News

Coronavirus poses lethal threat to great apes, experts warn - March 25, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic could wipe out populations of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, leading scientists have warned. Our closest living relatives, which share about 98% of human DNA, are known to be susceptible to catching respiratory diseases from people. Even pathogens producing mild symptoms in humans have been lethal to great apes in the past. The […]

The closure of Ngamba Island – update on COVID-19 - March 23, 2020

With the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, we are navigating unchartered waters. The world is yet again tested with a dangerous pathogen that has threatened our way of life. It is going to change how we relate with one another and has reminded us of the simple basic needs of humanity. Humans are part and parcel of […]

COVID-19 puts great apes and monkeys in peril - March 20, 2020

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance This is one of the hardest letters I’ve ever had to write. Our hearts and thoughts go out to you and your loved ones who may be affected by COVID-19. At the same time, I need to tell you that the outbreak has created an unprecedented threat to many […]

A Special Message from the Center for Great Apes - March 19, 2020

Dear CGA Members and Supporters, As the news each day presents updated information about the COVID-19 health crisis and the importance of protecting ourselves, our families, and our colleagues, we at the Center for Great Apes are changing our policies and protocols to comply with suggested guidelines, best practices, and even restrictions. At the sanctuary, […]

Note from Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary about COVID-19 - March 18, 2020

With the progression of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the health, safety, and well-being of all the 50 chimpanzees, guests and staff remain our top priority. We are working closely with medical professionals, specialists and Uganda’s Ministry of Health regarding the necessary precautions to keep Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary secure and protected from the recent […]

A Letter from the Executive Director: COVID-19 - March 17, 2020

By Gorilla Doctors Staff on Sunday, March 15th, 2020 in Blog. Dear Friends and Supporters, Last week, I attended and presented at the UC Davis One Health Institute annual meeting. As you can imagine, the coronavirus pandemic was a major focus. The One Health Institute, Gorilla Doctors’ administrative home at the UC Davis School of […]

The UN wants to protect these chimps’ unique culture - March 12, 2020

By Rob Picheta, CNN The unique culture of nut-cracking chimpanzees has been selected for conservation by the UN, marking the first time an animal activity has been preserved by the international body. After decades of extensive research into the advanced learning patterns of chimpanzees, the organization’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) body […]

Ngamba Island’s chimps are in crisis. Help! - March 6, 2020

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance At Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a PASA member in Uganda, orphaned chimpanzees receive exceptional rehabilitative care. We are proud to say when these suffering animals are rescued from hopeless situations, Ngamba’s staff works tirelessly to give them the care they urgently need and nurse them back to health. But, severe […]

A Chimp’s Death Leads to Bold Change at the World’s Largest Privately Funded Sanctuary for Chimpanzees - March 4, 2020

From Save the Chimps Sanctuary When Tiffany the chimp was euthanized on the morning of August 16, 2018, it was the end of two months of heartbreak, struggle and frustration for the staff at Save the Chimps (STC) in Fort Pierce, Florida. It also became the catalyst for bold change for an organization known for […]

World Wildlife Day – Sustaining Life on Earth. GAP talks about challenges and goals. - February 26, 2020

By Organiclesson.com World Wildlife Day (March 3rd) presents an important opportunity for us to raise environmental awareness and to consider our responsibilities in protecting the surrounding ecosystems, and the diverse plant and animal species that inhabit them. The theme for this year’s World Wildlife Day is “sustaining all life on Earth”. It has only been […]

These chimpanzees, they are amazing people - February 26, 2020

A diary entry from our late founder, Dr. Carole Noon – From Save the Chimps Sanctuary  August 15, 2004 Dear All, As you read in the last newsletter we had some failed vasectomies and three babies born to the island group. Quite the comeuppance for Ms. Absolutely No Breeding to be sure. And while these […]

Re-introduction of Natasha - February 17, 2020

Natasha is an adult female chimpanzee at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. She is also known as the most intelligent chimpanzee in the world https://wired.com/2012/08/chimps-have-geniuses-too/ In 2019, Natasha conceived following a hiatus from implants and gave birth to a healthy female baby on the 4th of September. As a new mother, Natasha has been isolated indoors […]

GAP Brazil: Tata and Milan, child pranks - February 6, 2020

Peter, Tata and their two sons Miguel and Milan form one of the chimpanzee families that live in the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba. Milan is the youngest, he is 4 years old, and does the pranks that any child his age, human or chimpanzee, does. Likewise, his mother, Tata, always protects him. On Sunday, […]

Glimpses of Fatherhood in Non-Pair-Bonding Chimps - February 5, 2020

Although they have no way of identifying their biological fathers, male chimpanzees form intimate bonds with them, a finding that questions the idea of fatherhood in some of humanity’s closest relatives, according to a study of wild chimpanzees in Uganda. In adulthood, male chimpanzees form strong relationships with one another. These bonds can be mutually […]

Add Ham & Enos to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame - January 31, 2020

From Save the Chimps Jan 31, 2021 marks the 60th anniversary of Ham’s flight into space – let’s honor him by getting Ham and Enos inducted into the Astronauts Hall of Fame in 2021. As unwilling participants, they paved the way for space exploration. They remain largely unrecognized. Sign this petition to urge the Astronaut […]

Help Lucie celebrate 20 years wild and free! - January 29, 2020

From PASA – Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance Lucie was a tiny one-month-old chimpanzee clinging to her mom in the Congolese forests. Poachers invaded their quiet, secluded home and viciously murdered her mother. The smugglers pried Lucie away so they could butcher Lucie’s mom for bushmeat. They tied Lucie up and took her to a market […]

2019 Was a Record Year for Ocean Temperatures, Data Show - January 24, 2020

By Kendra Pierre-Louis (The New York Times) Last year was the warmest year on record for the world’s oceans, part of a long-term warming trend, according to a study released Monday. “If you look at the ocean heat content, 2019 is by far the hottest, 2018 is second, 2017 is third, 2015 is fourth, and […]

GAP Brazil: Sanctuary offers to welcome surviving chimpanzees of German zoo fire - January 10, 2020

In the face of the unprecedented tragedy at the Krefeld Zoo, in Germany, on the first night of the year, in which five orangutans, two gorillas, one chimpanzee and 30 other primates and birds were burned alive, the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba, in São Paulo, Brazil, together with GAP Project International, makes an urgent […]

GAP Spain condemns the fire that occurred in the Krefeld Zoo, Germany, where eight great apes have died - January 3, 2020

From GAP Spain 2020 begins with a new tragedy at the Krefeld Zoo, located west of Germany, caused by a Chinese flying lantern that fell on precarious facilities and with lacking of security. In Spain almost exactly a year ago at dawn on January 6, 2018, the three giraffes of the Cabárceno Zoo (Cantabria) died […]

Gorillas, orangutans and chimps die in German zoo fire - January 3, 2020

From The Guardian Dozens of animals including gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees were killed at a zoo in the western German city of Krefeld after a fire ripped through the monkey sanctuary in the early hours of the new year. The fire was likely to have been caused by Chinese sky lanterns that were set off […]