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Love at First Sight for Jill Nielsen

Jill’s story of getting involved with Project Chimps was one of ‘love at first sight.’ When she visited the sanctuary years ago, she knew she had both the passion and education to help the chimps in a way not many others could.

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Winterizing a Villa

Chimp in front of panel

By Amber Camacho Winter is officially here and the staff have winterized the chimps’ villas to be ready for Old Man Winter to come knocking. It Takes a Villa I had the opportunity to be a small help with creating our new winterization material, as we test the chimp-durability of a high-grade marine plastic in…

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Chimps Leo & Ray’s Excellent Adventure

The day started out routinely, with our team checking on the
chimps, feeding their breakfast and cleaning their enclosures. But then the radios start squawking as the chatter between caregivers becomes an excited cacophony.

The message finally became clear: “Leo is outside!”

Chimpanzee Caregiver Samantha Jones recounts the story of former research chimps Leo and Ray’s brave first steps into the forest at Project Chimps.

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Focus on Chimps

Chimpanzee Lucky sitting among fallen leaves

Project Chimps sanctuary now hosts a one-day wildlife photography workshop. In the first session, held in Oct. 2019, eight participants get to went behind the scenes to photograph chimpanzees in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Working fast and furious to help chimps

chimp sits in a blue hanging barrel

It was a warm spring morning and Christy Jellets was waste deep in muddy water. The dirty liquid roiled around her as she worked, hands well below the surface and out of sight, to repair a clogged culvert at Project Chimps.

While her team members were busy welding chimpanzee enclosures and clearing fallen brush, Christy noticed a job that needed immediate attention. So she jumped in…

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The 2010s: Our Legacy for Research Chimps

Former research chimpanzee Kareem

As we swing our way into the second Roaring 20s, we look back at the accomplishments made for captive research chimpanzees in the 2010s.

In 2010, the European Union banned testing on great apes, a full five years before the United States would follow suit, making the U.S. the last country in the so-called “developed world” to end testing on chimpanzees.

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Chimpanzee Maverick Braves the Danger Zone

Chimpanzee Maverick at Project Chimps

Mid-ranking male chimpanzee Maverick went right into the “danger zone” this week as two new males joined his social group of eight. Introducing new males into an existing chimpanzee society can be risky business, all Tom Cruise puns aside, so the chimpanzee care team at Project Chimps created a tactical plan for bringing the males together.

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Chimps Living in Harmony

Group of six chimpanzees sitting on a wood climbing structure outdoors

Project Chimps’ facilities team, care staff, and dedicated volunteers have been working tirelessly to make the south yard of the outdoor habitat a fun and enriching place for the former research chimpanzees in our care. Their hard work was worth it – the chimps are thriving outdoors. And they’re having a blast!

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