Adopt a Chimp and Change a Life
Welcome to Fauna’s Adopt-a-Chimp program. By symbolically adopting a chimp (or a monkey!) today, you play an important role in their ongoing recovery. Proceeds from our Adopt‑a‑Chimp program go directly to providing critical health care and an enriched environment for our residents, giving them the quality of life they so greatly deserve.
Choose Your Adoption Package
Once you decide on your virtual “adoption” package, your next step will be to select which chimp (or monkey) you want to adopt. Prices are in Canadian dollars.
Our Adopt-a-Chimp package is an environmentally-friendly, downloadable adoption kit, including a:
- Full-color photo of your chosen chimp or monkey
- Digital copy of their biography and history
- The Fauna Annual Report
The Digital Adoption Kit is available to download immediately after purchase. The cost is $60 Canadian.
When you chose your resident and complete the donation, you will receive a confirmation email. This will contain a link to the adoption kit. When you click on this link, your kit will immediately download onto your computer.
Choose Your Chimp
Read their bios, get to know these incredible individuals, and decide on who to “adopt!”
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BINKY
Rambunctious and ever playful, Binky often plays hard to get. Once he befriends you, his softer side reveals itself. He can be seen galloping through the skywalks engaging caregivers in a game of chase. He has dark hair and a lighter grey beard. Compact and muscular, Binky’s strength and stamina are impressive. His eyes are striking and piercing. He knows what he wants and understands more than he leads on — he is always listening. Binky can be rather mischievous. Known for his perpetual playfulness, he is often found playing with staff, other chimps, or even picking on his elders. He loves watching TV and videos and can sit entranced for quite awhile. His favorite are wildlife films and short videos of himself. (Read more about Binky.)
By virtually “adopting” today, you can be a VIP in Binky’s life! -
TATU
Fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), Tatu is intelligent, outgoing and ever curious. She is small and dark with striking white hairs around her face and chin. Tatu loves communicating with her human and chimp friends. She is the most fluent in ASL of any at Fauna and can often be found signing for her favorite things to caregivers or even signing to herself while looking through magazines. Tatu is fun and mischievous at the same time. She loves playing games that often involve teasing or scaring others. She is very fond of wearing masks and is often found carrying one around held close to her belly. She is also a determined planner. An intelligently bright tool-user, Tatu always keeps the caregivers on their toes.(Read more about Tatu..)
By virtually “adopting” today, you can be a VIP in Tatu’s life! -
LOULIS
Loulis is the eldest male but one would never guess given his love of chase games. He is quite small and boxy shaped, walking on his tiptoes. His back is very grey and he has a very unique, long face with two easily visible ridges on the top of his head. This boy is quite a charmer. He can often be found in any are where humans are, watching them and asking for sweet kisses. He enjoys the pop-over tunnels in the kitchen, as well as any outdoor area with a view over everyone entering and exiting the building. He loves playing chase and tickle with his caregivers. Loulis is a sweet old soul. He tends to be shy and reserved at times. (Read more about Loulis..)
By virtually “adopting” today, you can be a VIP in Loulis’ life! -
MAYA
Maya acts like she has a lot to prove, so it takes her some time to let her guard down. Her piercing beautiful eyes reveal her kind soul. Compared to the other chimps, Maya’s hair is lighter and thinner. She has a large pink scar on her foot from past traumas. If she wants something she will let her caregivers know by banging on the caging. She is incredibly intelligent and if you spend enough time with her to gain her trust she is incredibly kind and attentive. Maya enjoys lying in the sun, taking as many naps as possible. She loves spending time with friends. (Read more about Maya)
By virtually “adopting” today, you can be a VIP in Maya’s life! -
SUE ELLEN
Fauna’s matriarch, Sue Ellen is a remarkable chimpanzee whose life has been so hard for so long. She has cute round ears and a tiny button nose, and she displays unparalleled resilience despite recently losing the use of her legs. Due to her new and ever-evolving lifestyle, she spends a lot of time with caregivers. Sue Ellen enjoys life’s simple pleasures, such as sitting out in the morning sun and eating her breakfast leisurely while the day unfolds around her. Sue Ellen is respected by all of her Fauna family. She is a queen and loves to dress up like royalty. She is often found wearing scarves, beaded necklaces, purses or even something exotic, like a hula hoop wrapped around her waist. (Read more about Sue Ellen).
