lived? She was dangerous, and I have to believe that making the best of it on that island was better than sitting in a cage with the belief you’re human, but caged nonetheless because the other humans are afraid of you and cannot control you.

Those of you critical of Janis Carter – do you think it was an experiment – do you think it was easy to get that last heartfelt hug from Lucy? Does anyone really know better than Janis and Lucy?

writing with tears in my eyes.how sad! what pain,sadness,andhurt we bring to animals in the name of science.I have copied the name of the "responsible medicine & nat. anti-vivisectionsociety" and plan to contact them.surely there must be a way that's less cruel.(sigh)

Janis Carter, Good On You. What an extraordinary life and what you're doing with it! Touching one primate at a time. May you continue to prosper in practical pursuits of a poignant nature.

The truth is that we have no idea how she died. Illness, a fall, snake bite, or even lightning strike are all more likely causes of her death than being killed by poachers.
Lucy was last seen alive in mid-September 1987. Her widely scattered bones, not an entire skeleton, were found by Bruno Bubane, who says it was some weeks after her initial disappearance. The remains were partly covered by fallen leaves, with grass starting to grow through them.
The high humidity of therainy season and the presence of wild pigs and hyenas mean that a dead animal very quickly decomposes and a skeleton is unlikely to remain undisturbed for very long. As there was a largish male chimp who could be dangerous in the area, the bones that could be readily found were quickly gathered up into a sack and taken to the mainland.

Under such conditions the lack of skin and of the small bones of the hands and the feet is to be expected. To state the lack of them as an indication or "evidence" of her being shot or poached is entirely fanciful.

Carter, who came as Lucy's caretaker, had no qualms about subjecting Lucy to the rehabilitation process, and was able to document the years of Lucy's difficult adjustment. I say "adjustment," as she never became truly rehabilitated. She remained underweight, and although chimpanzees normally first give birth at about 13 years old, she had not reproduced by the time of her death at 21.
Perhaps sorriest of all is Carter, for so personally insisting that Lucy should endure the rehabilitation process--which Lucy so obviously found difficult and confusing--for so long. In truth, Lucy's whole life was manipulated solely for the benefit of human beings. Her death was probably the only event she suffered that was not manipulated. For her sake can we please just leave it that way?

--Stella Brewer
Founder and chair
Chimpanzee
Rehabilitation Trust
P.O. Box 2208
Serrekunda, Gambia
www.chimprehab.com

I just listened to the story today. I was very moved. I thought it was very sad that the Temmerline's took Lucy at two days old, brought her into their home, raised her like their child and then decided to let her live in the wild. I put the blame on them. I thought it was truly amazing what Janis Carter did for Lucy and the other chimpanzees. Her intent was to stay for three weeks and she stayed for years! I am amazed by her dedication, love and support for primates.

Very sad story. And emblematic, I think, of the arrogance that started the whole ordeal... a psychologist and his wife whimsically experimenting with the life of another sentient being, and then washing their hands of it once they were in over their heads. Not that the profession of psychology is inherently arrogant, but mankind in western society is, and professionals often are. I guess, in a sense, washing their hands of the matter was best in the end, since it turned out to involve their friend's extraordinary valor and eventually allowed Lucy at least a year of living a somewhat normal life.

I think the story is a beautiful tale of devotion on Janis Carter's part, and a deep morality lesson for all of us.

I'm thankful, too, for the ability we have now to share such lessons. Maybe one day, at least in the U.S., we'll let loose of the notion that we can do what ever we want with animals and the natural world just to satisfy our own interests.

Amazing, amazing story. I just listened to Lucy's story on This American Life and I sit here crying thinking of this beautiful creature, left to fend for herself. Thank you JimK for your comment because I need to find some good in this heartbreaking story. Hopefully, others touched by this story will gain hope and insight into the connection we share with all living beings and spread it around. It's easy to blame when you hear this story, but that adds nothing to this world but more contempt. Lucy's story reminds me of another animal who loved his human companion so much his story still brings tears to my eyes when I think of him -- Hachiko, the dog from Japan who, after his human-guardian died suddenly at work one day, went to meet him at the train station every day for years and years, hoping he would return home. Bless Lucy and her life by living lovingly towards all beings in this world and seeing we are all one.

