Greg was born on September 21, 1980 and came to Project Chimps on November, 20, 2019. He was one of 16 chimpanzees in a social group that includes Kirk as alpha of the Chimps Ahoy Villa.
Greg came to us from New Iberia Research Center. After 39 years in a medical research laboratory, he was here at Project Chimps just over 3 years.
Greg was the oldest chimpanzee at Project Chimps at 42 years of age. Greg was known as the grandpa of his group, with his fellow chimps giving him a lot of respect for his age and slower speed. He became very fond of the young females once they were introduced to him back in 2021 and appeared to delight in their playful antics which inspired him to become more playful himself.
As he was no longer a spry chimp, he chose to spend his habitat days just outside the villa’s door, sunning himself on the wooden platform and watching his fellow chimps run throughout the forest below. On Friday, a heavy rainstorm started off the morning, but the sun broke through, and Greg went out to sun himself. When caregivers checked on his group later in the day, Greg had returned to the enclosed porch and passed away.
A necropsy has been performed and the initial findings show he died of cardiomyopathy. There is no evidence that Greg was impacted by the bacteria that caused the deaths of two other chimps earlier this year.
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.
Greg’s remains will be cremated and laid to rest in the Remembrance Garden. The memorial site will be marked by a plaque with his name.
Donations made in memory of Greg are welcome and can be made here.
