Happy Valentine's Day from AAVS! Every year on Valentine’s Day, AAVS sends its annual grant to the Chimp Haven sanctuary in fulfillment of our commitment to provide Total Lifetime Care for seven chimpanzees who arrived there as babies a decade ago. The TLC tweens continue to mature while the attentive staff at Chimp Haven marvels at their growth and development. Here’s what those adorable chimps are up to: - Arden (age 13): Arden has been forging friendships with high-ranking chimps—a move that could benefit her politically and enable her to climb the social hierarchy.
- Diane (age 13): Despite her age, Diane remains a momma’s girl and never strays far from mom, Muffy. She’s a silly, goofy prankster who enjoys being tickled with a long-handled spoon!
- Jimmy (age 13): Although he lost out to Mason for the role of alpha, Jimmy is taking it in stride and continues to enjoy games of chase and tickles.
- Mason (age 12): With his newfound status as alpha male, Mason has developed a serious side—regularly flexing his power and showing less interest in playtime.
- Onyx (age 12): Onyx is turning into an outdoorsy girl as she grows older—exploring and securing the forested habitats while on daily patrols with mom, Bumble.
- Quilla (age 12): Beautiful, playful, sassy, and smart, Quilla loves being outside and often eludes her caregivers high up in trees while frolicking with Onyx.
- Riley (age 11): The youngest of the group, Riley is finally growing out of his carefree persona to become more confident and independent.
Chimpanzees can live into their 60s, so we have many more years ahead to make sure that these seven fortunate youngsters enjoy the lives they deserve. Chimp Haven has done a wonderful job, providing expert veterinary care, healthy foods prepared daily, multi-acre forested habitats to explore, and large, dynamic social groups. Through your support of our TLC for Chimps Fund and Sanctuary Fund, you make a difference for over 300 residents at Chimp Haven, as well as for thousands of other animals in sanctuaries throughout the U.S. THANK YOU! You can see several members of this group in National Geographic's documentary series, “Meet the Chimps,” available to stream on Disney+. |
