Project Chimps Earns Full Member Status in NAPSA

Project Chimps has been granted full member status in the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

The North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) is dedicated to the mission of advancing and advocating for the welfare of captive primates. This coalition of primate sanctuaries, who care for more than 700 nonhuman primates retired from the entertainment, biomedical research, and exotic pet industries, is able to speak with one unified, powerful voice on behalf of all of North America’s primate population.

“On behalf of our Steering Committee and the more than 720 primates in the care of our member sanctuaries, I am thrilled to now include Project Chimps as a full member of NAPSA,” said Erika Fleury, NAPSA program director, in a bulletin to NAPSA members.

Project Chimps is a 236-acre sanctuary nestled among the beautiful mountains of northern Georgia. The organization was founded in late 2014 by a “super group” of chimpanzee, nonprofit, philanthropic, and legal experts to solve the critical question of what would happen to the hundreds of chimps still left in private biomedical research. After months of negotiations with the University of Louisiana’s New Iberia Research Center, Project Chimps secured the agreement to permanently retire all of their chimpanzees. Today, this innovative facility provides quality care, nutrition, and enrichment to 31 chimpanzees in need and will ultimately care for more than 200.

“Project Chimps recognizes the importance of collaboration with our colleagues in the primate sanctuary community,” said Project Chimps Executive Director Ali Crumpacker. “We look forward to participating in NAPSA’s important work as full members of the organization.”

Project Chimps first joined NAPSA as an Introductory Member in 2016 and moved up to a Transitional member in 2017. Ali Crumpacker will join NAPSA’s Steering Committee and her alternate will be Laura Mayo, Project Chimps’ Manager of Chimpanzee Care.