
Chimp Eden Sanctuary
Chimp Eden: A New Life for Rescued Chimps
IChimp Eden is South Africa’s first and only chimpanzee sanctuary, run by the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa. Since 2006, it has provided a safe home for chimps rescued from the wild meat trade, illegal pet markets, and the entertainment industry.
Located in the lush Umhloti Nature Reserve near Nelspruit, the sanctuary helps chimpanzees heal, form social groups, and relearn natural behaviours like foraging and climbing.
Chimp Eden is home to 33 chimpanzees, including Baby Amari who was born unexpectedly in 2017. With large outdoor enclosures and expert care, each chimp is given a second chance at a better life.


Residents of Chimp Eden
The chimpanzees at Chimp Eden are among the lucky few. Chimps like Cozy, Zac and Tony have endured unimaginable suffering, but now live in safety with the expert care they need to begin healing.
Cozy was born in 1996 in a laboratory in the United States and later taken to Italy, where he was forced to perform tricks and pose for photos. After repeated violent beatings to the head, he suffered lasting brain damage. Cozy has lived at Chimp Eden since 2006, where he now has the peace and protection he was once denied.
Zac, born in 1986, spent years chained to a tree outside a nightclub in Angola. Visitors gave him drugs and alcohol, and by the time he arrived at Chimp Eden in 2007, he was already suffering from alcohol addiction. Today, Zac is cared for by a team who understand his trauma and are helping him reclaim his life.
Tony was born in 2005 and kept in a cramped cage alongside a female chimp named Sampa. The cage had no flat surface for sleeping, and the pair were trapped there for at least three years. Thankfully, both were rescued in 2007 and brought to Chimp Eden, where they were given the space, care and dignity they had never known.
Each chimp at Chimp Eden carries a painful past, but here they are finally free to live with safety, companionship and hope for a better future.

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