A mother’s love is instant and lasts a lifetime

My name is Jennifer and I was born in 1970 at Holloman Air Force base and taken from my mother soon after birth. In the wild I would have relied on my mom completely for warmth, protection, transportation, and nourishment. I would have nursed for five years and we would have shared a lifelong bond. At 18 months old I started my “career” as a laboratory test subject and was used in disease research and at just ten years old I entered the breeding program. In the wild an adult chimpanzee would have five or six babies over a lifetime but I had thirteen babies in just seventeen years. One was stillborn and the rest held similar fates as mine and were taken soon after birth so that I could continue producing babies.

I was rescued by Save the Chimps in 2001, along with 20 other chimpanzees, including my breeding partner, Wes. I am a quiet and reserved chimp, preferring the companionship of my chimpanzee friends to interaction with humans. I had one last baby in 2003, as a result of a failed vasectomy in the alpha of the group, Garfield. I finally had a chance to raise one of my babies and was not going to take it for granted. I doted on him, taking care of his every need from day one.

At the age of 11, JB became Alpha of the group. There is no doubt that my steadfast loyalty contributed to the confidence he needed to earn this important role of leadership. The support, guidance, and good genes of his father Garfield played an important part too. I’m enjoying my retirement to the fullest and am able to share a lifelong bond with JB. He may be the big, tough, alpha of the group, but he still makes time for sweet and gentle play sessions with his mom.

You can help support the chimpanzees at Save the Chimps by donating to our Board Match Challenge. Your gift will be doubled and go twice as far to support Jennifer, JB, and the more than 200 other chimpanzees living at Save the Chimps. The Board Match ends on May 15th and every donation gets us closer to our $210,000 goal. Won’t you please give now?

If you have already given to the Board Match, thank you. We are still including you on the emails so that you can also enjoy learning about our residents and see our progress in the Match.

Double your Gift. Double the Difference!