Inspiring Conversations with Tessa Cannon of For the Love of Primates

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tessa Cannon.  

Hi Tessa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first fell in love with primates when I volunteered at a baboon sanctuary in South Africa as an undergrad. But I didn’t know that I wanted to work specifically with sanctuary primates until I completed my master’s dissertation research. I worked at a sanctuary that housed primates who were retired from laboratory research or previously kept as pets, so they came to the sanctuary with a lot of abnormal behavior and very unique needs. Through my research I was able to see the transformative power of treating these animals as individuals – I got to witness them going from being shut down and isolated, to interacting, trusting, and just being able to be monkeys again. But with the sanctuaries that currently exist functioning at capacity, I knew I needed to not only create more space for primates to retire but to do so in a way that we could serve as a replicable example for other sanctuaries and labs across the country. I founded For the Love of Primates in 2019, the same year I started pursuing my Ph.D. at OSU. Our organization has grown so much over the past few years – we have strong education and volunteer programs, we just purchased a 60-acre property in Crookseville, OH on which we will build our sanctuary, and we are now starting to create our designs for the sanctuary. It is my goal for us to be starting the build process by the time I graduate in May 2024 and for us to retire our first primates within the next 3 years.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a nonprofit organization from the ground up hasn’t been easy. I am so thankful for our amazing Board of Directors, volunteers, donors, and mentors that have helped our organization grow. One of the greatest challenges we faced was simply finding appropriate land – it needed to be large, far away from commotion and traffic, while still being in the price range of our growing nonprofit.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For the Love of Primates is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization seeking to establish a sanctuary in Central Ohio for primates retired from laboratory research or previously kept as pets. It is our mission to give every primate a second chance through rescue, rehabilitation, and education. We aim to work in collaboration with research facilities to create retirement plans that can be built directly into their animal care practices, improving the well-being of primates while they are still in the research setting and easing their transition from research to retirement in a way that is ethical and sustainable. We currently offer numerous volunteer opportunities to individuals of all skill sets, and this will only grow once our sanctuary is up and running. Once we are open, we will offer guided educational tours to the public so they can get to know us and our animals.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Our donations certainly took a hit during the pandemic. But this forced us to really work on developing our organization internally and applying for grants. We were able to create meaningful connections with foundations and organizations all around Ohio, not just locally. Since then, we’ve been able to virtually join meetings of animal welfare organizations to talk about our mission and make plans to work together to improve the lives of animals. Covid forced us to shift our focus, but it turned out to be exactly what we needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fortheloveofprimates.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortheloveofprimatesofficial/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/fortheloveofprimates
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/for-the-love-of-primates/