In loving memory of
Lisa

In Loving Memory of Lisa the 1st

1969-2023

This week, we said goodbye to one of our beloved elderly residents, Lisa the 1st, also known as “Littlest Lisa.” She had been suffering from heart failure for many months, which our veterinary and care teams had been able to manage with medication, adjusting treatment as her heart failure worsened. However, her condition recently stopped responding adequately to medications, and in order to avoid causing her any suffering or further discomfort, we made the decision to humanely euthanize her.

Lisa was born in Africa in the 1960s and captured in the wild for use in primate research. Her early years were spent being exposed to various substances to be tested and undergoing frequent blood draws and liver biopsies. She was moved from one institution to another until 1979 when she landed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, which leased its chimpanzees to the Coulston Foundation for use in product testing. Lisa was placed in the breeding program, where she had ten babies, most of whom were taken from her shortly after birth.

She gave birth to her last baby, Bambi, in February 1999 and was allowed to raise her. After Save the Chimps took over the shuttered Coulston Foundation, Lisa and Bambi were able to stay together and became part of Rufus’s large family. In June 2006, they made the move to Florida, where for the first time in decades, Lisa could be outdoors, able to roam and run under open skies—and she took full advantage, always heading out to her island immediately after meals. On a warm Florida afternoon, Lisa knew where to find the best spot for a nap, usually under a nice shade tree where a breeze blows just right.

She gave birth to her last baby, Bambi, in February 1999 and was allowed to raise her. After Save the Chimps took over the shuttered Coulston Foundation, Lisa and Bambi were able to stay together and became part of Rufus’s large family. In June 2006, they made the move to Florida, where for the first time in decades, Lisa could be outdoors, able to roam and run under open skies—and she took full advantage, always heading out to her island immediately after meals. On a warm Florida afternoon, Lisa knew where to find the best spot for a nap, usually under a nice shade tree where a breeze blows just right.

One of her longest friendships was with Yolanda, with whom she had been placed at the Coulston Foundation after Yolanda suffered a miscarriage and needed companionship. These two ladies continued to rely on and support each other into their old age.