Optimism Through Action

[Music]

hi everybody

my name is jenny desmond i’m the founder

of liberia chimpanzee rescue and

protection

i’m honored to be here with you today

and i’m really excited to share some of

my experiences

about finding optimism through action

also joining us is our little friend

mary beauty

she’s our youngest rescue at lcrp and

we’ll talk a little bit about more

later about why she’s here in 2015 my

husband jimmy and i

came to liberia we were asked to come to

help rescue a group of chimpanzees

who spent decades being used for

invasive research

when these chimps were no longer useful

the company that had

experimented on them and left them

behind when we arrived we were met with

the gruesome scene

66 chimpanzees left on islands literally

starving to death

we’d come to find out this was only part

of a much

bigger problem within a month of

arriving in liberia we were told of two

other chimpanzees orphaned babies

needing rescue from horrible conditions

an expat working in liberia had heard

about our experience with great apes

and she came to us hoping we could help

these chimps were victims of a rampant

illegal wildlife trade out of control in

liberia and also devastating to the

country’s wild populations

adult chimps were killed to be eaten and

the babies were stolen and sold as pets

we took in the two chimps called sweet

pea and gray

without really knowing what we would do

and how we would do it

and we knew there were more adult

chimpanzees were being killed by the

hundreds

leaving their orphaned babies to be

chained in backyards or

left on the street in the wild

chimpanzee infants are

never out of their mother’s reach until

they’re five

we knew these chimps would need

intensive care and a home for their

entire lives

on a micro level without help these

orphans would be destined for a life of

abuse and neglect

on a macro level the rampant trade in

chimpanzees needed to be stopped

our path was clear even though we knew

that path wouldn’t be easy

we knew we had to stay within a year

of being here we had 15 more chimpanzees

living with us in our home all of them

under the age of three

and all with tragic histories

they arrived to us with broken limbs

wounds

many of them refused to eat or even be

touched

they were small and weak and their eyes

showed deep deep sadness

they had lost hope all these 15 chimps

were only a fraction of the population

being created by this illegal wildlife

trade

the magnitude of the problem facing us

was overwhelming

the pain i felt was unbearable the

tremendous turmoil within and around me

was crushing what do we do when we’re

faced with great chaos

and countless obstacles it’s not so

it’s so easy to give in to our feelings

of helplessness

and hopelessness i really asked myself

how could i face this level of suffering

and loss

was i prepared to help these traumatized

chimpanzees

through their recovery what could i do

to turn this around these are pivotal

moments

when we’re at risk of losing our

optimism and hope

in times of great turmoil in sadness

in loss or change it’s nearly impossible

not to get pulled down

to feel fear to lose our hope

even the most optimistic of us find

ourselves at the mercy of situations

that seem beyond our control

how do we meet immense challenges in

life without losing hope

without losing our optimism how do we

keep from

giving up on doing good i find my

optimism through action taking in action

no matter how small is a powerful

strategy

to meet adversity and turmoil head on

we can turn our fears and traumas into

positive change

choosing action empowers us choosing

action

means choosing optimism

in my world where i’m faced with pain

and chaos on a regular basis

it’s critical to find a place of

optimism

only in taking action am i able to

overcome the unrest

and tragedy i’m met with every day

in offering love and nurturing to these

orphans who come into my care

i get to experience their miraculous

transformations

they choose not only to survive but to

thrive

in dedicating myself to fighting for

their past for their protection in the

wild i get to watch a passion for

conservation

blossom in liberia’s rangers

things like seeing the sanctuary come to

life taking the chimps to the forest for

the first time

and the overwhelming love and support we

received from all around the world

now these are truly reasons for optimism

the second you take an action toward

change

small or large you have immediately

changed the status of that situation

it is that simple the moment you decide

to make that action a positive one

you immediately begin the path to

progress to recovery

to expansion or advancement

the second that action results in

positive change you’ve already made an

impact that betters the world

and action brings optimism

i can change things i can make things

better

i can do good i can make a difference

each and every one of us can find

optimism through even small or simple

actions

most of us heard about the people in

italy who took to the rooftops and

balconies and sing

sing and played instruments during the

first lockdown in in

the uk this small action

started by a few brought optimism to so

many

and around the world people felt this

optimism in the face of tragedy

as they got older my nieces 12 and 16

started to see some of the sadness and

abuses in our world

and they felt scared and helpless i knew

and i still know how devastating and

debilitating this can be

but each in her own way decided to take

an action

diana wrote a letter to a zoo about a

young chimpanzee being exploited

lee spoke to her legislature about lgbtq

rights

i immediately saw the optimism in their

eyes and hearts

and not surprisingly it wasn’t the last

action they took

i can’t wait to hear their ted talks one

day

where has all this action and optimism

brought me

well over the past five years jimmy and

i have made liberia our home

we founded lcrp our new housing of now

housing over 60 chimpanzees who receive

lifetime love and care

and live in a forest habitat for their

family for their lifetimes

our wonderful team has grown to over 30

individuals offering not only employment

but creating a lovely community for them

for us

and for the chimps we’ve been able to

collaborate with

organizations around the world to bring

awareness to the issues facing

chimpanzees and help expose the

international illegal wildlife trade

it’s given us a global platform where we

can build partnerships

share our voices and mission and spread

our passion for animal rights

it’s shown me that optimism lives in

each and every one of us

and that it’s always within our grasp

and that taking action can help us

conquer great challenges and achieve

amazing things i imagine

most of you are facing many overwhelming

challenges

as we speak in this very moment

i urge you today do something just a

little bit different

when you’re faced with an injustice or

when you’re faced with the wrong

or when you see someone who needs help

so the next time you’re faced with a

situation that feels too overwhelming to

tackle

take your action and find your optimism