The story of Lucy is tragic by any measure. I too was deeply moved and saddened. But in reading the posts to this web site, I find surprising hope and insight into the human condition. Virtually all posts express empathy toward Lucy. My sense is that this story touches our nerves that are the human connection to primates. We view Lucy as a human on the subconscious level which produces the intense emotional reactions most seem to express. For this I am grateful. Perhaps there is some hope for future enlightenment, although there semms little chance for altering our tragic destiny as a species bent on exploiting and destroying anything and everything for our own immediate gratification.

Many thanks to Janis Carter for sharing this with us and for sacrificing a lot for the love of another. It’s those like Janis who give us hope.

Obviously many mistakes were made. I’m sure no harm was intentionally done. It’s easy for us to listen some 30 years later and decide what was done wrong and who was to blame. I find it disturbing that when we as human beings end a relationship/marriage because most people are not capable of staying together without one of them throwing it all away on a wim,that the law says you most provide for(usually the female, sorry ladies)TO MAINTAIN THE TYPE OF LIFESTYLE THAT I'VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO. Lucy obviously was accustomed to her lifestyle. She was raised as a human.As far as she knew she was human. She needed to continue the type of lifestyle she was accustomed to. She probably would have survived on the island if it hadn't been for poachers but that still doesn't make it right. Any animal raised by humans you always hear the same thing; “If we released them into the wild, they wouldn't survive" Why they thought it would be any different with a chimp is beyond me. This is a very sad and haunting story that I find myself thinking about almost every day since I've heard it. I still think of (Diane Fossys')Digit quite often. That really haunted me for a long time, even as a child. I think of Martha the last known passenger pigeon sitting not only alone in her cage in a Cincinnati zoo but all alone in the world. It's unbelievable what we've done to the earth in such a short period of time. Most people can't even admit it(global warming) Gradually all our fellow inhabitants of the planet will follow in Marthas footsteps and die alone in a cage, the last of their kind. Imagine showing our grandkids a picture of a chimp, an orangutan, a rhino the way that we look a dinosaur and saying "They used to be all over the planet, but now they're all dead". Unfortunately the only way to avoid this scenario is for man to follow in Marthas footsteps and die, alone in a cage. The last of their kind.

such a sad story, i am haunted by it and keep going back to it. i wish there were more photos. a documentary made... people need to know that experiments on animals for human's sake is just plain wrong. speciest. poor lucy, we created a world for her that was all just a mirage, then tricked her in the end. in the "name of science" when it involves animals, invariably just means "cruel".

I, versus many of the others here, have recently read the book on Lucy by Temerline. Yes, it made me mad as I already knew about Lucy's eventual fate. Finally the NPR Radiolab story gives Ms. Carter's full story about Lucy's last years. It was a shame to see the article above buried until now.

We look at the Lucy story with 35 years of Jane Goodall chimpanzee advocacy, PETA conscious rousing ads, the CHIMP act for retired lab chimps, etc behind us. At the time, what was going on with the Lucy and other chimp language experiments was cutting edge. Remember back then anyone was able to buy, sell, beat, breed, etc chimps and other primates. It was only 1975 when it was outlawed to bring new chimps/gorillas into the US.

I personally suspect that the Dr. Maurice K. Temerline and his wife also were into some weed smoking due to his "new age-y" descriptions of the world, psychology, etc.

He also completely failed to pick up on some chimp behavior even when it was right in front of him. Lucy would defecate anywhere in the house causing much concern etc yet she would never do this in their truck cab when traveling to a vacation farm. He mentions that, upon arriving, she would immediately get out and go on the lawn. Well, Maurice totally failed to pick up that chimps don't like to sit/step in their own waste- it went right over his head. Goodall later figured it out by watching the wild chimps.

