![]() The good news is that the second MRI showed that her condition was not getting worse. Her symptoms were possibly changing because, as she was aging, hormones were coming in to play. So we have been attempting to mitigate the seizures through medication. The only times she would get upset was when a big rig would pass us on the road. I imagine an eighteen-wheeler out of nowhere, when you've never seen one before, would be pretty darn frightening. Once we got to the vet school, she took a voluntary hand injection to be anesthetized for her procedure. Nori was amazing. She voluntarily went into a transport crate for each trip and watched out the window as trees and clouds whizzed by. State for MRIs to diagnose and monitor her epilepsy. The vets scheduled two trips to the vet school at N.C. It took a while before her "quirks" led to more concerning symptoms, like staring into space, looking disoriented, or losing her balance. So we just thought she was a nut (we weren't wrong about that), which made me laugh and love her just a little bit more. She would then run off and act like a weirdo, dangling upside down by her feet or putting toys on her head. When Nori was five she started showing her first symptoms of epilepsy. Honestly, we didn't even realize what was happening. She would just blink really hard while she was eating. Nori mourned, but she was always so resilient, and nothing could keep that kid down for long. As Nori got a bit older, she became more of a trouble maker, testing her limits, seeing what she could get away with, and sorting out her place in the hierarchy. Some saw her as a bully or brat, but I just love her strong nature. Nori had typical accidents that any rambunctious, curious youngster might, leading to a swollen arm from a spider or snake bite and surgery for a broken arm. And then Terry passed away in her sleep from old age. Once Nori was reintroduced to the troop, she was adopted by our oldest female, Terry, who cared for Nori as if she were her own, and the next few years were pretty typical for a young chimp. Nori was the sweetest little thing. When any chimp was upset, Nori was the first to run over, embrace them and offer comfort. And thus, my undying love for Nori was born. This is social learning that's important for young females about to embark on motherhood. Unfortunately, when Nori was born, Maki didn't nurse Nori and spent less and less time holding her baby to keep her warm and protected. We were very reluctant to pull Nori to be hand-reared by humans, as chimps are always our number one choice for raising an infant chimp. But it became clear that Nori was not going to make it unless we intervened. For the next four months, staff and neo-natal volunteers took shifts caring for Nori 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At sixteen years old, she had never witnessed another chimp raise their young. Nori's mother, Maki, was an inexperienced mother. Some of them just stand out for whatever reason. For me, it's usually the underdog. And poor baby Nori was an underdog from the day she was born. I'm only into the first paragraph, and I've already said it three times, so buckle up y'all.Īs zookeepers, we love every one of our animals under our care. In the final cut, however, I only said it TWICE. So I'm writing this blog to make sure that everyone knows that I love this chimp so much (and maybe to answer some questions you might have after watching the show). Apparently, I said that I loved her about ten times. I've been getting a lot of flack lately since the Nat Geo WILD producers showed some of our managers the first cut of the episode of Secrets of the Zoo: North Carolina featuring Nori's story. Oh, Nori, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. ![]() Written by: Jenni Campbell, Zookeeper, North Carolina Zoo ![]() Update: Nori sadly passed away in 2022 and will be remembered for her enduring spirit
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |