It’s been a bit of a wild ride at the sanctuary these last 5 years. When COVID hit in 2020, we sadly had to close our doors to the majority of our volunteer population to limit the possible exposures to the chimps and staff. At the same time, we spent the “COVID years” expanding the sanctuary to welcome Cy’s group of 6 chimps. As we clawed our way out of the pandemic, we were very eager to open our doors back up to a larger population of volunteers, now with an even greater need for help since our facility and chimpanzee population had grown. Understandably, many of our pre-COVID volunteers (and all of our university interns) had moved on to different phases in their lives and were no longer able to volunteer. Now we have entered a bit of a rebuilding phase of our volunteer program as we focus on recruiting and training new volunteers to bolster our sanctuary. It’s been a joy seeing new faces start to come through the door and join our “OG” volunteers in helping the staff provide quality care for our beloved chimpanzee friends.
Here are just a few of our volunteers, both seasoned and new. Please join me in giving them a heartfelt thank you for all their hard work and dedication. If you or someone you know is looking to join our volunteer team in 2025, please visit our website for more details.