By virtually “adopting” today, you can be a VIP in Sue Ellen’s life! -
NEWTON
Newton is spunky and eccentric, most likely due to his poor vision and his life behind bars. He walks in a robust manner, knocking over toys in his path. He has beautiful, wispy hairs on his cheeks. Newton was sentenced to be disposed of at the age of four years old because he was no longer useful for a research study. They suspected he had glaucoma and thus could not be used for their eye research at Queens University in Ontario. He came to Fauna in February 2005 along with one other monkey from the University lab, Darla. Newton loves exploring his numerous enclosures. He loves enrichment, and will always go for enrichment first over anything, even food! He loves to tear things apart to see what is inside. (Read more about Newton)
By virtually “adopting” today, you can be a VIP in Newton’s life!
Why Adopt?
Whether retired from laboratory research, or rescued from zoos or other situations, the chimps and monkeys who call Fauna home have been given the chance to live and relax in peace. No longer confined to tiny cages or subjected to invasive experiments, they now delight in the simple pleasures of life: sunshine and fresh air on their faces, room to play and rest, plenty of special treats to eat, new things to discover… but most of all, the chance to be with friends and their family.
Chimpanzees and monkeys in captivity can become bored and restless if their environment does not change. To keep them mentally stimulated, we must continually expand and enhance their enclosures and provide enrichment activities for them to explore. Proceeds from our Adopt‑a‑Chimp program go directly to this important work.
All combined, the Fauna Foundation chimps have survived approximately 250 years in biomedical research. The subjects of everything from liver biopsies to experimental HIV drugs, the majority of these chimps have spent some time in pain and isolation. Now that they are safely at Fauna, this is our opportunity to provide quality care for these special individuals in their much-deserved retirement.
We are caring for an aging population. All of the chimpanzees at Fauna are 30 years of age or older — which is geriatric, as the average age of death for captive and wild chimpanzees is 32 years of age. Much of their living costs are due to geriatric health needs like medication, special procedures, enclosure modifications, and specialized veterinary care. This costs more money than a younger, more healthful chimpanzee population would require. The cost of care for one chimpanzee is over $20,000 CDN per year. Proceeds from our Adopt-a-Chimp program go towards securing the best possible care for our residents for the rest of their lives.
Adopt-a-Chimp FAQ
Have a question that’s not answered below? Ask and we’ll be happy to answer.
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WHERE IS MY ADOPTION PACKAGE?
When you completed the donation, you should have received a confirmation email from weblink.no.reply@softerware.com. If you don't see it, check your spam folder. This email will contain a link to the adoption kit. When you click on this link, your kit will immediately download onto your computer. Check where ever your downloads go. It is a zip file. Click on the zip file and it will open and you can see your package. Or you may need to right-click on the ZIP folder and select "extract all", it will open and you can see your package. If you have any questions, please contact us via email and we can email the kit to you.
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IF I'VE ADOPTED MY CHIMP OR MONKEY, WHY CAN'T I TAKE HIM/HER HOME?
The term “adoption” really means sponsorship. When you adopt a chimpanzee or a monkey from Fauna, your contribution goes to help care for that individual — and in return, you receive detailed information about the chimp or monkey you have chosen to adopt.
Fauna’s Sanctuary provides permanent, lifetime protection for these incredible individuals. The Fauna Foundation does not support the private ownership of chimpanzees or monkeys, ever.
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HOW MUCH DOES AN ADOPTION PACKAGE COST?
Our digital Adoption Package is CDN$ 60.
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DO I GET A TAX RECEIPT IF I PURCHASE AN ADOPTION PACKAGE?
You will receive a tax receipt for a portion of the Adoption Package price. For the Digital kit you will receive a CDN$ 50 tax receipt.
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IS THE ADOPTION FEE A ONE-TIME ONLY PURCHASE?
Yes. The Adoption Package fee is a one-time only cost.
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IS AN ADOPTION KIT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN?
Fauna’s philosophy is to focus on the positive changes in the chimpanzees’ lives since their arrival at the Sanctuary in 1997, or in the monkeys’ since their arrival in 2005. However, all of their biographies do address their time in biomedical research and some of the abuse they experienced as circus performers, pets, or as participants in research labs or the entertainment industry. We encourage parents to read through the material before giving it to their children and use it to create a dialogue about these important issues.
The most important message children can take away from this virtual adoption program is that compassion can make a difference for the chimps and monkeys in our care, and for the future of those still in captivity.
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I LIVE OUTSIDE OF CANADA. HOW MUCH DOES THE ADOPTION PACKAGE COST IN AMERICAN DOLLARS/BRITISH POUNDS/EUROS?
All adoption kits are priced in Canadian dollars. We cannot give you an accurate price in other currencies as conversion rates change on a daily basis.
If you are paying by credit card, the currency exchange rate is set by the credit card company on the day you make your purchase. The exchange rate will appear on your credit card statement.
