Save the Chimps Sanctuary – in the Spotlight
I love this sanctuary!
My mom also loved this sanctuary.
For those of you who are not familiar with Save the Chimps, you are in for a treat.
Save the Chimps is one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world and house more than 220 chimpanzees.
The sanctuary is in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
The warm weather and humid climate are ideal for chimps and is similar to the climate they would experience in Africa.
The sanctuary’s mission is to provide refuge and outstanding care to chimpanzees in need.
Save the Chimps offers life-long care for chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, the pet trade, and the entertainment industry.
Chimpanzees deserve to live free from exploitation and endangerment is the sanctuary’s core belief.
The chimps at this sanctuary are getting a second chance at life.
They live in large family groups on 12 separate 3-to-5 acre islands.
The lakes around the islands are natural barriers so the chimps are contained without bars and cages.
• Did you know that chimps can’t swim due to their body structure and muscle mass?
Before living at Save the Chimps, most of their residents lived alone in small, confined cages for decades.
The islands give the chimps choices and control over their own lives, something many of their residents had never experienced.
• Did you know that chimps typically live for 40-60 years?
Some of the chimps live in the sanctuary’s Special Needs facility.
Every need has been carefully thought out.
The sanctuary employs three full-time veterinarians, as well as three full-time certified veterinary technicians and two full-time veterinary/pharmacy assistants.
Even hurricanes were considered when constructing the sanctuary.
Hurricane Ian was a recent, large, destructive Category 4 hurricane that hit Florida this year.
Thousands lost their pets, homes, and cars.
Hurricane Ian caused 139 fatalities in Florida.
How has Save the Chimps prepared for an unimaginable weather threat such as Ian?
The chimps’ indoor living areas are built to withstand hurricanes.
If a hurricane threatens, the chimps are all locked indoors.
Food, water, and other supplies are stocked.
• Did you know that chimpanzees grow to be seven times stronger than an adult human male?
The definition of enrichment is: The action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something.
Save the Chimps provides an enriched outdoor environment which allows the chimps to roam, visit with friends, bask in the sun, or curl up in the shade.
Enrichment encourages captive chimpanzees to be active and to problem solve.
These freedoms provide them with the dignified and peaceful retirement they have always deserved.
• Did you know that chimpanzees experience emotions such as: joy, grief, anger, sorrow, pleasure, boredom, and depression?
Caleb
Here come the holidays!
Wondering what to give a child or grandchild for a holiday gift?
How about symbolically adopting a chimp?
Your annual adoption helps the sanctuary maintain your chimp’s beautiful island home and provide the many enrichment toys and activities that fulfill their lives.
What do you give someone who has everything?
You can quit taxing your brain.
Adopting a chimp or chimp family of your choosing makes the perfect unique gift for a friend or loved one for any occasion!
All the chimp’s pictures are on the website along with their profiles, so the choices are many.
Give a gift certificate.
The recipient will be able to redeem the gift certificate for any of the chimpanzee residents or families.
Every year in November, Save the Chimps had a fund raiser which involved bidding on original chimp art.
I had such fun last year bidding on my favorite art pieces.
I was successful with one piece of art but I found myself in a bidding war with a fellow over a painting Ricky, one of the Save the Chimps residents, painted.
Ricky’s Painting
I won the bid and purchased the painting.
Ricky is 40, his birthday is 5/5/1982, and he was rescued from the Pet Trade.
Ricky’s favorite things are hammocks, shirts, and painting.
I thought he had great color choices (picked his own colors) and had a good sense of balance and layout.
The painting now resides in my home office.
They will be hosting their All Things Chimp Auction again this year November 11th-20th.
Visit savethechimps.org/events to stay up to date.
Wonderful News – The Sunrise Seven Have Arrived Safely
I always love to share great news in the animal rescue world.
Many animals are rescued each day by animal shelters and animal sanctuaries.
The following is another true story of love and dedication to animal welfare.
As you read, keep in mind the effort that went into this rescue.
