“Precious” and Nine Female Research Chimpanzees Relocated to Permanent Sanctuary

After 28 years in a lab, “Precious,” a female research chimpanzee with chronic kidney disease, reached permanent retirement in a forested sanctuary in the Blue Ridge Mountains yesterday. There, she will live the remainder of her life with the opportunity to climb trees in a forest, forage under an open sky and, eventually, choose her own friends.

Precious, a 28-year-old former research chimpanzee, will live out her live at the Project Chimps sanctuary in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Precious, and nine other female chimpanzees, ranging in age from 8 to 29, are the newest residents of Project Chimps, a 236-acre sanctuary for former research chimpanzees, located in north Georgia. Other chimpanzees in the group are Jurita, 29; Jamie, 29; Jill, 28; Torian, 10; Tiffany, 10; Tristen, 9; Sophia, 9; Krystal, 8; and Haylee, 8.

The group came to Project Chimps from the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) in Louisiana, which retired them from research in 2015. They joined 39 other chimps that had been relocated to the sanctuary from NIRC over the past two years. Together, NIRC and Project Chimps are working to relocate more than 200 chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary under a cooperative agreement.

“With the arrival of Precious and her nine group mates, we are another step closer to our shared vision with the New Iberia Research Center of all the chimpanzees living in the tranquil Blue Ridge Mountains,” said Ali Crumpacker, executive director of Project Chimps.

The group made the 14-hour journey from NIRC to Project Chimps in a special transport trailer made possible by funding from the American Anti-Vivisection Society and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, arriving Wednesday evening. Project Chimps’ trained caregivers quickly transferred them into a large group enclosure named Chimps Ahoy Villa, made possible by Kat Von D.

After an initial 30-day adjustment period, the group will have their first opportunity to explore the sanctuary’s six-acre, forested outdoor habitat. Project Chimps officials hope that the increased opportunity for exercise along with an expanded diet of fresh fruits and vegetables will prolong Precious’ life in sanctuary.

“Our team is prepared to provide the extra attention Precious will need to monitor her health and provide supportive care,” said Crumpacker, adding, “While there is no cure, we expect her to live very comfortably with us.”

According to Crumpacker, the sanctuary’s veterinarian and chimpanzee care team will work to provide Precious optimal medical care. She will be encouraged to cooperatively volunteer for routine blood tests through positive reinforcement training. The care team will closely monitor her fluid in-take and weight to ensure optimum health.

The average lifespan for chimpanzees in captivity is 32 years, according to figures provided by the Lincoln Park Zoo, though some live longer than 50 years.

Many of the chimpanzees coming to Project Chimps from NIRC were part of a breeding program. As a result, several of the new arrivals are related to other chimpanzees already in residence at Project Chimps. Some of the chimpanzees are mothers, aunts, cousins, siblings and half siblings to existing residents. Precious, for example, is the mother of nine-year-old Loretta, who came to the sanctuary in December 2017. Because many of the chimpanzees lived separately in the lab, however, it is likely that they would not recognize their immediate relatives, according to Crumpacker.

This is the sixth group of chimpanzees to make the journey from NIRC to Project Chimps since the sanctuary welcomed its first residents in September 2016. Project Chimps is entirely privately funded and is working to raise funds to build the additional indoor/outdoor habitats needed to accommodate the chimpanzees remaining at NIRC.

According to Crumpacker, her team is nearing the completion of the sanctuary’s first phase, constructing the last of five indoor/outdoor chimpanzee group homes that surround a forested, six-acre, outdoor habitat. When complete, Phase One will accommodate approximately 80 chimpanzees. Site preparation is underway for Phase Two, which will progressively accommodate another 150 chimpanzees within three additional habitats.

Crumpacker is also raising funds for the chimpanzees’ ongoing care and feeding, which costs approximately $22,000 per year per chimp.

Project Chimps is a sanctuary and therefore not open to the public except for limited engagements. The next opportunity for members of the public to visit the sanctuary will be May 2019 when Project Chimps hosts its bi-annual “Discovery Days” event, which includes educational activities and ticketed tours of the sanctuary. More information is available at projectchimps.org.

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Project Chimps is the newest chimpanzee sanctuary in the United States and was founded to provide lifetime exemplary care to more than 200 former research chimpanzees at its sanctuary on 236 acres of forested land in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia. Project Chimps is a program supported by The Humane Society of the United States, and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). The sanctuary has achieved Guidestar Platinum status and is a member of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA).