Maverick seems to be a real Casanova. But he picked the most unlikely female to woo, in my opinion. Maverick has come a long way since his arrival at Project Chimps last fall. He had a bit of trouble accepting fellow male chimp Justin and needed Kirk (the alpha), Armond (the enforcer) and the sensible…

Nine months into the pandemic, it is clear that Covid-19 will be a factor long-term. That leaves sanctuaries like Project Chimps to make the decision around moving forward safely or remaining at a standstill. We have made the decision to move forward-safely. We continue to watch the bulletins coming to us from the Zoo and…

Search the internet for “chimpanzee life expectancy” and you may read that chimpanzees live 50-60 years in captivity and a little less in the wild, or something to this effect. Now search human life expectancy and you may get lost in the search results as it varies vastly among countries and cultures, but you may find that some humans can expect to live to 100-115 years now!

We have recently partnered with The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) on a new venture called the Chimpanzee SAFE Program. Chimp SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) is a collaborative effort between zoos, sanctuaries and various field partners to raise awareness of the conservation status of chimpanzees while also promoting efforts to fight the extinction of a species that we all love.

Chimpanzees see all the colors that humans see. While the chimpanzees at Project Chimps do not communicate with sign language, we know from other facilities that chimps have signed their recognition of objects, designs, and colors in murals painted in their bedrooms. We have done a few, but now are inviting YOU to participate as well.

A chimp that is playing and having a good time builds excitement levels that reach a certain threshold where it sometimes becomes aggressive behavior. Play then turns into chimps smacking each other. They are so strong that when their hands come down for a smack, they may nick each other. Sometimes a bigger wound can occur – like a fingernail might get pulled off.

It’s no secret that Kareem is a talented leader of his group of 14 chimpanzees, any of his caregivers can testify to that.

As Georgia is opening back up, we are both excited and cautious. We are excited because we have missed our community and look forward to welcoming people back on site to have an opportunity to see the chimps! We are very cautious; however, as first and foremost the health of the chimps, staff, and visitors is important to us. We will continue to monitor CDC guidelines and make adjustments to ensure the safety and health of all chimpanzees and humans involved.

In honor of Earth Day, we bring you a special update about a brand new climbing structure we just installed today in the Peachtree Habitat for the chimps! It is entirely made out of old tires that were headed to the landfill, left-over paint that was going to be discarded, about $25 worth of hardware, and Caregiver Aide Alyssa’s imagination.

We are all trying to find ways to cope with the current changes in our society. We miss our community and we hope that everyone is staying home and taking care of their families and themselves. While you cannot visit Project Chimps right now, you and your family can still be involved and stay connected to the chimps!

This past week, we brought an electric piano into several of the villas for the chimps to investigate if they chose to. Some chimps, like twins Buttercup and Charisse, were immediately interested and could not wait to tap out a few notes. Others, like Emma, were more interested in trying to take it apart. And then, there was Luke. Who was simply waiting to show off his hidden musical talent!

As the threat of the Coronavirus continues, Project Chimps’ executive director, Ali Crumpacker, outlines more of the measures we are taking to ensure the short-term and long-term health of the chimps and our Project Chimps family.

Here are some of the things we are doing now, with the caveat that the situation is extremely fluid and that some of these actions may be revised in the days and weeks to come, in keeping with government and industry recommendations.

As the world prepares for a potential Coronavirus pandemic,
so is Project Chimps.

Not only are we preparing for the potential medical threat
of the COVID-19 virus, we are also braced for the potential ripple effects of a pandemic, such as disruptions to food and medical supplies.

Here are some answers to questions about how we’re working to protect the chimps and our sanctuary team.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’re thinking about the chimps who touch our hearts.

In our February 2020 news, Executive Director Ali Crumpacker shares who her “Heart to Heart” chimp is and tells us more about Babs, the newest member of the chimpanzee sponsorship program.

This and much more is included in our February 2020 news!

The day started out routinely, with our team checking on the
chimps, feeding their breakfast and cleaning their enclosures. But then the radios start squawking as the chatter between caregivers becomes an excited cacophony.

The message finally became clear: “Leo is outside!”

Chimpanzee Caregiver Samantha Jones recounts the story of former research chimps Leo and Ray’s brave first steps into the forest at Project Chimps.