They say, “It takes a village…”, and it did.
Just last month Save the Chimps announced that they would be rescuing seven chimpanzees from the former Wildlife Waystation in California.
They are happy to announce that the chimps are here in Florida and settling into their new home at Save the Chimps sanctuary.
The seven—Vanilla, Shake, Cayleb, Ernesta, Jacob, Jeff, and Magic—are among the last chimpanzees rescued from the Wildlife Waystation, a refuge in California that went out of business in 2019 and has been threatened by wildfires.
FedEx Cares transported the chimps free of charge to Save the Chimps.
FedEx Cares transported the chimps free of charge to Save the Chimps
It took the dedication of many, and your support, for these chimpanzees to make the cross-country journey to their new home at Save the Chimps.
Save the Chimps’ staff Jestine Sall and Skye Conners drove to California with transfer boxes customized by their maintenance department to safely meet the standards to transport the chimps via airplane.
They were flown free of charge by FedEx from L.A. to Orlando via Memphis and then driven in a climate-controlled truck donated by Pero Family Farms to Fort Pierce.
Save the Chimps’ veterinarian, Dr. Anne Meyer, and Curator, Deanna Jenkins accompanied the chimpanzees on their journey to provide care and monitor their health.
Upon arriving at Save the Chimps, all seven chimpanzees explored their new play yards.
Ernesta and Jeff immediately started making nests in the hay, a sign that they were comfortable in their new surroundings.
“The chimps are adjusting very well to their new home and have already made new friends,” says Save the Chimps CEO Ana Paula Tavares. “We are immensely grateful to FedEx and Pero Family Farms for their help in this emergency rescue.”
The urgent transfer was orchestrated by the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) in conjunction with the California Fish & Wildlife Department, which assumed control of the shuttered wildlife facility three years ago.
NAPSA’s emergency “Chimps In Need” fundraising campaign made possible the transfer of the Sunrise Seven and dozens of other chimpanzees from the closed compound.
In addition to helping with this transport, Pero Family Farms donates fresh produce to Save the Chimps residents each week.
Jacob enjoys peppers donated by Pero Family Farms
The seven residents will go through quarantine in the special needs play yards, a standard for any new chimpanzees arriving to Save the Chimps.
Then they will be slowly introduced into a larger family group, providing them with a family structure similar to what they would experience in the wild.
Family groups live on 3-to-5 acre islands attached to indoor housing, giving them freedom of choice in how they’d like to spend their days.
Save the Chimps sanctuary looks forward to giving these chimpanzees lifelong care in sanctuary and updating you on their progress as they segue into their new lives.
Save the Chimps has made a commitment to care for these chimpanzees for the rest of their lives.
Your one-time or recurring donation will help them provide the chimps with the dignified retirement they deserve including nutritious food, individualized medical care, engaging enrichment, and maintenance of their home.
What a story!
Save the Chimps is closed to the public except for Member Days, Chimpathon, their annual Caregiver Society event, or tours by invitation only.
Save the Chimps is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
As with most rescue facilities or sanctuaries, the greatest need is always money.
No donation amount is too small.
Save the Chimps does not currently receive government funding.
Many people are unaware of Save the Chimps and the good that they do.
Check out their website at savethechimps.org or on all social media @savethechimps.
Check out their history.
Please visit their donation page online.
They also have a wish list which has needed enrichment items, household items, facility needs/capital equipment, and toys.
Before you go, be sure to sign up for my mailing list here, so you don’t miss my weekly updates:
Great article. Love Jacob eating the red pepper.
What a wonderful place for the chimps to live out their days
Thanks for appt lighting them
Glad you enjoyed the posting. These chimps have had a hard life. Save the Chimps Sanctuary lets them retire in peace and tranquility. Thanks for your comments.
What a great organization!
Yes, Save the Chimps is a great organization. When the chimps are first released at the Sanctuary, some don’t know what grass is because their former life was always in a cage. The are so happy when the get to run around, climb things, and play. Thank you for your comment!