Plenty of Places to Shine: Catharine Dunlap
By Marissa Pena
We’re probably not the only sanctuary to think so, but here at Project Chimps, we know the truth. We have the most amazing group of volunteers around! Today, we wanted to spotlight Catharine Dunlap, one hard-working volunteer who always goes above and beyond to support the chimps.
Catharine’s Background
Catharine was born in Macon, but she was raised in Switzerland! She says that’s why when she came back to Georgia, she moved to live in the mountains. In her spare time, she loves reading, knitting or crocheting, and volunteering.
She first learned about Project Chimps by happy coincidence in September of 2020. According to her, one of her friends had an extra ticket for one of our Discovery Days. After seeing the sanctuary, she was already registered and ready to begin volunteering only a few months later that December. It was after this series of events that she found her niche!
Volunteering with Project Chimps
As a volunteer, Catharine spends most of her time helping prepare daily food and enrichment items for the chimps.
“There are so many areas to volunteer in, but my focus is with enrichment and helping store produce in the cooler for the meals,” she explains. “I also love working in the kitchen doing meal preparations. They have a pre-set menu created by the dietician, and all the meals are prepared one day in advance. So on any given day that we go in, we’re preparing breakfast, forage, and dinner for the next day. Everything is measured out and counted, so it’s very specific per habitat as to how many of each they get.”
Creativity for Chimp Enrichment
Catharine also comes in regularly on Thursdays to help organize our Enrichment Parties! These are weekly volunteer events where participants create as many enrichment items for the chimps as possible within two hours.
“Before everybody arrives for the party, I count everything out and get it all set up in the classroom. That way, the only part they have to do is go to the kitchen to mix up whatever they want to put in the enrichment. They give us a list of ingredients, but you can pick from that depending on what you think would work. For example, you can do peanut butter, applesauce and raisins, and maybe throw in some chimp chow, or you could do applesauce, no peanut butter, put a little bit of honey in, and add a few oats. So there’s a bit of play room there, and it’s fun to come up with different items for them.”
“We did dry dippers today and I was debating between using pumpkin spice and paprika. I was asking another volunteer: ‘What do you think they’d like? Do you think they’d like pumpkin spice more or paprika?’ She said, ‘Oh, definitely pumpkin spice,’ so we have a lot of fun,” she recalls, laughing.
Not only is it fun to come up with these new combinations, but it’s also important for the chimps! Chimpanzees are extremely intelligent, and they need to use that intelligence in order to be at their happiest and healthiest. It’s no fun to solve the same puzzles or experience the same things day after day. It’s important that the enrichment we provide stimulates cognitive function and keeps their attention like it would in the wild. Creativity in enrichment planning ensures that these retired chimps have something new to discover every day in their forever home.
Brightening the Lives of Chimps and Staff
Catharine truly shines at Project Chimps. Not only does she help organize enrichment projects, but she goes above and beyond to help staff here as well! Because of how long she’s been volunteering at the sanctuary, she’s eligible to “level up” to chimp care. But while she can volunteer pretty much anywhere, she says she’s happiest helping where she’s at!
“I love working in meal prep because it’s so important,” she explains. “Not that chimp care isn’t, but that’s part of the care staff’s daily routine. If there’s a day where there’s no volunteers to come in and do meal prep, it still has to be done. The care staff has been out since about 8:30 to feed them breakfast and get forage out for them, and they’ll come in at about 12:30 to the kitchen. If no one has been there to do meal prep, then they go to lunch with a very heavy heart because they’re thinking, ‘Oh gosh, we’ve got to do meal prep now.’”
“So, they either have to cut their lunch short, or not take lunch at all and come down to the kitchen and knock it out. Now, 5 or 6 of them in the kitchen at one time, I tell you, it’s phenomenal, because I’ve seen them do it. And they will just plow through the meal prep like nobody’s business. They can do it, but it crimps their time, and it’s time they could be focusing on something else. They take maybe a 30 minute lunch, and then they come in and spend an hour and half doing meal prep for the next day, and the next thing you know it’s 3:30 and that’s when they gather up all the dinners and head back out to the habitats. They don’t have a whole lot of time, so they definitely appreciate all the meal prep that we do.”
Making a Difference for the Chimps
It’s true — volunteers at Project Chimps make an enormous difference! Not just in brightening the lives of our staff, but for the chimps as well! And from the looks of it, the chimps brighten volunteer days too.
“The kitchen has a particularly pungent smell,” she says, laughing. “It backs up to one of the habitats, so the chimps are really right across a wall from us. We can hear them in the habitat the whole time. But we also have a really neat window, right there at the kitchen sink where we can watch them when they come out. And everything comes to a stop when they do! We all stop what we’re doing and just watch them while they’re out there.”
Advice for Future Volunteers
For those who may be interested in volunteering with us at the sanctuary, Catharine had this to say:
“I can only speak for myself and say that it is hard work, and not always fun. But once the initial training has taken place, opportunities are endless and you can pick and choose just how involved you want to get. There’s office work to help with, gardening with Project Harvest, tour guide opportunities, and one that I am looking forward to is beekeeping! Chimps love honey! There are offsite promotion events that need volunteers, including making and serving chili in various competitions. I understand we make a mean vegan chili!” she adds. “There is something for everyone!”
As for what she enjoys the most as a volunteer?
“First and foremost, I would have to say that serving the chimps is paramount to anything else,” she says. “Seeing the chimps out in the habitat from the kitchen window never gets old. They have been through so much that it makes me happy to see them enjoying themselves. The priority in everything we do is the welfare of the chimps. They come first. We’re here for them.”
“Secondly, I really enjoy working with the other volunteers. We’re such a diverse group from all different backgrounds coming together with kindred spirits. Thirdly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the awesome care staff at Project Chimps and how much I enjoy being around them. Their enthusiasm and love for the chimps is contagious, and I just love being around these young folks.”
Thankful for Volunteers
At Project Chimps, we’re so grateful to be able to work alongside so many wonderful and dedicated people every day. We have a big mission, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of every member of our team. From our leadership and administration to volunteers and interns, it’s thanks to these amazing people we can continue to provide these former research chimps a safe place to call their forever home.
Thank you for all that you do, Catharine! We’re so happy to have you here with us!
Are you interested in working with us to support former research chimpanzees as a volunteer? We’d love to have you! Check out our official volunteer page and explore some of our current opportunities!
