Clay was born May 20, 1987 to mother Jody and father Mack. Jody was a good mother but only allowed to care for Clay for a mere 10 hours. Clay was taken from her and raised in the nursery by humans. When he was just two years old, he entered research, subjected to multiple research studies over several years. Clay had to endure frequent anesthesia with Ketamine, blood draws, liver biopsies, and injection with mysterious “test materials.” In one study, he had a lymph node surgically removed. Clay was also used in a study of the toxic effects of Theophylline (an anti-asthma drug), ibuprofen and Lovastatin (a cholesterol-reducing drug). All of these drugs were already approved for use in humans before Clay was used in these experiments. Clay was almost continuously used in invasive biomedical research experiments until 1999, when he was twelve years old.
In 2002, Clay was rescued by Save the Chimps, where they found him living alone in “The Dungeon”. His records indicated that he had occasionally lived with at least one other chimp, and there was no indication that he could not be socialized. However, when he was introduced to another chimp for the first time, Clay was extremely aggressive. Repeated attempts to socialize Clay with other chimps failed. Much to our dismay, we found that it would not be possible for Clay to live with other chimps. His years of solitude and torment had mentally scarred him for life and he posed a danger to other chimps. Clay lives alone to this day but he certainly seems to prefer it that way. He is a happy, robust chimp who loves to play chase with his caregivers. Because he lives alone, he gets extra special attention (and, yes, treats) from the staff of Save the Chimps. His caregivers discovered that he enjoys painting, and he has produced some lovely masterpieces!
Clay loves toys that make noise without batteries, unbreakable mirrors, sunglasses, toy trucks, and other toys with wheels.
His favorite foods are peanut butter & jelly, pasta, and dried fruit.
Donate today and Save the Chimps can build new hope – and a new home – for our neediest chimps, including Clay, simply by renovating one of the buildings at our 150-acre sanctuary! Here, chimps who have spent fearful years in cold, sterile labs will finally find the home of their dreams – cozy, peaceful, with access to sun, grass, toys, friends and the perpetual affection of our devoted staff.
