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Loretta

Loretta July 2021

Loretta is easily identifiable by her striking face and big, distinctive ears. She is very friendly and playful; she always runs up to the mesh to greet care staff in the mornings. She’s low ranking among her social group, but is always very patient in waiting her turn to get her food at meals and (mostly) stays out of the way of the older, more dominant chimps. She’s also a really loyal friend. Her best friends are Amy and Sarah, and the three of them take turns playing with their “babies” (stuffed animal toys). 

Loretta loves to play air hockey with toys under the doors and spending time in the habitat running around or sunbathing with her friends. She also loves onions so much that her caregivers say she’s starting to smell like one! 

Chimp Chatter Featuring Loretta

Chimp Sponsorship: Make a Difference 

June 15, 2025

By Morgan Kelly Project Chimps is the newest chimpanzee sanctuary in the United States. Read more to learn about one of the many ways you can support our efforts to provide lifelong care to chimpanzees retired from research.  Make a Difference with Project Chimps  Project Chimps currently houses, feeds, and cares for over 90 chimpanzees…

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Celebrating LORETTA’s 16th birthday! 

September 28, 2024

Loretta is a young female chimp living in Harmony villa. She’s friendly, playful, and has grown a lot in confidence over the past year.

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“Baby” Chimps

June 23, 2024

It isn’t exactly known why some of the females in harmony display motherly behaviors with their plush toys. None of them have had experience mothering young. Maybe it’s their natural instincts? Or maybe it’s just their way of having fun! Even the group alpha, Kareem gets in on the fun!

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The Role of “Auntie” in Female Chimps

May 2, 2022

Chimps have these ambiguous female figures too! Growing up without their mom, our orphaned lab chimps rely even more heavily on the guidance of older influences.
Older female chimps who take young female groupmates under their metaphorical wing, I call “aunties.” But really, they’re just old ladies showing young girls the ropes.

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Big Girls, Little Girls, Middle Girls: Female Chimps Learn From Each Other

March 11, 2022

When chimps come to sanctuary, they may be interacting with other chimps (or chimps of the opposite sex) for the first time. They may fail to understand social norms, and feel awkward, unsure, or anxious around other chimps. These interactions can be tricky because the chimps haven’t learned lessons that mom usually instills during childhood.

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Loretta FACTS

Female

Date of Birth

09/28/2008

Arrival Date

12/13/2017

Fun Facts

  • Loretta’s facial markings form the shape of a heart.

Favorite Things

Loretta loves stuffed animals, especially Curious George! She also adores onions.

SEND A GIFT

You can send this chimp a gift from our Amazon Wish List.

SPONSOR Loretta

YOUR SUPPORT

MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Harley-Loretta_inHabitat

This project would not be possible without our many generous individual supporters and volunteers. We rely on donations to fulfill our mission, including caring for our existing residents and expanding the sanctuary to accommodate those chimpanzees still waiting in the lab.

Go Back to Meet the Chimps

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