Hello, my name is
Tapioca

Age

36

Birthday

04/10/1987

Rescued From

Research

About Me

I was born in 1987 at a now defunct biomedical research laboratory in New York State. I was taken from my mother, Pudding, at a very early age. In 1996 I was sent to the Coulston Foundation in New Mexico, a biomedical lab with the worst record of primate care in the history of the Animal Welfare Act.  At laboratories, I lived alone in small dungeon-like cages for years. The only interactions I likely had were with the caretakers for countless medical research experiments. In 2002, I was among 266 chimpanzees rescued by Save the Chimps from the Coulston Foundation.

I am extremely intelligent and energetic and extremely devoted to my best friend, and sister, Plum. We are inseparable and do everything together. I love finding ways to get objects from the caregiver’s side of the building into the chimp areas, like using a stick to get the hose. I also enjoy the enrichment that lets me use my talents, like puzzle boxes, where I have to bring food such as grapes or peanuts through a small maze with obstacles before being able to eat them. Since moving to Florida I have gotten used to wide-open spaces and am even often spotted high up in the oak trees – a sight that always brings a smile to the caregivers’ faces.

Family

  • Tapioca

Favorite Things

  • Blankets
  • Gatorade
  • Painting
  • Dried Fruit
  • Plum and Ursula (my best friends)

Personality

  • Brilliant
  • Resourceful
  • Mischievous