Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 90

LEADERS BY NATURE: THE MOUNTAIN Q & A
ALI CRUMPACKER:
Building Happy Lives for Chimps
Executive Director Ali Crumpacker and her team are making a
forever home for chimpanzees at Project Chimps. This Blue Ridge
Mountains sanctuary is home to nearly 100 chimpanzees.
Interview by MARY LEIDIG | Photos courtesy ALI CRUMPACKER
Tell us how you came to this
work. You've come full circle
from New Jersey, to California,
to north Georgia. How did it
all prepare you for the job of
executive director at one of only
five chimpanzee sanctuaries in
the United States?
I grew up around animals and
knew I wanted to devote my life to
them. I've followed the jobs across
the country, going to the locations where I could make
the biggest difference. I never saw myself working with
chimps in Georgia, and I also didn't know there even
were chimps in Georgia!
What is the purpose of the sanctuary, and why do
chimpanzees used in research need a place like
Project Chimps?
Our mission is to provide exemplary care to former research
chimpanzees. We were founded in 2014 to provide
a home to the privately owned chimps-the ones coming
from universities without any government support
like the National Institutes of Health chimps. We started
small but with big goals, and now we have nearly 100
chimps with a staff of three dozen and close to 200 volunteers!
Over the next four years we expect to double in
size to ensure all the private chimps have a forever home
in the mountains.
We are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal
Sanctuaries and Better Business Bureau, and licensed by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Describe the sanctuary, and give our readers a
picture of its beauty and size.
Project Chimps is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains on more than 230 acres of land. We've added
90 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
hiking trails for the public on the perimeter of the property,
and chimp housing is in the center. We've added a lot
of structure to the chimp areas. Our goal is to keep most
of the property devoted to the native flora and fauna of
this region. We're finding a good balance with nature.
What is your favorite part of this work, your
biggest challenge and what is " Chimpcation " ?
Our biggest challenge is fundraising. Understandably,
donors want to see the chimps, and, thankfully, the
chimps enjoy visitors! While we have limited large-event
days, donors can book private small group tours or attend
public programs like Chimpcation, where people
can spend a full week at the sanctuary learning all that
goes into chimpanzee caregiving. They're popular and offered
five weeks a year. You'll want to book in advance at:
projectchimps.org/chimpcation
My biggest reward is seeing a timid chimp who exhibited
a lot of anxiety when first arriving, and then finally
relaxing and enjoying this new life. For some this happens
right away. For others this can take years. We'll never
know just what they saw in their past or how long it will
take to convince them it's over and behind them, and life
is good now.
What has been your biggest surprise, and what's
next at Project Chimps?
My biggest surprise is who some of our supporters are.
Who knew sci-fi fans would be huge ape fans too? It
makes sense once you connect the dots with storylines
like " Planet of the Apes, " but it still surprised me. On the
horizon is major construction. The pandemic delayed our
expansion, and that has meant more than 100 chimps are
still waiting at The New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana.
We just need a few more million dollars to move
forward with building the infrastructure to give them all
the life they deserve.
http://www.projectchimps.org/chimpcation http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022