Did they do a disservice to Lucy? Completely. But Lucy's experience and sacrifice paved the way for scores of other former entertainment/lab/pet chimps being housed in as humanely a way as possible in the new millennium.

I think what Janice Carter did was amazing and incredibly selfless, but I am bothered by the selfishness of the couple who took her to live with them and so cheated her out of what she needed which was to live free in the wild with other chimps. I was so angered by what took place at Sea World and it really makes me aware of how wrong it is for us to imprison wild animals in our zoos and other places. Only domesticated animals like dogs and cats are able to live with human companionship, it is just wrong- and I am not an animal rights activist, but now I understand the frustration of those groups like I never have before and I hope to God we start to realize what we are doing and how wrong it all is.

Janis Carter is a selfless and magnificent human being who acted with extraodinary compassion towards Lucy. At worst she might be labeled misguided, but clearly she is neither cruel or inhumane, and it is simply preposterous to label her delusional.
It is amazing that some people feel so superior that they can sit in judgment of someone who clearly gave up so much, all for the affinity she felt for a chimpanzee. I wonder, what wonderful and selfless things Mr. Price has done for a single being that might surpass those of Ms. Carter?

I have known this story for years. I think it would make a great movie, or at least a great documentary. (I don't know how in good conscience one could make a feature film of this and used trained chimps. Maybe motion capture, like Avatar?) But it always moves me. Janis Carter is a hero, even as the overall message of the movie would be the moral dubiousness of the way man treats chimps (and all animals).

Reading some of the comments above, I was rather shocked that anyone could criticize Janis Carter, but I found an article that makes the criticism rather justifiable (if true).

http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/06/11/poacherskilllucy1106.html

But, we don't know what really happened, and what the real circumstances were. So, we probably shouldn't really be judging anyone.

We share approximately 98.7% of our DNA with chimps and bonobos, yet we clearly do not understand the value of nonhuman beings. Although many of us treat nonhumans as if they were widgets, they are not ours to commodify but exist for their own lives, their own purpose. The callous end that was experienced by Lucy, one of betrayal and abandonment, however well-intentioned, was avoidable. I only hope we humans awaken before we have eradicated all the wildlife habitat in the world.

It also struck me as extrodinarily cruel and heartbreaking to force Lucy into the wild. The scientists who initiated that experiment should have found a way to sustain the lifesytle they created for Lucy. They owed her that much. Funny how supposedly enlightened people can be so selectively stupid sometimes.

In reference to Mr prices comment.

Janis did not instigate the situation.
She went far beyond what just about anyone would do(except herself, Joy Adamson, Jane Goodall and like minded people), to rectify it.

Can you imagine being a young student expecting to be visiting Africa for 3 days and spending a year in a cage(surrounded by the chimps wanting to get in to be with her), in solitary, eating bugs... all to acclimatize an animal.

Then it turned into a lifetime (never leaving)in service to mankind in helping the animals, locals, and the world understand much more and touch ours hearts with the haunting story.

You, I or anyone would be exemplary to have shown so much perseverance and accomplished so much.

Thank you Smithsonian and NPR once again for bringing this to our attention.

If not for Janice Carter, we wouldn't have ever known what happened to sweet Lucy. Thank you Janice Carter for giving sweet Lucy her the voice. Perhaps if it were another chimp, maybe Lucy could have told us what happened. On the this website, Ms. Carter described how she escaped an attack by one of the chimps by running to the cage. Perhaps that's was why Lucy's remains were found near the cage? Lucy's story confirms the capacity for "human" emotions that all animals are SO capable of, if only we knew how to listen. They certainly deserve more respect than what we give them. I hope Lucy's story is a lesson for more people around the world.
The irony is that by making Lucy so human, so expressive, Dr. Maurice K. Temerlin and his wife Jane turned out to be the monsters. Obviously smart people, so how is it possible that they would think, the sweet Lucy that they raised, could survive in the wild by herself? "Adoptive Parent" my eye... in the end, sweet Lucy (and her birth mom) was nothing more than a science experiment.

