Life, Care, and Community Inside a Primate Sanctuary with Primatologist, Andy Gray
- May 21
- 2 min read
In this second episode of The Captivity Conversation/Series 16, director of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, Andy Gray helps us rethink what captivity means for primates who arrive at sanctuary after lives shaped by the pet trade, entertainment, research, or other
human‑controlled environments. Rather than focusing on cages or enclosures, Andy invites us to consider captivity as a set of histories, traumas, and learned survival strategies that primates carry with them — and how sanctuary becomes a place where those patterns can slowly be rewritten.
Relearning Safety and Trust in a Primate Sanctuary
Many primates arrive at sanctuary with deep trauma: social deprivation, abnormal behaviours, chronic stress, and the physical consequences of inappropriate housing. Andy describes how caregivers begin with trust‑building — noticing who avoids eye contact, who seeks proximity, who watches from a distance, and who needs predictable routines. These early interactions reveal how primates begin to reclaim a sense of safety after systems that denied them control.
Choice in a Sanctuary Context
Choice is central to primate wellbeing. Andy shares how primates decide where to spend their time, which companions they prefer, when to approach caregivers, and how to participate in their own care through cooperative training. These everyday decisions form the backbone of agency in sanctuary life, helping primates rebuild confidence and express species‑typical behaviours.
Community as Care
Andy frames sanctuary as a social world, not just a refuge. Primates form friendships, alliances, avoidances, and complex group dynamics. Caregivers adapt to these social landscapes rather than imposing human expectations. Captivity becomes a shared project: humans and primates co‑creating a life that supports healing and connection.
The Emotional Labour of Sanctuary Work
Andy speaks openly about the emotional complexity of primate sanctuary care — the grief of witnessing past harm, the joy of seeing recovery, and the responsibility of supporting individuals with lifelong needs. Sanctuary work is relational work, requiring patience, humility, and a willingness to be changed by the primates themselves.
Show Notes:
Episode Two of Series 16: The Captivity Question- Transcript (linked)
Guest Bio: Amanda “Andy” Gray is the Director of NAPSA and has worked with primates since 2008, beginning as a volunteer at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute while studying Primate Behavior, Ecology, and Anthropology at Central Washington University. She earned her Master’s in Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes University, conducting research on slow lorises affected by the illegal pet trade, and later worked as a caregiver and fundraiser at several NAPSA member sanctuaries, including Save the Chimps. Most recently, she served as Program Manager for Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge Liberia, overseeing operations, strategy, and development; she now lives in Southern California with her family and two rescue dogs.
Book Recommendations: Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
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