Join us in celebrating 30 years of the Chimp Life

A new year is upon us and there is much to celebrate.

Soon, Chimp Haven will begin welcoming the remaining chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility who are finally getting their opportunity to retire to sanctuary.

And, this month, Chimp Haven retirees Julius and Jacob are celebrating milestone birthdays. At an incredible 65 years old, they’re not only the sanctuary’s oldest residents, but also hold the distinction of being the oldest living male chimps in the U.S.

It’s certainly shaping up to be a year of landmark moments, and I want to invite you to join us in celebrating one more: Chimp Haven’s 30th anniversary!

Chimp Haven was founded in 1995 with the vision of providing long-term retirement for chimpanzees formerly used in biomedical research. Since then, the sanctuary has been home to more than 500 chimpanzees, and with your support, has provided them with a wonderful sanctuary retirement designed just for them.

If you asked Chimp Haven’s founders, we bet they’d say they couldn’t have imagined that today, Chimp Haven would be the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary and home to hundreds of former research chimps who spend their days exploring the forest, napping in the sunshine with friends, and relishing in wild chimp behaviors.

In fact, we did ask them.

This year, we’ll be sharing their thoughts and memories from Chimp Haven’s earliest days, along with plenty of throwback moments, inspiring stories, historic photos, achievements, learnings, and of course, plenty of chimps and pant-hoots.

Below is a preview featuring several of Chimp Haven’s founders to help us kick off this celebratory year. We hope you’ll join us in the weeks and months to come as we commemorate the amazing achievements of the past 30 years and all the wonderful chimps who have called the sanctuary home.

From all of us at Chimp Haven, thank you for being part of Chimp Haven’s amazing past and joining us for its future. We’re so grateful for your support.

Rana Smith

President & CEO