Laura
From: $10.00 / month
Laura was one of the chimps the U.S. Air Force acquired to establish a research program at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. These chimpanzees were used to study the effects of gravity, high-speed movement, and other conditions relevant to space travel. They were subjected to restraint devices, straitjackets, neck rings, and electric shocks to train them to operate control panels and endure confinement in capsule-like chambers. The Air Force continued using chimpanzees in research through the 1960s before ending the program around 1970 and leasing the animals to biomedical laboratories, including the Coulston Foundation, for further testing and breeding purposes. Laura is second in command in her group, which includes Walter, Vanessa, and Nicole. She is one of our chimpanzees known for carrying their “baby” around. Did you know that female chimpanzees cradle their newborns on their hip until they are about one year of age? At one year, the infants are then strong enough to hold onto their mother’s back or belly as she travels about. Laura’s favorite enrichment activities involve food!