Save the Chimps

Save the Chimps is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and caring for chimpanzees in need. Its principal sanctuary is in Fort Pierce, Florida, where chimpanzees live in social groups on large, naturalistic island habitats rather than in conventional public-zoo exhibits. The organization’s work combines permanent sanctuary, veterinary care, behavioral and social support, habitat management, and advocacy for the protection of chimpanzees. The sanctuary was established in 1997 by Carole C. Noon, initially in response to the U.S. Air Force’s effort to place chimpanzees used in its research and space-related programs. Noon was unsuccessful in an initial auction against the Coulston Foundation, a biomedical research organization, but subsequently challenged the outcome and reached a settlement that transferred custody of 21 chimpanzees to Save the Chimps. This early campaign established the organization’s role as a retirement and rescue institution for chimpanzees previously used by government and research programs. The organization’s largest expansion followed the financial collapse of the Coulston Foundation. After the foundation lost National Institutes of Health funding amid repeated Animal Welfare Act violations and entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2002, Save the Chimps acquired all 266 chimpanzees associated with Coulston. The transfer was described as the largest chimpanzee rescue in history and made Save the Chimps one of the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuaries. Including later rescues, the organization states that it has saved more than 300 chimpanzees since opening. Most residents are housed in large, multi-acre social habitats. The Florida campus includes 12 separate three-acre islands across approximately 150 acres in a rural setting. The island design permits chimpanzees to form and maintain social groups while providing space for movement, climbing, shelter, and managed care. Because the organization is a sanctuary rather than a conventional visitor attraction, it is not generally open to the public. It holds occasional events for members and supporters, while its public-facing work emphasizes education, fundraising, and awareness of the needs of retired and rescued chimpanzees. Save the Chimps is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and is a founding member of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance. These affiliations place the organization within the professional sanctuary sector and distinguish its operating model from facilities that breed chimpanzees for research, entertainment, or commercial exhibition. Its mission centers on providing sanctuary and exemplary lifelong care, rather than reintroducing residents to the wild, which is generally not feasible for chimpanzees who have spent much of their lives in captivity. The sanctuary received renewed public attention in 2024 when it appeared in episode four of the HBO documentary series Chimp Crazy. The episode presented Save the Chimps as the new home of Tonka, a chimpanzee previously rented for Hollywood productions and used in breeding chimpanzee pets. This coverage connected the organization’s sanctuary model with broader public debates about the use of chimpanzees in entertainment and private ownership.

Save the Chimps was founded in 1997 by Carole C. Noon with support from Jon Stryker of the Arcus Foundation. Its original purpose was closely connected to the retirement of chimpanzees formerly used by the United States Air Force. When the Air Force offered its chimpanzees for auction, Noon attempted to secure their placement in a sanctuary. The Coulston Foundation, a biomedical research laboratory, won the initial bid, but Noon challenged the arrangement and ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement that gave Save the Chimps custody of 21 chimpanzees out of a population of approximately 140. This settlement helped establish Save the Chimps as a dedicated retirement organization for chimpanzees who had spent their lives in government research and related programs. The organization’s role expanded substantially after the Coulston Foundation encountered regulatory and financial problems. The foundation lost National Institutes of Health funding following repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act and filed for bankruptcy in 2002. Save the Chimps then acquired all 266 chimpanzees held by Coulston. The rescue was characterized as the largest chimpanzee rescue in history and transformed the Florida organization into the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary at that time. The sanctuary developed a distinctive habitat model in Fort Pierce, Florida. Most residents live in social groups on 12 separate islands, each covering approximately three acres, within a rural campus of about 150 acres. The arrangement is intended to give chimpanzees room for movement and social interaction while allowing professional staff to provide managed nutrition, veterinary treatment, behavioral observation, and lifelong care. Residents are not generally available for adoption or release into the wild; the sanctuary’s central commitment is permanent protection for chimpanzees whose histories, health, or human dependency make wild reintroduction impractical. Over time, Save the Chimps broadened its rescue mission beyond former government and research chimpanzees. Its sanctuary population has included animals affected by entertainment use, commercial breeding, and private ownership. The organization states that it has saved more than 300 chimpanzees since opening. Its work is supported through nonprofit fundraising, membership, education, and occasional events rather than through ordinary public admission. The campus is not generally open to the public, consistent with its sanctuary model and the need to prioritize resident welfare. Save the Chimps is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and is a founding member of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance. These affiliations reflect its place in the professional sanctuary community and its emphasis on standards-based care. The organization’s public identity is therefore that of a specialized animal-welfare institution rather than a conventional zoo, research facility, or entertainment business. In 2024, the sanctuary appeared in the fourth episode of HBO’s documentary series Chimp Crazy. The program identified Save the Chimps as the new home of Tonka, a chimpanzee previously rented for film productions and used to breed chimpanzee pets. The appearance brought wider attention to the sanctuary’s role in receiving chimpanzees from entertainment and private-use situations and to the broader ethical questions surrounding human use of chimpanzees.

