On January 21, 2010, Save the Chimps released ten chimpanzees onto their island home in Fort Pierce, Florida!
Liberty claimed the title of "First to step foot on grass!"
Boy, Linda, Tina, Renquist, Liberty, Whoopi, Schotzie, Vanna, Nadia, and Scotty arrived January 20, and were given a day indoors to recuperate after their long journey. The next day, everyone was well-rested and ready to go, and the staff gathered together to watch the momentous occasion of releasing the chimps onto their new island home. It was an unusually cloudy, drizzly day, but we didn’t want to keep the chimps waiting one more moment to start their new life. The doors were opened, and to the sound to joyful cheers, Liberty claimed the title of “First to set foot on grass”, but Boy was the first to make his way down the land bridge out to his new island home. Wild caught in Africa, Boy spent 40 years with concrete and steel under his feet, nearly 15 of those years with just 25 square feet of space. We can only imagine what Boy was thinking as he wandered over three acres with grass between his toes! Boy was very dear to our Founder, Dr. Carole Noon, and we are certain that her spirit was with him—and all the chimps--that day.
Boy spent 40 years with concrete and steel under his feet. Nearly 15 of those
years with just 25 square feet of space.
Boy was followed onto the island by his friends Linda, Tina, and Renquist, and they enjoyed climbing the platforms and wandering the hills. The other chimps were a little more cautious about venturing into the unknown. Vanna walked back and forth on the patio, and took a few Nadiacareful steps onto the grass. Nadia, who is approximately 48 years old, simply lay down to relax on the patio, perhaps wondering where all the sunshine we Lindahad promised her was. Schotzie set foot outdoors briefly, but then decided she was happier with a roof over her head on this cloudy day. Whoopi took a peek out the door, but then went back to her nest of blankets, content with her surroundings. Scotty kept poking his head out the door, obviously curious, and finally mustered up the courage to jump out the door and promptly jumped back in again! But that wasn’t his only adventure that day: Scotty is very picky eater, and prefers to simply eat apples, bananas, and monkey chow. The first time Scotty sampled a carrot, it made headlines around the sanctuary! At dinner, Scotty was handed his first Greens+ Bar, and much to our surprise, he promptly took a bite. It goes without saying, he loved it!
As time goes on, we are certain that all of the chimps will become more confident and comfortable in their new natural surroundings — in fact, Scotty has already been spotted walking about the patio when he thought no one was looking! And Nadia has been enjoying the sunshine she heard so much about…