As reported ^[1] by the Associated Press in the Kitsap Sun, a new sanctuary for chimpanzees retiring from the biomedical research or entertainment industries will be opening in Cle Elum in the spring. Seven will be moving in at the time of the opening. The chimps, currently living at a lab facility in Pennsylvania, are aged 24 to 34. Chimps, whose average life span is 35 – 50 years old, can live into their 60s, so these chimps could be settled in for quite some time.

The story doesn’t mention if visitors will be welcome. I sure hope so–I love chimps and I’d be thrilled to go see these animals relaxing in a well-deserved retirement from being poked and prodded and injected and examined. It would make a nice companion trip to a visit to Ellenburg , a mere 25 miles away, where the Central Washington University plays host to the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute ^[2].