Jamie was born on August 6, 1989, and came to Project Chimps after 29 years in a research lab environment on August 29, 2018. She was one of 15 chimpanzees in a social group residing in the Dorothy Jo and Tilly Villa (DJ&T). Not much is known about Jamie’s origin through her time in research but, once here in sanctuary, she established herself as a mid- to high-ranking female within her group.
She had just celebrated her 36th birthday in August.
After she was diagnosed with (and treated for) chronic kidney disease in 2020, Jamie seemed quite stable until earlier this year when she started losing weight despite eating well. Care staff also noticed her to be slowing down in terms of energy.
“We increased her daily allowance of chimp chow and, while she ate it eagerly, she didn’t regain any weight,” Veterinary Medical Director, Dr. Jenny Jaffe said. “No improvement was seen on pain medication, suggesting arthritis wasn’t the problem. Her gums had become noticeably paler as well, most likely due to anemia, which would also contribute to her lack of energy. She started receiving iron supplements but her gums remained pale. She was clearly suffering from a chronic progressive condition and, from August, we started monitoring her quality of life closely. She remained stable and with a healthy appetite up until early October when a clear change was seen. She was no longer interested in the food items she had enjoyed before and with even less energy. In this final period, we spoiled her with special treats, which she still took willingly, while preparing to say goodbye. All care staff, both newer and those who had cared for Jamie from her very start at Project Chimps, were very fond of her and are finding this a tough time.”
Grief counseling is being brought in for the staff in an effort to manage the loss in a healthy way.
While chimps can live into their 50’s, according to the Lincoln Park Zoo ChimpDATA, the median life expectancy of a chimpanzee in captivity is roughly 32 years for males and 40 for females.
Jamie was part of the sixth group to make the move to the Blue Ridge Mountains. She traveled from New Iberia, Louisiana, to sanctuary in August of 2018 alongside Haylee, Jill, Krystal, Precious, Sophia, Tiffany, Torian, Tristen and her best friend Jurita.
Jill passed away in 2023.
“When she first arrived in sanctuary, Jamie would go wild over food and juice,” Veterinarian Assistant Joseph Elliott said in 2019. “If she saw juice in my hands, she’d immediately start blowing raspberries or grunting to get my attention. Six months later, I started to notice that, when we passed out food to her group, she wasn’t as insistent about getting her share. That was a very positive indicator that she was settling in and starting to trust us.”
Along with the chimps mentioned above, alpha Patrick as well as Arthur, Josh, Marlon, Quintin and Taz will miss Jamie, a mainstay of the DJ&T group for over seven years.
Her remains will be cremated and entombed in the Project Chimps Remembrance Garden, a place to honor the former research lab chimpanzees who have passed away while in sanctuary.
Renal disease is the second leading cause of chimpanzee mortality.
Donations made in memory of Jamie are welcomed and can be made by going to projectchimps.org/donate
