Armond was born on November 4, 1986 and came to Project Chimps on November, 20, 2019. He was one of 18 chimpanzees in a social group that includes Kirk as alpha of the Chimps Ahoy Villa.
Armond came to us from New Iberia Research Center. After 33 years in a medical research laboratory, he was here at Project Chimps just over 2 years.
Last fall we learned that Armond had severe issues in his leg and hip areas, as we shared in this blog and knew it was only a matter of time before those issues became severely disabling. Sadly, was once again observed favoring his right leg, appearing to use his arms to steady himself to stand. Our veterinary team anesthetized him on May 4, 2022 to better assess his injuries. During this procedure, radiographs (x-rays) were taken and showed that his right femur contained a comminuted fracture. This means that the largest bone in his leg was broken in multiple places. These types of breaks are severe and recovery in these cases can take multiple surgeries followed by physical therapy, the average chimp would not likely have a successful recovery. While the decision was incredibly difficult to say goodbye, Armond was humanely euthanized. We find comfort knowing that we chose what was best for Armond.
While chimps can live into their 50s, according to the Lincoln Park Zoo ChimpDATA, the median life expectancy of a chimpanzee in captivity is 32.5 for males and 40.1 for females.
Armond’s remains will be cremated and planted with a native/fruit tree on the grounds of Project Chimps in a future Remembrance Garden. The memorial site will be marked by a plaque with his name.
Donations made in memory of Armond are welcome and can be made here.
