Firstly, we’d like to once again welcome all of our new followers, a seeming built-in fan club who graciously arrived with George! We are so grateful to you all for being here and for wanting to help ensure that George’s next chapter in life is one he has long deserved!
As we look ahead to June’s celebrations, we cannot wait for George to experience what a partying place he has landed! Though we just missed his April birthday, he’s going to have plenty of practice in the months ahead. 🙂
If you’ve been following us for awhile you are probably well aware that as far as celebrations go, the month of June holds an abundance!
Miss Dora turns 36 on June 6th!
Honey B turns 36 on June 11th!
June 13th is our Trifecta celebration of two birthdays and an anniversary! Queen Negra is turning 52!! June 13th also happens to be the 17th anniversary of Negra and her group’s arrival to the sanctuary!
I know we’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. When Diana and J.B. first met Negra and her group at the Buckshire Corporation in Pennsylvania (the organization that “owned” the chimpanzees and still leases animals out to labs for use in research), given Negra’s age and condition, their hope was that she would be able to enjoy at least a couple of months in sanctuary. SEVENTEEN years later and we’re celebrating her 52nd birthday!!
There are countless moments, big and small, which speak to the power of sanctuary to heal it’s residents, but Negra reminds us every day of what you help make possible. For her, and for every individual fortunate enough to make it to sanctuary from the biomedical, pet and entertainment industries.
And June 13th is also our beloved Terry’s 35th birthday!
On June 20th we welcome the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere. May and June are two of the most beautiful months here at the sanctuary, the still green and lush days before the summer heat kicks in, and the chimpanzees and cows have been enjoying every moment.
Negra on Young’s Hill, her group’s outdoor habitat. Just look at her! She’s ready for Hot Neggie Summer 😉 :
Terry enjoying his group’s outdoor habitat, the Bray:
June 20th is also Annie’s wonderful son, Virgil’s, 36th birthday! As J.B. mentioned earlier, some of us were able to attend the 2025 North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) Workshop last month and we had the immense privilege of meeting Virgil at his home, Save the Chimps in Florida. Imagine our thrill when we arrived for the tour to be greeted by this!
This sweet guy looks soooo much like his beautiful mama, Annie:
Annie:
And we’ll be wrapping up our June celebrations with the 4th anniversary of the arrival of “The Lucky Six”, Cy’s group, to the sanctuary on June 26th!
Lucky, Rayne, and Cy on the Bray:
Gordo and Terry:
Dora and Cy in one of their greenhouses:
Summer visit season is also upon us and we welcomed our first guests yesterday! Though the sanctuary isn’t open to the public, we do offer a limited number of small, educational visits to donors each summer and we really look forward to sharing the sanctuary with everyone who attends. It’s a wonderful way for supporters to see first hand what they help make possible for the chimpanzees and cows (and hopefully see the chimpanzees as they forage for lunch and lounge in their open air greenhouses – appearances are entirely the choice of the chimpanzees, one of the many beauties of sanctuary life). And it’s always fun for the humans to share the chimps’ and cows’ lives and get to visit with some of our amazing supporters!
Missy!
Betsy, Honey, and Meredith, enjoying their summer pasture:
A beautiful end of spring and summer ahead to you all (or autumn into winter, as the case may be). Thank you, always, for being here and making so much possible.
