Chimp Haven, Inc.

Chimp Haven’s objective is to provide hundreds of chimpanzees who formerly spent their lives in biomedical research to a life of retirement designed especially for them. Here, on 200 acres of beautiful, forested sanctuary, the chimps receive expert care and many of the experiences they would have in the wild, including the freedom to choose how to spend their days. We’re committed to proving highly personalized, expert care to every chimpanzee and ensuring chimps who become eligible for retirement to Chimp Haven in the future have the opportunity to experience sanctuary.

In the coming years, Chimp Haven’s organizational goals include:
1. Provide exceptional care to the chimpanzees while continuously improving their environment.
2. Raise critical resources to support the sanctuary’s mission through impactful storytelling and a positive brand.
3. Establish a culture of excellence guided by Chimp Haven’s values.
4. Collaborate with chimpanzee facilities worldwide to share knowledge, welfare research, and best practices to improve chimpanzee care and organizational effectiveness.

Chimp Haven is currently home to more than 300 chimpanzees, including 13 chimps who joined us over the past year. Once at sanctuary, every chimpanzee receives highly personalized care, including:
• Fresh, healthy meals, forage, and bedding materials delivered to the chimps daily.
• Expert veterinary care, including daily medical checks for every chimp, preventative care, and treatment for chronic conditions.
• The largest Behavior team at any chimp sanctuary in the U.S., dedicated to the chimps’ emotional, mental, and behavioral health.
• Daily enrichment activities, positive reinforcement training, and Gympanzee programs to provide for all the chimps’ wellness needs.
• Large, mixed sex social groups, which allow the chimps to form social bonds, just like they would in the wild.
• A variety of living enclosures, including multi-acre forested habitats, to meet the needs of every chimp family.
• The freedom and space to choose how and with whom they’d like to spend their days.

Chimp Haven evaluates the success of its programs through medical and behavioral wellness outcomes and a variety of observational behavior data collected by our teams.
• Our professional husbandry staff ensures the chimpanzees receive a fresh, nutrient-rich diet, clean enclosures, and fresh bedding daily, and monitor chimp needs 24/7.
• Daily observations, medical visits, annual physicals, and a host of preventative and emergency care services conducted by our veterinary team ensure highly personalized care for each chimp.
• Our Positive Reinforcement Training program pairs care givers with chimpanzees for one-on-one training which encourages the chimps to participate in their own healthcare. The chimps voluntarily learn to present body parts for medical examinations, EKG and stethoscope readings, and more, increasing the personalized quality of their care and minimizing the need for anesthesia.
• Our 10-person behavior and enrichment team – the only one of its kind at any chimpanzee sanctuary in the U.S. – is skilled in behavioral observations and social integrations, which are essential to the social welfare of the chimpanzees. Observational data informs decision making for everything from chimpanzee enrichment and social group formation to more individualized interventions and care.

Chimp Haven staff and its Board of Directors are expertly positioned to meet the demands of providing long-term care for an aging colony with various chronic conditions. Chimp Haven’s leadership includes decades of experience in chimpanzee behavior, husbandry, veterinary care, and research, in addition to expertise in non-profit leadership, marketing, and fundraising.

Since the first two chimps arrived at the sanctuary in 2005, Chimp Haven has provided retirement to more than 400 chimpanzees formerly used in biomedical research and continues to safely and efficiently transfer additional chimps from research facilities to the sanctuary each year.

Chimp Haven provides all chimps with the opportunity to live in large, bonded social groups, just as they would in the wild. Group sizes at the sanctuary vary depending on the needs of the chimps in each group, and range up to groups as large as 20 chimps or more. Chimp Haven has a 95% success rate introducing newly-arrived chimpanzees to social groups, and since 2005, has completed more than 360 of these introductions (and counting).