It's about these marvelous creatures who share 98.3% of the same DNA as humans but it's really about Dr. Carole Noon and her heroic efforts to save Chimps in America.
The United States has not been kind to Chimpanzees ... using them to conduct horribly gross experiments in the name of science, health care and space exploration.
The U.S. conducted Nazi like experiments in Concentration Camps where the Chimps lived in very similar conditions.
The Entertainment Industry hasn't been much kinder to these most advanced of God's creatures, punishing them to perform on Queue and repeatedly.
Hollywood isn't above using cattle prods, starvation and vicious behavior to give audiences what they think they want.
Along comes Carole Noon.
She's an unlikely Heroine out of the University of Florida, meets Jane Goodall, visits Africa to meet Chimpanzees first hand and then completely loses her mind to take on the United States of America to Save the Chimps! (www.savetheshimps.org )
It's a fascinating story of determination, perseverance, luck and love and it's amazing to see what one person can accomplish in a short period of time.
Carole Noon died a few years ago but the incredible work continues.
Over the past week several people I like died and they've got me thinking about the things we leave behind.
Obviously if I'm thinking about them then it stands to reason they're still here somehow.
Yesterday my friend Julia sends me a text saying she's writing Ronnie's obituary and, having never paid any attention to them, has no idea what to do.
"Sure you do," I text back. "Tell the great stories about Ronnie. That is in between the year he was born and now. Make him like it."
Later Julia calls to read what she's written and it's perfect, capturing who he was on earth and I can imaging him sitting there, cigarette in hand, sly downward smile on his face under dancing eyes listening to her.
I find myself celebrating life today!
I'm not thinking too much about death ... it happens ... what else can you say.
Ronnie always made me smile and now I find myself smiling back.
I never knew Carole Noon but like her a Hell of a lot and wish I could have shared a Budweiser with her in one hand while touching the finger of an abused Chimpanzee who's been given a new life with the other hand.
Because when all is said and done ... we're remembered for what we've given in this life.
And if we rarely gave then nobody remembers.
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