From the Center for Great Apes (CGA)
Ewok, Josh, Billy, Mystery, Sabina, Maude, Shauri Ya Mungu (Sha-Sha) and Jeeter safely arrived from California where they have been waiting for more than two years for a new home after the closing of the Los Angeles Wildlife Waystation in August 2019.
Our CGA team of two veterinarians and two caregivers flew to Los Angeles to pick up the chimpanzees for their relocation. With the experienced assistance of the Wildlife Waystation staff and the Project Chimps drivers, the chimpanzees were securely loaded on the transport vehicle and safely delivered to the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida.
The Project Chimps’ transport trailer is one of the best in the country for moving chimpanzees, and the eight chimps travelled comfortably in a climate-controlled truck with windows by each travel cage so they could all watch the scenery as they crossed the U.S. during their 50-hour trip.
When the chimpanzees arrived, they excitedly explored their new home and quickly settled in to eating their dinner and resting after their long travel adventure.
When the California Waystation closed due to financial challenges, over 40 chimpanzees remained who needed new homes. Four chimpanzee sanctuaries and two accredited zoos agreed to open their doors to accept groups of these chimps. To date, 23 of the chimpanzees have been relocated, with the most recently rescued group coming to the Center for Great Apes.
For the past twenty months, fundraising and construction have been ongoing in order to prepare space and a new home for these chimpanzees who were originally born in a New York biomedical lab (LEMSIP).
We are so grateful to everyone who has helped make this a reality – those individuals and foundations who generously contributed to building a home for these chimpanzees as well as the Chimps in Need fundraising program led by the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA); the California Department of Fish & Wildlife who continued to manage the Waystation; the remaining staff at Wildlife Waystation for their continued care of these chimpanzees; and to Project Chimps for their help in transporting our new sanctuary residents.
As our staff and volunteers are still mourning the recent loss of our beloved chimpanzee Knuckles, we also move forward now to happily welcome these eight new chimpanzees and provide them with the same loving care as we do for all our great apes at the Center.
More information and ways to support: https://centerforgreatapes.org