Cedar Tree
Spit and Spatter
A well-known behavior of chimpanzees is their act of spitting and, you guessed it – throwing poop. But why do they spit and spatter?
Read MoreA Harvest for chimpanzees
There’s no denying that chimps love to eat! Here at Project Chimps, their diet consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. In addition to daily breakfast and dinner services where each chimp gets a full meal, caretakers also scatter different food items like cabbage, nuts, seeds, carrots and tomatoes over their enclosures for lunch and dinner enrichment. This allows the chimps to engage in one of their natural behaviors — foraging.
Read MoreIs there such thing as “too much napping”?
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.
Read MoreThe Art of Nest Building
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.
Read MoreHealth Update: Latricia (Jan 2021)
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.
Read MoreHealth Update: Gertrude (Jan 2021)
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.
Read MoreArtist Spotlight: Jaye Mullins
“I just wanted to give the chimps something back because they have given so much to humankind,” said Jaye Mullins, volunteer mural artist.
Read MoreLuke discovers his hidden musical talent
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!
Read MoreChimps Watch the “Human Parade”
Project Chimps volunteer and Australian expat Gordon Hewett describes the ways human visitors serve as enrichment for former research chimpanzees during sanctuary tours.
Read MoreSeeing the Forest for the Chimps
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.
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