Project Chimps Blog

Project Chimps’ facilities team, care staff, and dedicated volunteers have been working tirelessly to make the south yard of the outdoor habitat a fun and enriching place for the former research chimpanzees in our care. Their hard work was worth it – the chimps are thriving outdoors. And they’re having a blast!

Former research chimpanzee Harriett has a special ability that she shares with some human primates. Learn what it is and how she got her nickname from Chimpanzee Caregiver Supervisor Holly Soubiea.

As a writing major only halfway through Ithaca College, I thought that my possibilities for summer internships were limited to publishing houses, local newspapers, and marketing companies. But, that all changed when I saw a posting for a summer internship at a chimpanzee sanctuary…

Caregiver Joseph Elliot tells us about working with chimps from his perspective. “The best part about working with former laboratory chimpanzees is seeing them settle in and begin to enjoy sanctuary life.”

This inspiring, life-serving, exciting organization began as a big, some would say unrealistic, dream — and today it is a reality exceeding every hope and expectation of its founders.

After years of separation in the lab, mother and son chimps, Jill and Arthur, are reunited at the Project Chimps sanctuary for former research chimpanzees.

When a friend at her yoga studio mentioned they should raise money for a nearby sanctuary that housed chimpanzees retired from scientific testing, volunteer Megan Hume was intrigued and excited…

Project Chimps volunteer and Australian expat Gordon Hewett describes the ways human visitors serve as enrichment for former research chimpanzees during sanctuary tours.

Ryan Kennedy combines his expertise in horticulture with his passion for chimpanzees. On any given day, you’ll find Ryan bushwhacking through tall stands of invasive bamboo or climbing ladders to carefully prune native trees in the forest. His cuttings then become a major source of enrichment for former research chimpanzees.

At the Project Chimps sanctuary, our care team feeds the chimps a variety of fresh produce, the chimps don’t have to worry (like wild chimps would) where their next meal is coming from.

Volunteers are the backbone of a wildlife sanctuary like Project Chimps. On April 6, 2019, the sanctuary honored local volunteers for their more than 7,300 hours of service to former research chimpanzees in 2018.

Would you eat an Icee in the dead of winter? Chimpanzees will and they seem to love it!

Noel and the other former research chimpanzees at Project Chimps didn’t hesitate when caregivers served them giant frozen blocks of juice and other enrichment items as part of a special February celebration for the chimps.

As her love for chimpanzees grew, so did Sandi’s involvement in the day-to-day operations of the sanctuary. In addition to counting fruit, she also takes board meeting minutes, does data entry, calls donors to thank them for their support, and updates medical records for the veterinarian department.

Project Chimps took top honors at the 2018 Fire and Ice Chili Cook-off in Blue Ridge Georgia with a vegan chili recipe. Now the team returns to defend the sanctuary’s title.

Get the recipe and the whole story in our February 2019 newsletter.

Chimpanzee caregiver Jill Mullen has the best job ever – creating fun and enriching activities for former research chimps at the Project Chimps sanctuary.

Enrichment is a vital to creating a stimulating environment for the chimps who, after years in research labs, will spend the rest of their lives at the sanctuary. Enrichment can include new foods, smells and toys, and activities that provide the chimps with opportunities to forage, learn and play as they would in the wild.