Sanctuary Project
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For chimpanzees to live happily ever after...

We want all chimpanzees to live the rest of their lives in peace and happiness, and we strive to make their lives as enjoyable as possible.

•To create a sanctuary for chimpanzees living in isolation
There are currently 308 chimpanzees in 48 facilities across Japan (as of May 2019). A chimpanzee sanctuary can be one of the solutions to the problem of chimpanzees living alone, with no social contact. In order to help such isolated chimpanzees to live a new, socially-rich life with others of their species, we will promote collaboration with existing sanctuaries, and provide aid and support to help them start their new lives.

•To spread awareness about natural chimpanzee behaviour
We would like to educate the public about what chimpanzees are and how they interact naturally
with each other. Many people may be familiar with chimpanzee behaviour seen in the entertainment industry, but such behaviors can be very different from those of wild chimpanzees and can lead to misunderstandings about chimpanzee nature.. In addition, by learning from captive chimpanzees in Japan, we can aid in the conservation and protection of wild chimpanzees.

•Sanctuary Project guidelines
1. Guarantee care for every chimpanzee based on their individual, personal needs.
2. Ensure chimpanzees have rich and healthy social lives.
3. Ensure that chimpanzees are healthy physically
4. Ensure that chimpanzees are healthy mentally.
5. Allow them to live a life with the full and complex range of normal chimpanzee emotions.
6. Educate the public about natural chimpanzee behaviour.

•Can isolated chimpanzees learn to live with friends?
If a chimpanzee has lived many years in isolation, are they still able to live a social life?
It will definitely take some time, but eventually they can learn to live with others. If they were captured from the wild, or lived with other chimpanzees at a young age, they can adapt to living in social groups much faster. For chimpanzees bred in captivity and raised in isolation for much or all of their lives, it takes a longer time to be able to do so. Time and repetition is needed to introduce individuals together to find a compatible partner.

 Like us, chimpanzees have a diverse range of personalities. They can be calm, easy-going, quarrelsome, playful or nurturing, and they have to learn to get along and become friends. Depending on the personality and interaction, staff may have to step in sometimes to intervene and mediate. In the wild, chimpanzees have fission-fusion societies, so they do not have to spend every single hour of every day together. If they want to be alone, they can be alone, and if they want to play with friends they can seek them out – this is the kind of environment we are aiming for, where chimpanzees can make their own choices. It is important for them to have the freedom to express their personalities.

Please donate to help us in our efforts
All donations received will be used for helping chimpanzees.
We thank you for your warm support.

Donation for chimpanzees
 

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