A heroine to be remembered, Dr. Carole Noon started Save the Chimps Sanctuary back in 1997. Outraged at how chimpanzees were being mistreated by the U.S. Air Force, she sued them and won the battle. A few months later, The Coulston Foundation a biomedical research lab based in New Mexico with accused of violating the Animal Welfare Act––was going bankrupt, and offered to sell their laboratory land and buildings, as well as donate 266 chimpanzees to Save the Chimps. 

Save the Chimps is a sanctuary built on 150 acres in Fort Pierce, Florida and is dedicated to providing a safe refuge for chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, pet trade, and entertainment. The sanctuary is dedicated to providing life-long care (safety, shelter, and proper nutrition) free from exploitation for these beautiful great apes. It was an honour and a pleasure to meet Dr. Carole Noon, an animal rights activist and heroine of her time.

Here, I helped prepare meals, design and prepare enrichment, and clean the indoor and outdoor enclosures. Another task was to observe and monitor the behavior and interactions of the chimpanzees.