Sara Halpert

Save the Chimps, Inc. (STC) was established in 1997 by Dr. Carole Noon after successfully suing the U.S. Air Force to gain custody of 21 chimpanzees who had been utilized for the space program and research purposes. A generous donation by the Arcus Foundation, founded by Jon Stryker, enabled STC to purchase the acreage for a permanent Sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. In 2002 the Coulston Foundation, a laboratory housing 266 chimpanzees in Alamogordo, New Mexico, had its governmental funding withdrawn due to violations of the Animal Welfare Act and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Save the Chimps, Inc. received a special initiative of $ 3.7 million from the Arcus Foundation to purchase the New Mexico laboratory and rescue the chimpanzees. Immediately after taking possession of the lab, Dr. Noon and her staff began to modify the stark Alamogordo facility into a healthier and happier environment for the chimpanzees now in their charge, including, for the first time in their lives, fresh food, enlarged cages, enrichment activities, compassionate caregivers and, most importantly, the establishment of social groups. At the same time, planning began for the expansion of the Florida faculty to accommodate the New Mexico chimps. Construction of 11 additional three- to five-acre islands, each linked to indoor housing by a land bridge, was completed. The natural environment offers chimpanzees a comfortable and enriching home in which to socialize and rebuild confidence shattered by countless years spent alone in small cages. Over the course of several years, Save the Chimps, Inc. relocated the Coulston Foundation chimpanzees from New Mexico to Florida in an unprecedented effort known as “The Great Chimpanzee Migration”. Save the Chimps, Inc., co-founded by Dr. Carole Noon and Jon Stryker, became the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the world and continues to rescue other chimpanzees in need.