The Chimp Crazy Effect! Limbani the Chimpanzee Now at Local Sanctuary After Pressure From PETA
For Immediate Release:
December 5, 2024
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Crazy victory! In the wake of HBO Max’s Chimp Crazy and an escalating pressure campaign by PETA following the release of the explosive docuseries, Limbani the chimpanzee was just moved from the notorious Zoological Wildlife Foundation in Miami—where he has been kept in solitary confinement for eight years, since he was four days old—to the spacious, locally based sanctuary Save the Chimps. He isthe 25th chimpanzee PETA helped to rescue from dire circumstances, and PETA has now pledged a donation toward his lifetime care.
Eight-year-old Limbani— who was torn away from his mother as an infant —was one of the last chimpanzees in the U.S. kept in isolation from others of his own species. His rescue comes after PETA offered a reward of up $10,000 for evidence that would result in his confiscation by law-enforcement authorities; enlisted 200,000 of its members and supporters to plead for Limbani’s release; and submitted numerous complaints alerting state officials to Limbani’s continued exploitation at the Zoological Wildlife Foundation.
Limbani held in isolation at Zoological Wildlife Foundation.
Limbani was held in a small cage at night and a barren, concrete-floored enclosure during the day at Zoological Wildlife Foundation, which exploited him for photo ops and dangerous public encounters. The roadside zoo was issued a warning by state authorities in 2020 after Limbani bit a child, causing a deep laceration that required stitches. At the time, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission instructed the facility to stop allowing public contact with Limbani, but evidence from social media indicates that it continued.
“At Save the Chimps, Limbani will have the opportunity to connect with a surrogate mother who will show him how to be a chimpanzee at long last, and he’ll spend his days in a lush habitat making his own decisions and forging relationships, not being caged and used as a moneymaker by his abusers,” says PETA Foundation General Counsel Brittany Peet. “Champagne corks are popping at PETA over his long-awaited rescue and we won’t stop until every remaining chimpanzee in roadside zoos and the pet trade follow Limbani’s path to a new life.”
PETA has facilitated the transfer of 24 other chimpanzees—including seven who were held in solitary confinement; one who had eye issues after being held in the dark for years; and one whose teeth were all pulled to make him easier to handle—to accredited sanctuaries. PETA urges everyone to support the bipartisan Captive Primate Safety Act, which would ban private ownership, private breeding, and all commercial activity involving primates used in the pet trade.
PETA’s $10,000 reward still stands for information leading to the confiscation of any of the other (fewer than 100) chimpanzees across the country who are still languishing at roadside zoos or in the pet trade—including Bow, the last solitary chimpanzee held in a private home, and Ricky, a chimpanzee exploited for photo shoots and commercials by the notorious exhibitor Pam Rosaire-Zoppe.
Whistleblowers with information about Bow, Limbani, Ricky, or other captive chimpanzees are encouraged to contact PETA.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
