Eternal Gratitude

Christmas has come early this year at Project Chimps, and it keeps coming and coming! Every morning as I begin work, I am almost always greeted by countless boxes outside my door, filled with generous in-kind donations from our amazing supporters. Ever since the chimps arrived at the sanctuary, we’ve been blown away by the outpouring of support for us, and most importantly, for the chimps. As our first residents embark on this new chapter in their lives at Project Chimps, they truly have no idea how many people are standing by, cheering them on.

As the person who typically gets to open all of our mailed-in donations, I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning opening presents, waiting to see what goodies are in store. If I feel like a kid on Christmas, I can’t even begin to imagine the joy and excitement our chimp friends feel as they receive these new toys and enrichment items from you all. Thanks to these in-kind donations, the chimps are exposed to new toys, foods, and experiences every day at Project Chimps. By far, the best part of my day when working with the chimps is setting up enrichment and putting out new toys after we’ve cleaned their enclosure. As we open the door to the newly cleaned enclosure, I love to hear their pant hoots as they each scurry around, picking up their new toys and foraging for the snacks we hid in their rooms. I love to hear their food grunts through a mouthful of chow and fresh produce. Those are the sounds of happy chimps.

Just like humans, our chimp friends are each drawn to different toys, foods, and enrichment items. Latricia loves to string her blankets through her yellow school bus so she can carry it around more easily. Emma has become practically inseparable with her purple Kong plushie toy. The somewhat shy Samira turns into a clown if you show her a mirror, and Charisse takes claim of almost every stuffed animal she comes across. The fact of the matter is that we couldn’t provide all these new and exciting experiences without the help of our supporters. The outpouring of love and support that we’ve received from our community of followers all over the world has been nothing short of heartwarming. All of the chimps and humans at Project Chimps thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

If you’re interested in making an in-kind donation to Project Chimps, please check out our Amazon Wish List here: https://amzn.com/w/2PQK9PM11IABM