Celebrate GERTRUDE’s 20th birthday!

According to the Natural Museum of Natural History, chimpanzees share 98.8 percent of DNA with human beings. So it shouldn’t surprise anybody that, if you only like apples without the peel, chimps can be just as particular. In Gertrude‘s case, she’s the only resident of the Cedar Tree Villa that won’t accept food from the hopper. Over her seven and a half years living in the Blue Ridge Mountains, caregivers have learned that, in order to give her chow, fruit or vegetables, it must come through an opening at the bottom of the door. Any other delivery method just will not do for Gertrude! 

As you can imagine, she’s very expressive and will sometimes throw undesirable items at the staff. “Gertie” and her sister Jennifer sometimes refuse to leave a room during shifting making it trickier for caregivers to get access. 

Gertrude’s close circle of friends consists of Gracie, Latricia, Jennifer and Samira. Her constant companionship can make up-close observations of her a little more challenging as she’s always in the center of her circle. 

She was 12 when she arrived at sanctuary and, today, she celebrates her 20th birthday! We hope you’ll join us in wishing one of our originals, Gertrude, a very happy birthday. If you’d care to send her a birthday gift, check out our Amazon Wish List for ideas… with juice being a good starting point.