Blog Post
Enrichment Committee Facilitator: Meet Human Jill
Project Chimps has amazing donors that bring, or send, items we use for making our enrichment. The chimps receive a morning enrichment, a themed enrichment, and evening enrichment daily. Many of these items are made from your everyday “trash” that we in turn treasure. Learn more about the Enrichment Committee today.
Read MoreDreams Come True at Project Chimps
Dreams come true at Project Chimps.
Just ask Janice Hudson-Huff, 60, who spoke about how the non-profit has helped her realize her own.
New Reproductive Health Device for Chimps
A team of students at Georgia Tech is working with Project Chimps to develop a unique device. The device would collect and store chimp semen samples to help with reproductive health. Why are these samples important for sanctuaries? What makes this device so innovative? Read on to find out.
Read MoreVolunteer Spotlight: Gail Dufresne
Gail and her husband, Joe, have become critical pieces of the Project Chimps mission over the last several years. Joe Dufresne, DDS, volunteers for any dental work the 82 chimps may need and assists in maintenance around campus at other times. Gail, who comes in weekly, is assigned to whichever area of the non-profit she is needed in that day.
Read MoreFeeding A Shy Chimp
Torian’s caution influences her eating habits. She waits for all the other chimps to be fed before she’ll come get food. As Samantha describes it, “she’s going to wait until everything is gone before she gets a chance to lick the crumbs off the floor.”
Read MoreMeet Purple Shirt, Debbie Barton
Debbie’s attire gives her instant recognition in the kitchen, where all the chimps’ meals are prepared a day ahead of time. She uses her countless hours of experience to guide the newer volunteers toward how they can best assist in the mission of Project Chimps today.
Read MoreStop Keeping Pet Chimps
By Kat West We can all agree that chimps are cute. But we also know they are wild animals and shouldn’t be kept as pets. Not everyone understands this, however. Although it’s illegal in many countries like the U.K. it is still legal in the United States. The Captive Primate Safety act aims to change…
Read MoreThe Role of “Auntie” in Female Chimps
Chimps have these ambiguous female figures too! Growing up without their mom, our orphaned lab chimps rely even more heavily on the guidance of older influences.
Older female chimps who take young female groupmates under their metaphorical wing, I call “aunties.” But really, they’re just old ladies showing young girls the ropes.
Chimp Faces: Noticing & Reading Facial Expressions
Caregiver Aide Mackenzie explains the importance of closely observing the chimps, saying, “With the chimps we have to watch very carefully to determine how they’re feeling.” Staff must develop an understanding of the chimps’ baseline body and facial expressions so they can tell when something is ‘off’.
Read MoreLove at First Sight for Jill Nielsen
Jill’s story of getting involved with Project Chimps was one of ‘love at first sight.’ When she visited the sanctuary years ago, she knew she had both the passion and education to help the chimps in a way not many others could.
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