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 to know her new surroundings, bravely venturing outdoors into the forested habitat, something she’d never had the freedom to experience before.

Moonie is a chimp who wears her heart on her sleeve and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. 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 serve her meals or when they don’t give her food items that belong to other chimps, although lately she’s been doing this less. While she loves all enrichment, she’s particularly fond of nut Kongs. She’s the first one in line when these come out at the end of the day, and because she’s one of the higher-ranking females, others will move out of her way.

Appearance-wise, Moonie’s freckly face and prominent backside make her one of the most recognizable chimps in Chimps Ahoy villa. She has so much personality and shows it through her relationships with the other chimps in her group, forming savvy ties with the other chimps and using those influences to protect herself and her alliances. After reaching elder-chimp status, Moonie joined the exclusive peanut butter cup club. At Project Chimps, elders receive a daily joint supplement most often mixed into a peanut butter cup. When Moonie got her first peanut butter cup, she did a little happy dance from all the excitement!