What a haunting story.The picture of Lucy holding Janis-cut my heart out with a dull knife.Hopefully we,as humans,learn that some things are to be meddled with and some not.Vanessa put it very well.Poor Lucy was condemned,however briefly before her tragic death,to a no-man's land between human and not-human.Janis Carter went above and beyond what most humans would do to try to right a horrible injustice.God bless you,Janis.

Like the other commenters here, I, too, have been haunted by Lucy's story. I was especialy disturbed by the result of the experiment - that Lucy was left isolated and stranded in that no-man's-land between human and not-human.

The only good to come out of this, I think, is that it has given us actual proof that we are so close to chimps and other primates. It's obvious that we have a moral imperative to commit to protecting them as we would any set of humans confronted by disasters.

As a species, we rally to support the victims of earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the like. How can we do any less for those with whom we share so much or our DNA and more?

While I do not agree with the experiment that Lucy was part of, I would like to ask people to think of the positives of this story. Yes, Lucy eventually had to endure the consequences of a perhaps cruel and unusual experiment. On the other hand, she was able to experience what no other chimpanzee could. Lucy lived the brief life of a human. She enjoyed the food and comfort of that we humans take for granted. She learned how to communicate with humans. Lucy also had the love and care of many human beings, whom I believe did show true love for her.

Think about it. Lucy's life could have been ten times worse. She could have been locked up her whole life in a zoo, or be part of a circus just like her parents. If she were released into the wild far earlier on in life, she could have just as well be killed by poachers or hunters, and Janis Carter would have never gone to Gambia to do the blessed work she now does.

That said, I would also like to remind James Price and others that Janis Carter was not the one who started this experiment. She was merely one of Lucy's caretakers midway through the experiment. Carter only got heavily involved later on in the process, when the original scientists asked her to help with the release of Lucy back into the wild. Not only did Carter agree to such a thankless task, she stuck with it when the going got tough (read: impossible). She is not to blame for Lucy's life and death.

I agree with the terrible story group. What humans do to animals to satisfy their needs is abominable.

That being said I have nothing but praise for Janis Carter. She seems to be a magnificent person. I hope she gets to read some of the beautiful comments people have typed about her.

Bless you Janis Carter

I thoroughly disagree with the assessment offered by James Price. While the original owners of Lucy made a grave error, Janis was simply thrown into the mix as Lucy's handler and did everything she could to protect the chimps. She went to Gambia thinking she would be there for 3 weeks and has stayed for over 30 years. In an effort to help Lucy, she was defecated and urinated on while living in a cage in total isolation from the rest of society. I would not call that a selfish act. We need more human beings like Janis.

Read about some of the experiments psychologists have conducted in the name of research, such as taking baby monkeys away from their mothers and observing their suffering to study bonding. So when you hear the frequently used words "research shows" in a news story or article, now you can conjure an image, like Lucy, of just what it means.

Do we really need to do this to animals?
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the National Anti-vivisection Society believe in advancing science without harming animals. Support them and help save the lives of innocent creatures and stop these archaic and cruel practices.

You say it perfectly, Sarah, above. I can't stop thinking about this story. It is so haunting. Since I listened to the story and saw that hug, so full of pain and resignation, I keep being drawn back to it. You're right. She could actually communicate that she wanted to be close to Janis. What a cruel and sad story.

What a terrible story. I'm in agreement with Sarah and James Price.
The horror some humans inflict on animals is far worse than the horror we inflict on each other...

Selfish decisions. Tragic. There are so many things not right about this. Personally I think its ridiculous that a chimp is making tea, drinking gin, etc. I guess it was fun novelty while it lasted. Too bad Lucy was the one in the end to pay for this wild experiment.

