Project Chimps Blog

Grooming is a highly important task for chimpanzees. By observing their techniques and behaviors when grooming, we are able to understand chimpanzees better, as well as ourselves.

The chimp trail system has been many years in the making. Its strengths lie in its accessibility, safety, and navigability.

We all have these preconceived notions of what we think we know about chimps, myself included. It’s not our fault, really; we only know what we are taught. But trust me when I say that no carefully crafted nature documentary or Hollywood film could do them any justice.

“Kareem’s Dream.” That’s what artist Leslie Kneisel dubbed the eye-catching mural she painted inside the newly-renovated Dorothy Jo & Tilly Villa at Project Chimps. Her work combines a colorful, expansive forest scene with elements of Project Chimps’ outdoor habitat. It also features its namesake, Kareem, one of the sanctuary’s most notable residents. “The chimps have…

In the chimp world, females control a lot. Even though chimps live in a patriarchal hierarchy, the girls have a lot of influence. This understanding allows us to perceive chimp life and how it works.

Chimps, like humans, enjoy a good movie. Their abilities to comprehend films helps us understand chimpanzees and how they think.

Frances Millgard celebrated an extraordinary milestone in an extraordinary place. Frances, a resident of Young Harris, Ga., spent her 103rd birthday getting her first up close and personal look at chimpanzees during a tour of the Project Chimps sanctuary on March 7. She and her son, Jack, were given a guided tour around the forested habitat, stopping to view chimps at observation windows.

Napping is a daily routine for chimpanzees. Every day is different depending on their activities. By observing their napping behaviors, we are able to understand the chimps a bit better.

Every chimp living at Project Chimps is unique. They all have different personalities, each has their own particular routines, and they even have various tastes for foods. However, one thing all chimps can agree on; white grape juice is not the same as red grape juice.

Where might you find a chimp dentist? One is closer than you might think! Like a lot volunteers at Project Chimps, Dr. Joe Dufresne wears many hats. On an average day, you might find him painting or helping with some other type of maintenance work, and he has even served as the driver of the transport truck that brings new chimpanzees to the sanctuary.

There is normally not a lot of space in this area of the ear so when it fills, it can be very tight and cause an uncomfortable amount of pressure. If due to trauma, there could be bacteria trapped inside and potentially lead to an abscess. As the body tries to fix itself, it sends a lot of its helper white blood cells and tries to remove the blood and repair the aural hematoma.

Just like humans decorating a bedroom, chimps create their own spaces too. Each chimp has a specific preference when creating their nests. Knowing this helps us understand unique qualities among chimps and their habits.

In early November Trish’s swell became quite enlarged and as stated, that is not unusual; a very large swell can be natural depending on where the chimp is in her cycle. But Trish stopped eating some of her food, which was our first sign that she was not ok. Upon closer inspection, her swelling was not even, and we believed she had an abscess.

Gertrude has a history of abscesses (four have been observed since arriving at Project Chimps in 2016) and they have always resolved on their own without further intervention. But four in four years is too frequent to be coincidence and the pattern had to be investigated.

Chimpanzee populations are now under more distress than ever before. A population that once totaled more than 1 million now teeters around 200,000. What can you do to help?