• 2024

  The sanctuary appears in Chimp Crazy

  [1]Save the Chimpsen.wikipedia.org

  Save the Chimps was featured in episode four of HBO’s Chimp Crazy in connection with Tonka’s placement at the sanctuary.

• 2002

  Coulston chimpanzees are transferred to Save the Chimps

  [1]Save the Chimpsen.wikipedia.org

  After the Coulston Foundation lost NIH funding and entered bankruptcy, Save the Chimps acquired all 266 of its chimpanzees in a rescue described as the largest of its kind.

• 2001

  Settlement transfers 21 Air Force chimpanzees

  [1]Save the Chimpsen.wikipedia.org

  Following a dispute over the proposed auction of Air Force chimpanzees, Save the Chimps reached a settlement giving it custody of 21 animals.

• 1997

  Save the Chimps is founded

  [1]Save the Chimpsen.wikipedia.org

  Carole C. Noon established Save the Chimps to pursue sanctuary placement and retirement for chimpanzees, initially focusing on animals associated with U.S. Air Force programs.

A specialized, accredited primate sanctuary focused on permanent retirement, rescue, and exemplary lifelong care for chimpanzees formerly used in research, entertainment, or private ownership.

• Animal sanctuary · 1997

  Permanent chimpanzee sanctuary

  Save the Chimps provides permanent residential care for chimpanzees who have been rescued from research, entertainment, private ownership, or commercial breeding. Care includes food, veterinary services, behavioral support, habitat management, and placement in compatible social groups. The sanctuary model prioritizes lifelong welfare rather than public exhibition, commercial use, or release into environments for which the animals are not prepared.

• Sanctuary infrastructure

  Florida island habitats

  The organization’s principal Florida campus uses 12 separate islands of approximately three acres each across roughly 150 acres. The habitats are designed to support social living and provide space for climbing, movement, shelter, and managed daily care while allowing staff to monitor the health and relationships of resident chimpanzees.

• 2002Coulston chimpanzee rescue

  United States

  Save the Chimps assumed responsibility for the chimpanzees held by the bankrupt Coulston Foundation after the laboratory lost NIH funding and faced repeated Animal Welfare Act violations.

  Outcome. The organization acquired 266 chimpanzees, producing the largest expansion in its history and making it one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world.

  Source
• 1997Air Force chimpanzee retirement campaign

  United States

  Save the Chimps was created to secure sanctuary placement for chimpanzees formerly used by the U.S. Air Force. After losing an initial auction to the Coulston Foundation, founder Carole C. Noon pursued legal action and negotiated custody of 21 animals.

  Outcome. The settlement established Save the Chimps as a retirement sanctuary and transferred 21 chimpanzees to its care.

  Source

• 2024

  Save the Chimps became the new home of Tonka in Chimp Crazy[1]Save the Chimpsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Save the Chimps was featured in the fourth episode of HBO’s documentary series Chimp Crazy as the sanctuary receiving Tonka, a chimpanzee previously associated with Hollywood entertainment and private breeding.

1. 1Save the Chimpsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Save the Chimps official websitesavethechimps.org