I believe Janis Carter is magnificent.

I'm always curious asbout stories like this .....

how did Janice Carter support herself while she stayed with Lucy?

thanks

Sal

Like other commenters, I just heard the This American Life story. I don't even know how to express my sadness.

I heard Lucy's story on the Radiolab podcast yesterday, and like most, I was deeply moved. Her I am today, still thinking about it. Haunted by it really. I can't express how much I respect Janis Carter for her dedication to Lucy and what she continues to do for the chimps. Another poster said they couldn't find the picture of Janis and Lucy hugging. If you go to the Radiolab website, there is a slideshow and that picture is the last one. Heartbreaking.

Two days and still every time I think of Lucy's story on "This American Life" I well up with tears. Although I'm glad that her death spurred Janis Carter to connect with and educate the people near the sanctuary, I am inclined to think as the first poster did that Lucy was so far removed from her "wild chimp" self that it was quite cruel and ultimately disastrous to attempt to rehabilitate her for so long. The fact that she could communicate and was so stubborn about not wanting to go was just all the more heartbreaking. Not only could you "assume" that she didn't want to go live in the wild, you knew because she could actually talk through her sign language. What a tragic story. Poor Lucy.

This is one of the most incredible stories I have ever heard! Poor Lucy, poor Jane and poor us. We know so little...but, yet, if lucky, like Jane, we can keep trying to do our best to understand and to help. Thank you for this extraordinary story that has touched me so very deeply.

Marcy - you can view it by starting the audio and then dragging the progress bar to near the end. It is an incredible image.

Just heard Lucy's story on NPR and thought I heard I could view the moving photo of Lucy embracing Carter. I have been unable to locate the photo. What a moving story. Thank you Marcy Trott-Hawley

Dear Janis Carter: Please accept my profound gratitude as a fellow voyager on this planet, in these times, for your remarkable kindness toward our fellow inhabitants. Your example is moving beyond my ability to express.

I heard this story today on NPR 91.3 (Miami, FL) What a poignant piece this is and how dedicated Janis Carter was and is to the continued support of these creatures' lives. Bless her. It is through the dedication of people like her that not only advance our knowledge of the world in the "wild" but also help us sort out our own placement, relationships, and values as we affect others.

Kudos to Ms. Carter for all she did for Lucy. I am still haunted by the RadioLab program I just heard about Lucy and her life and death.

I've just been emotionally moved today by hearing "The American Life" series that, in part, featured Lucy, the chimpanzee. My immediate reaction to the tragedy of her "rearing" and death were "Oh, what damage we do" to our earth's fellow creatures!. But to final caregiver Janis Carter's credit, she moved to learn more about the African villagers, who probably took Lucy's life through cultural practices and beliefs, and to educate tribesmen in order to make a way for future chimpanzee sanctuaries within the Gambian jungles. All done, I'm sure, in the name of other "Lucys". Thank you for the story, Ira Glas and NPR.

I wouldn't turn a domesticated cat loose in Africa, their supposed ancestral home, much less a being that was 98% human and had never known anything but human contact. Lucy thought that she was human. While I realize that there were no good choices the characters in your story clearly chose the worst one and then inflicted it on Lucy. As she readily admits Janis Carter was not trained for this activity and admitted that it took years. Clearly, this was not something Lucy wanted and I think she could well have died of starvation and/or loneliness, or was killed by other chimps, instead of the fate that Ms Carter conjectures because she doesn't want to admit her culpability. In the book Chimpanzee Travels: On and Off the Road in Africa by Dale Peterson Ms Carter admits that introducing an adult into an established troop is dangerous. Without any information other than what was given in your story I concluded that Janis Carter was at best delusional, and at worst cruel and inhumane. Janis Carter was part of an effort to throw the original founders out of the chimpanzee sanctuary. Even though Ms Carter admitted in your story that she had no training she is self-described as being a 'primatologist' here: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/winter-2008_09/Africa.php