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June 25, 2024

In Loving Memory of Val


In Loving Memory of Val

1995-2024


It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to Val on Friday. 

Val was born on December 19, 1995, at the Coulston Foundation laboratory in Alamogordo, NM to Monica and Gromek. Like many newborn chimps at Coulston, she was taken from her mother and raised in the laboratory nursery. She was used as a test subject until 2002, when she was rescued by Save the Chimps. She became a part of Seve’s Family where she enjoyed fresh food and a luxurious island to explore along with a chimp family.

 

Val was not a morning person: when caregivers approached the building with breakfast, she rarely got out of her hammock. Her favorite spots were wherever there was a hammock, though she also liked to sit at the top of the Primadome in order to oversee everything and everyone. Val didn’t like to get involved in group politics; she preferred to relax in the sun and spend time with her best friend Cartier. 

Lately, her appetite and activity had decreased and she had lost weight. In order to investigate the cause of these changes, the veterinary staff completed a diagnostic exam and found that Val’s kidneys were in an advanced stage of failure. Due to the lack of viable treatment options and in order to prevent Val from experiencing any unnecessary suffering, they made the difficult yet kind choice of humane euthanasia. 

Though we’re sad that Val has passed, we’re proud that we were able to provide 22 years of freedom and joy in her retirement at the sanctuary.

At Save the Chimps, we are heartbroken when one of our chimpanzee friends is taken from us. Losing a chimpanzee is like losing both a good friend and a family member — each has an extraordinary and unique personality and each will be missed both by their chimpanzee family and their human family — the staff, volunteers, and loving supporters of Save the Chimps.

Your support makes everything we do possible. Thanks to your generosity, our chimpanzee residents can live out their lives with peace and dignity.

Thank you for honoring those who have passed by donating in their name. Our generous Board of Directors just pledged a matching gift drive and will include donations made in honor of Val.

Here’s how it works:

If you have never given, your entire gift will be tripled. Thank you for giving in honor of Val.