World Chimpanzee Day

All About Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees at Lincoln Park Zoo live at Regenstein Center for African Apes, where guests can enjoy daily Ape Cognition and Care demonstrations. What do you know about these intelligent, complex animals? Find out more here!

Science Project: Project ChimpCARE
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Project ChimpCARE is committed to improving the lives of all 1,000+ chimpanzees living in the U.S. Its work has included creating a census of every chimp in the country and facilitating scientific research on the impact of private ownership.

Goualougo Triangle Ape Project
Lincoln Park Zoo’s Goualougo Triangle Ape Project conducts research in the only part of the world where gorillas and chimpanzees coexist. This provides incredible opportunities for researchers exploring the health, behaviors, and social dynamics of apes in the wild.

Can These Ex-Hollywood Chimps Find a Place Among the Apes?
In 2024, The New York Times published this piece about Eli and Susie, two former entertainer chimpanzees now living at Lincoln Park Zoo behind the scenes. The effects of their time in Hollywood are long-term, but—with help from their care team and fellow troopmates—they are learning how to be apes for the first time.

Advancing Chimp Welfare: The ChimpCARE Tool
Zoo scientists recently did a comprehensive review of the effects of various types of care on chimpanzee welfare. The results led them to create the ChimpCARE Tool, which is designed to help organizations adapt their chimpanzee care protocols based on up-to-date science.

Zoo Partner Chimp Haven Receives Final Alamogordo Chimps
In April 2025, Chimp Haven received the final six chimps from a National Institutes of Health primate facility after a long legal battle. Now that the chimps are at Chimp Haven, they will live out their lives in species-appropriate ways.

Images courtesy of Chimp Haven.