News

Giving Day for Apes - September 11, 2023

Starting today, September 11, until October 3, 2023, join Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries for a global day of giving in support of qualified sanctuaries and rescue centers providing rehabilitation or long-term care for chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, gibbons and orangutans throughout Africa, Asia and North America. To know more, visit www.givingdayforapes.org. 

Spain: GAP Project calls for the Declaration of the Rights of Great Apes and their inclusion as World Living Heritage of Humanity - September 7, 2023

Given the perilous situation in which great ape populations find themselves and the dramatic appeal by UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, in which she recently declared that their populations are in danger and that “the protection of these humans’ cousins, from whom we have only a 2% difference in DNA, is a collective responsibility”, the […]

The human-chimp bond captured in an iconic photo - August 23, 2023

By Anna Turns (BBC) In 1964, Jane Goodall’s husband Hugo van Lawick took a photo of her and an infant chimp reaching out to each other. Decades later, it continues to impact how we view chimpanzees. On 14 July 1960, 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived by boat to the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania. Here, in […]

Jeff McCurry, Harambe’s friend - August 15, 2023

By Pedro Pozas Terrados (Pressenza) The excellent photographs that Jeff McCurry has taken of nature and its living beings are extraordinary and his existence is full of that wonderful contact with Mother Earth, showing us in all its splendour, the colourfulness of life. His sensitivity and empathy towards other species made him have a special […]

Colombia: About the difference between a zoo and a Sanctuary and the transfer of chimp Yoko - August 14, 2023

On August 8 the Colombian TV channel Pasión Animal #PasionAnimalTV dedicated an almost entire program to the case of chimpanzee Yoko, currently the only resident of the Ukumari Biopark zoo. After the escape followed by death of Chita and Pancho in July, activists are negotiating the transfer of Yoko to the Great Apes Sanctuary of […]

Extreme Weather Is Coming. Someone Has to Tell the Chimps. - August 12, 2023

How do you teach 300 chimpanzees to seek safety in a storm? With cowbells, sound machines and a bright orange Frisbee. By Emily Anthes (New York Times) When Michelle Reininger went to bed on Thursday, June 15, she wasn’t worried about the weather. The last time she checked, the forecast had called for scattered showers. […]

Save the Chimps Sanctuary: The Carole Noon Legacy Society - August 5, 2023

The Carole Noon Legacy Society is named in honor of Dr. Carole C. Noon (1949–2009), Save the Chimps’ visionary co-founder. It is because of her determination, her compassion, and her ability to inspire others to act that we have a protected and spacious home for our resident chimpanzees. From suing the U.S. Air Force for […]

Request to transfer chimpanzee Yoko from Colombian zoo to Brazilian sanctuary - July 31, 2023

This is a letter sent by the GAP Project Spain to the President of Colombia with copies to different authorities (Minister of Environment, Director General, Mayor of the Municipality of Pereira, Manager of Ukumari Biopark and Luis Dominguez, lawyer representing the Great Apes Project Spain in Colombia) about the situation of Yoko, the only chimpanzee […]

Experiencing Gut Aiderbichl Sanctuary for Traumatized Chimpanzees – Gänserndorf, Austria - July 20, 2023

Jaqueline B. Ramos – Communication GAP Project Brazil/International / @ambi_entese It was the second time I made a technical visit to a Sanctuary for chimpanzees retired from laboratory experiments. In 2018, I went to the Kumamoto Sanctuary, in Japan, where I saw the work and all the effort of experts from University of Kyoto to […]

In Loving Memory of Seve (1993-2023) - July 6, 2023

From Save the Chimps Sanctuary Please join us in honoring the memory of Seve, one of the most beloved chimps at the sanctuary. Seve was born on July 9, 1993, at the Coulston Foundation in Alamogordo, New Mexico, a laboratory with extensive violations of the Animal Welfare Act. At age two, he was taken from […]

Africa: Severe storm wreaks havoc on chimpanzee sanctuary - June 9, 2023

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance Disaster can strike at any time and put the lives of endangered great apes and monkeys at risk. Severe storms damage chimpanzee enclosures, generators unexpectedly die and cut off the main water source, and deadly viruses attack. PASA’s emergency fund provides immediate relief to our members during times […]

Empty Forests – How politics, economics and corruption fuel live great ape trafficking - June 7, 2023

In April, Daniel Stiles, an independent wildlife trade researcher for over 20 years, released a report by the Global Initiative organization warning about the problem of great apes trafficking in Africa. A sad already known reality, but that, unfortunately, seems to be no closer to being solved. In the midst of increasing numbers of rescues, […]

Book review – “Chimpanzee”: lessons from our sister species - June 2, 2023

By Alyson Baker* Chimpanzee is a wonderfully comprehensive book. Kevin D. Hunt is Professor of Animal Behaviour and Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a functional morphologist, using reverse engineering to consider how the anatomical structures of animals, in this case chimpanzees, function in their everyday lives. He then theorises about which environmental pressures […]

GAP Project condemns the insults mande against the soccer player Vinicius Jr. - May 27, 2023

The Great Ape Project / Proyecto Gran Simio condemns the public insults made against the soccer player Vinicius Jr., calling him “monkey” in a pejorative way, when we, humans, are primates and, more specifically, great apes. Ignorance and lack of culture cause acts of this kind of racism and hatred to be directed against those […]

Africa: Baby chimps continued to be rescue from illegal trade and need your support - May 24, 2023

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance We are terrified by how many orphaned primates will need our care in the coming months. PASA’s emergency rescue fund ensures that urgent rescues like these are conducted quickly, resulting in more lives being saved.  Last week, three chimpanzees and two young baboons arrived at our member Lwiro […]

Chimpanzees synchronize their steps just like humans - May 15, 2023

Behavioral research with chimpanzees is fascinating because, besides the similarities found with human behavior, it makes us think about the specificity of each species. One example is a recent research study presented in this video. The study “Inter-individual Coordination in Walking Chimpanzees” is a partnership between researchers from the University of St. Andrews (@uniofstandrews) and […]

Argentina: The Supreme Court of Río Negro ordered the transfer of chimpanzee “Toti” to a sanctuary - May 9, 2023

By Newsroom – Site Rio Negro The chimpanzee is 33 years old and has been in captivity in Bubalcó since 2013. Now, specialists will have to carry out a study to determine whether the animal is able to face the transference journey and determine the most suitable place. The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) of […]

Comparison of genomes from 240 species makes fresh revelations about human evolution - May 3, 2023

In the end of April, scientists released the key results of a major study that compared the genomes of 240 species of mammals – including humans. Some of the findings of the Project Zoonomia were published in the journal Science and made fresh human evolution revelations. By comparing the genomes, it was possible to identify […]

Gorilla Bokito, who once attacked a woman, dies unexpectedly at 27 in a Dutch zoo - April 11, 2023

GAP’s note: The story of Bokito is one among many examples of how complex it is to keep such intelligent beings in captivity. With the aggravating factor, in this case, that there is exposure and visitation. May Bokito rest in Peace… Blijdorp Zoo’s famous western lowland gorilla, Bokito, died unexpectedly on April 4th, 2023, the […]

Drones for great apes’ protection and conservation - March 31, 2023

Unesco announced earlier this year the launch of a drone project that will help monitor the health and changes in natural habitat of great apes in Africa and Asia. In partnership with the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (France) and the Sebitoli Chimpanzee Project (Uganda), the UN agency is enabling technicians of 20 Biosphere Reserves and […]