Leo

When Leo was only two, he, along with groupmate Hercules, was leased to a New York lab, where they were forced to walk upright in a study of locomotion. After medical testing was finally banned on chimpanzees and after much media attention about their plight, Leo and Hercules were sent back to the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) and then retired to their forever home here at Project Chimps on March 21, 2018.

One of Leo’s favorite activities is napping. After breakfast he loves to curl up in a hammock and take a nap. He also will build blanket nests. Usually he lays a few blankets down and then will curl up with one on top of himself. Leo LOVES boxes and is frequently seen carrying one (or a piece of one) around and using them in his nests.

Leo also loves to play with his caregivers. His favorite game is when he tricks us making us think is going to run in one direction and then changes course and runs in another. When we fall for it, he breathy laughs at us!

Leo loves boxes and often carries a piece of cardboard around with him. He also has started going into the outdoor habitat more frequently. He loves to greet guests at the viewing windows and watch the staff and volunteers at the kitchen window.

Chimp Chatter Featuring Leo

Chimps Leo & Ray’s Excellent Adventure

February 7, 2020

The day started out routinely, with our team checking on the
chimps, feeding their breakfast and cleaning their enclosures. But then the radios start squawking as the chatter between caregivers becomes an excited cacophony.

The message finally became clear: “Leo is outside!”

Chimpanzee Caregiver Samantha Jones recounts the story of former research chimps Leo and Ray’s brave first steps into the forest at Project Chimps.

Two Well-Known Former Research Chimpanzees Relocated to Permanent Sanctuary

March 21, 2018

Morganton, GA (March 21) — Two well-known former research chimpanzees now have a forever home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, thanks to a cooperative agreement between the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana and Project Chimps, a 236-acre sanctuary in north Georgia. Eleven-year-old Hercules and Leo joined other retired chimpanzees at the forested Project Chimps…

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Leo FACTS

Male

Date of Birth

08/31/2006

Arrival Date

03/21/2018

Fun Facts

Leo enjoys playing with the younger males in his group.

Gift Request

Leo would love to receive peanut butter that we can smear inside his favorite food puzzles.

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