By Nicole Rivard. Photography BY ©Joel Sartore/Photo Ark On the morning of Aug. 14, 2023, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer at the Calexico, Calif., port of entry discovered an animal carrier that contained three baby spider monkeys hidden behind the rear seat of a van. The driver and passenger of the van, a […]
Mark your calendars for Oct. 7, 2025—it’s Giving Day for Apes, an annual global day of giving to support Primarily Primates and other wildlife sanctuaries protecting apes around the world. Giving Day for Apes is also about you—and the life-changing impact you have on apes in need. Every gift fuels hope: helping sanctuaries rescue, heal […]
Care staff at Primarily Primates recently made a shocking yet heartwarming discovery. Chimpanzees Norma and Selena, who were rescued by the sanctuary in 2019, along with Mighty Fine, from Wildlife Waystation after it closed for financial reasons, are the daughters of Shu Shu, who arrived at PPI in 1996. The revelation was made after a […]
It’s World Chimpanzee Day and we have a lot to celebrate! Did you know that Friends of Animals, the international animal advocacy organization that manages Primarily Primates, also sponsors the most unique chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. In a November 2008 landmark agreement with Janis Carter and the Gambian government, Friends of Animals agreed to help […]
A baby spider monkey found running loose through a San Antonio, Texas neighborhood has been rescued by Primarily Primates. Rest assured he will receive proper, lifelong care, along with our more than 300 residents, including nine other spider monkeys. You can donate towards his care at https://primarilyprimates.org/. PPI received a call from City of San Antonio […]
On May 6, Congress reintroduced the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA), which would end the cruel and selfish pet primate trade in the United States. Primates suffer enormously when kept as pets. They can also injure or spread disease to the people around them. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL), Brian Fitzpatrick […]
It’s common for the washing machine at Primarily Primates to be in use multiple times a day. One reason is that the hundreds of animals at PPI are offered a variety of bedding materials. “Like people, they have their preferences. Some of them really like a cozy blanket to cuddle up in colder weather; others […]
Just like us, non-human primates benefit from enrichment activities like listening to music and painting. Some of the chimps, lemurs, spider monkeys and macaques at Texas-based Primarily Primates sanctuary are such talented “Picassos” that the non-profit is having an online auction of their hand-painted masterpieces to support the primates’ lifelong care. The auction runs Aug. […]
It is with great sadness we share the news that beloved chimp, Raisin, 47, died on Aug. 15.
She was one of our larger chimps at the sanctuary, a true gentle giant.