Since joining The New York Times in 2021, Emily Anthes has embarked on a range of captivating articles, delving into the world of African malaria mosquitoes, video-chatting parrots, California condor parents, Covid-19-stricken deer, and even a colossal exhibit featuring 500,000 leafcutter ants. It’s clear that animals hold a special place in her heart as a science reporter. When she recently visited a chimpanzee sanctuary in June, the connection between human nature and animal instinct became impossible to ignore.
Ms. Anthes’s words perfectly capture the essence of it all: “Even if we can’t know exactly what happens in their minds, they have a lot of similar experiences to humans.” The visit to Chimp Haven in Keithville, La., a sanctuary for retired chimpanzees from biomedical research, provided Ms. Anthes and photographer Emil T. Lippe with an opportunity to explore how the sanctuary prepares its residents for severe and unpredictable weather. Staff members employ various techniques, such as using noises from cowbells or sound machines, to coax the chimps from the forest into shelter. The aim is to condition the chimps so that they have a routine response to storms.
Just days after Ms. Anthes’s visit, a severe thunderstorm struck, toppling trees and rendering roads around Keithville impassable. This event brought a renewed sense of urgency to the staff’s mission of protecting the chimps in an increasingly volatile climate, and became a central theme in Ms. Anthes’s article.
In an interview, Ms. Anthes discusses her reporting trip and the significance of comparing animal vulnerabilities to our own. She shares her preparation process for a longer narrative article, which involves creating a bullet-point list of questions in advance. While out in the field, she immerses herself in the atmosphere, meticulously observing and collecting sensory details. When conducting interviews, she aims to elicit those same sensory experiences from her subjects. In this particular case, however, it was her responsibility to capture and notice those details firsthand.
Reflecting on her experience at the sanctuary, Ms. Anthes notes that the severe thunderstorm that affected the chimps did not occur during her visit. She was completely unaware of the impending storm and had no idea that it would be integral to the narrative structure of her article. Despite this, she mentions that the weather on the day of her visit was already quite tumultuous.
Considering the human staff members who care for the chimps and the impact extreme weather can have on both humans and animals, Ms. Anthes emphasizes the importance of taking precautions. The sanctuary staff prioritizes the safety of both the chimps and themselves, recognizing that sometimes they have very little time to react in the face of sudden severe weather events.
When it comes to writing about animals, Ms. Anthes acknowledges the fine line between attributing too many human-like qualities and respecting their distinct nature. From a scientific standpoint, anthropomorphizing animals is discouraged since they have their own unique ways of existing and moving through the world. However, she finds value in drawing parallels between animal experiences and human life, as it allows readers to better connect with the subjects of her articles, regardless of their non-human nature.
Ms. Anthes concludes by noting that animals, particularly chimpanzees due to their close genetic ties to humans, likely share numerous experiences with us. Considering their complex social bonds and hierarchies, it’s not far-fetched to imagine that chimps, similar to humans, may feel nerves or fear during storms. The similarities between our experiences and theirs are remarkable, and indeed, it would be surprising if they didn’t possess experiences that closely align with our own.
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