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Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Do Chimps Recognize Themselves at All?

Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, meaning we share a lot in common. Self-recognition might be one of those things, because along with the other great apes, chimpanzee mirror recognition is a well-known phenomenon. They are one of the species to have passed the mirror test and even use mirrors like a human would.

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A Colorful Kitchen Mural

Project Chimps is getting a new mural for the kitchen! Olivia Schreiber has painted a visual representation of the fruits and vegetables prepared for the former research chimpanzees. This kitchen mural is a fine addition to the meal preparation area, especially since it’s one of the first places visitors first see during their tours.

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How Chimpanzees Use Tools

Out in the wild, chimpanzee tool use is necessary for their survival. It’s the same for humans and other primates as well. And just like us, chimpanzees have different cultures and tool usage depending on where they live. Different places require different innovations.

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Letter to a Future Intern

Congratulations! You are about to begin an unforgettable experience as an intern at Project Chimps. Everyone here is eager to meet you, and before long, this place will begin to feel like a second home for you. 

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Day in the Life of a Former Research Chimpanzee

Arielle is the youngest female chimpanzee at Project Chimps and is loved by the keepers for her fun quirky personality. She spends much of her time socializing with the other chimps in the Chimps Ahoy villa, using the mock termite mound, and generally causing mischief.

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Abnormal Behavior in Chimpanzees

One way sanctuaries and zoos gauge a chimp’s emotional and physical well-being is to look for signs of abnormal behavior. Abnormal or atypical behaviors are scientific terms that describe behaviors that are often indicative of stress.

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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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