Please join us in celebrating this Precious anniversary!

It’s a Precious anniversary, indeed. Precious and nine other former research chimpanzees made it to sanctuary at Project Chimps one year ago today!

Jurita, Jamie, Jill, Precious, Torian, Tiffany, Sophia, Tristen, Krystal and Haylee retired to the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains and have thrived ever since.

When they arrived on that warm summer day, our caregivers were eager to get to know them. We are grateful for our cooperative agreement with the University of Louisiana’s New Iberia Research Center, where the chimps come from, but other than basic medical information, we knew little about them. A year later, our caregivers know them very well.

Jurita, 30, is the oldest female in sanctuary and is clearly the alpha of her group. She’s a strong leader and reassures lower-ranking chimps, like Krystal, in times of stress.

Precious, 29, has kidney disease and we’re pleased to report that her health is stable. She participates in training for our voluntary wellness program so in the near future caregivers will be able to draw her blood and test her urine to monitor her health.

Haylee, 9, remains the youngest female in the sanctuary. With her long, lanky legs, she’s easy to spot out in the Peachtree Habitat. She and Tristen, 10, clung to one another when they first arrived in sanctuary, but they’ve become more and more confident and are now better friends with 10-year-old Sophia and others in the group.

Jamie, 30, has become calmer and more trusting of her caregivers, according to Chimpanzee Caregiver Tawnya. She and caregiver Joseph have also observed that 12-year-olds Torian and Tiffany have become better group mates to the others, perhaps due to the strong supervision of the older females. Regardless, they’re less prone to food stealing and are kinder to the lower-ranking chimps.

Of course the biggest event in the past year was their successful integration with the six male chimpanzees of Chimps Ahoy Villa: Patrick, Taz, Marlon, Arthur, Josh and Quintin. The new family of 16 is getting along wonderfully and the more normal social structure seems to have helped all of them.

Jill, 29, is now living with her son Arthur and though we can’t know if they recognize one another as mother and son, we know they have a good relationship. Arthur still has a crush on Krystal and has helped her learn that she can get her way without throwing screaming tantrums. Marlon is still close to Precious because she comforts him when he has outbursts from anxiety.

With your support, our caregivers and volunteers provide them fresh foods, daily enrichment activities and the opportunity to forage in a 6-acre, outdoor habitat. Make a donation in honor of their 1-year sanctuary anniversary today.

Please join us in celebrating this Precious anniversary!

Take a trip down memory lane on our Chimp Chatter Blog and re-read the story of when we first met these chimps last year.