Moonie

After more than 28 years living in a research lab environment, Moonie arrived at Project Chimps on November 6, 2019. She wasted no time getting used to her new surroundings, bravely venturing outdoors into the forested habitat, something she’d never had the freedom to experience before. 

It’s also a little bit of a family affair here in Morganton as Moonie’s daughter Harriett also calls Project Chimps home, having arrived a year prior to her mother. Sadly, like other mother/daughter pairs such as Rosemary and Chloe as well as Precious and Loretta, Moonie and Harriett were likely separated at the time of birth and would not have known each other. As an unfortunate result, they’re a part of separate groups. But at least they’re here, living in sanctuary, for the rest of their lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

Moonie is a chimp who wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s never afraid to let her group mates and caregivers know how she’s feeling. She’ll spit through her teeth or knock the mesh with the back of her hand when she feels like the humans are taking too long to provide a meal. In addition, she’ll also chastise some of the younger females in her group if she sees them getting food in her vicinity when she has yet to receive hers. Moonie is one of the few females in the Chimps Ahoy Villa that will occasionally challenge Lindsey, the group’s highest ranking female. Now, whether or not she’s making the best decisions when challenging Lindsey is up for debate but you cannot deny that Moonie has confidence, determination and lots of personality.