Bruce Wagman: Inception to Actualization of Project Chimps
By Rachel Dragas
As Project Chimps celebrates its 10-year anniversary, President and Founding Board Member, Bruce Wagman, reflects on its origin and the milestones that have been achieved along the journey.
Meet Bruce Wagman
Bruce is based in California and has been a lawyer for more than 30 years, with an exclusive focus over the last 20 in the field of animal advocacy. He teaches at three Bay Area law schools and is also the co-author of a widely used animal law case book. One of his focus areas since 2004 has been chimpanzees. Reflecting on the dawn of Project Chimps (PC), Bruce recounts that he and a colleague had learned that it was possible that the University of Louisiana’s New Iberia Research Center (NIRC), the world’s largest private owner of chimpanzees, might consider the possibility of retiring chimps that were being housed for biomedical research.
“We went down there in March 2014 to meet with their team and that day began the journey to PC. We quickly incorporated as a non-profit and assembled a few board members and allies, and started our efforts to find a location that we could use as a sanctuary.” The team eventually found the site where the sanctuary is currently located and the rest is history.
Improving the lives of animals through the law
“Everything I do in my professional life is intended to improve the lives of animals.” A defining moment in Bruce’s career trajectory occurred when he was freshly out of law school and attended a conference of the American Bar Association. He joined an hour-long breakout session on animal law, which he had never heard of. “I learned about what we humans do to animals and never had a revelation quite like that in my life. I went vegan that same day and have been ever since. From that moment on, I decided I was going to do everything I could with my career to help animals.”
Bruce didn’t think that his work would expand to the extent that it did, nor did it seem very sustainable at the time. Nevertheless, he started doing pro bono work for animal causes as a lawyer. It’s been his exclusive practice and focus since 2004. “I don’t consider this work a job, it’s a calling. I do this because I have to; it’s the only thing I want to do. I feel like it’s the only thing that justifies my existence on this planet – working to save the animals.”
A Decade of Milestones
Reflecting on the dawn of Project Chimps and the decade since, Bruce recounts several milestones along the way. From getting new chimps in, to transporting them, and integrating them with each other through a comprehensive introduction process.
“It took a while to acquire the property and develop the infrastructure to safely accommodate the chimps and run the organization, but the first chimps eventually arrived in 2016.” Despite his busy schedule, Bruce endeavors to visit PC at least annually. “I wish I could go more often. It’s the most inspiring thing in the world to see what a great job the staff is doing and how well things are running.”
More than just chimps
In addition to maintaining an extremely active law practice, Bruce is also a single dad to 3 dogs and 5 cats. He also does a variety of work with various other animals including companion animals, farm animals, and wildlife including wolves, wild horses, and chimpanzees. When it comes to favorite animals, Bruce doesn’t have one. “It’s always the animal whose case I’m working on at the moment.”
Alongside his animal advocacy work, Bruce is also a live music enthusiast, and his favorite artists include everyone from Bob Dylan to Pearl Jam to Tool. “I went to 7 shows in the last 9 nights. I live just outside of San Francisco so there’s always something going on. I saw Green Day at a small club, The Fillmore, recently – I’ve been a fan since 1989.”
Bruce is also on the Boards of Marin Humane and Front Range Equine Rescue, and actively runs a program called Shelter Policy and Legal Services (PALS) for the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). “The SPCA is one of my favorite clients and it does groundbreaking lifesaving work for companion animals around the state, with far-reaching effects. They lead a coalition that brings animals up to San Francisco where they can get adopted out, and they send their staff down to areas in need to perform spay-neuter surgeries so more animals get adopted and less are in shelters. We do litigation, help shelters with legal issues, and are also involved in legislative process and getting new laws passed for bigger impact.”
What’s next?
“Our big goal at the sanctuary is to get the rest of the chimps out of NIRC and that will require us to secure some big money to pay for their housing, food, and care for the rest of their lives. I’m most excited to see that get done.” Bruce gets up every day with the goal to make change for animals in need. While there is still much work to be done, we can all play a role in continuing to push that needle forward.
Learn more about Project Chimps and ways that you can support here.
