Chimpanzees In The U.S.

There are over 1,300 chimpanzees found in a variety of facilities across the United States. In fact, in addition to their housing in accredited zoological parks, chimpanzees are one of the only exotic animals found in biomedical laboratories, sanctuaries and unaccredited animal parks in addition to being owned as pets and performers for television, movies and advertisements.

 

Currently, there is no federal legislation prohibiting the ownership of chimpanzees. Though many states have banned the use and possession of great apes, the lack of a centralized set of laws regulating non-human primate ownership has resulted in an ineffective patchwork of individual state laws.

There are currently chimpanzees listed for the United States

Click on any state to find out how many chimpanzees there are and in what types of facilities they live.

  • Accredited zoos are zoological parks accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  Chimpanzees living at AZA-accredited zoos are cooperatively managed as part of the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan.

  • "Unaccredited facilities" are those without formal accrediting oversight.  They include non-AZA zoos, non-NAPSA sanctuaries, and other organizations that may share some characteristics of zoos, sanctuaries and seller/breeders.

  • Trainer/entertainment facilities hold chimpanzees primarily for the purpose of breeding and training chimpanzees to be used in movies, advertisements, television and print media.

  • Biomedical research facilities house chimpanzees that were previously either used for medical research protocols or may have been "in holding" for projected future research use.   The National Institutes of Health now prohibit biomedical research on chimpanzees.

  • GFAS sanctuaries are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). These sanctuaries provide permanent housing for chimpanzees from the pet, research and entertainment industries. They do not enage in breeding programs and may not be open to the public.

  • Pet/seller/breeders are privately-owned chimpanzees: either bred for public ownership or currently living in private residences.  Their specific location is not indicated on the map.