Hello, my name is
Nigida

Age

30

Birthday

06/28/1993

Rescued From

Research

About Me

I was born June 28, 1993 to my parents Gogi and Roman at The Coulston Foundation, a lab in Alamagordo, NM. I was taken away from my mother immediately after birth, and raised in the nursery. I was rescued in 2002 by Save the Chimps when I was just nine years old.

Although I was used very briefly as a biomedical research subject, I have been fortunate to spend more time in sanctuary than I did in a lab. I was once a member of Carlos’ Group, which disbanded in 2010 after the alpha male, Carlos, passed away. Unfortunately, I was injured by other members of my group, and have since had difficulty getting along with other chimpanzees. I love human attention so I became one of our Special Needs chimps.

I have an abundantly outgoing personality and am always smiling—well, almost always. If I’m not smiling, I’m puckering my lips as if asking for a kiss! One of my favorite activities is grooming my caregivers with a tickle stick, and I especially like to try to untie shoelaces with it. I am also well known for my epic games of chase with my caregivers: the faster the better, and the bigger my smile gets. I am so playful that simply stomping my foot to start a game of chase puts a big smile on my face. I immediately start swinging and running, always looking back to see if they can keep up with me.

I like things to be neat and clean. I will clean my room with a sponge, and I prefer to sit on “furniture”—like a giant Boomer ball or a toy plastic spool—rather than the ground. I also am rather particular when it comes to my food. I have simple tastes, preferring veggies and fruit. Special foods that we get for parties such as dried fruit don’t excite me as much as frozen bananas or grapes.

Family

  • Doug

Favorite Things

  • Basketballs
  • Playing chase
  • Plastic toys, especially buckets and trucks

Personality

  • Endearing
  • Silly
  • Playful
  • Irresistible