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