Original Chimp Art by Apollo & Ricky

Original art by Apollo and Ricky on a 9×12″ canvas

Art is an enrichment activity offered to our residents. Some chimps enjoy it, while others prefer not to. The choice is theirs to make.

About the Artists

I was born May 18, 1998, to my parents Cartier and Tarzan. Cartier was described as a good mother. Despite initial positive signs of bonding with my mother, I was taken from her and sent to the nursery to be raised by human caregivers just twelve hours after being born.

When Save the Chimps took over The Coulston Foundation in 2002, chimpanzee introductions and formations of large groups began. I migrated to Florida in April 2011 and after many years of separation, my mother and I were reunited. She definitely adores me and the feeling is mutual.

I am the self-appointed official greeter and am one of the first to welcome people into the building with an enthusiastic smile.  I also use my charm when there is something I want from my caregivers. With a kiss and a gesture towards what I desire, I know the staff will get the message.

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I was most likely born in captivity in the early 1980s. My past is uncertain but it is believed that I was a circus chimp for the first decade or so of my life. I was castrated and had my teeth removed, perhaps in a vain attempt to make it “safe” for humans to work with me even as I grew in size and strength. Like many performing chimps, my career ended by the time I was ten years old.

There is no retirement system for former chimpanzee “actors”, so like so many chimps in entertainment, I fell through the cracks. At some point, I ended up living alone in someone’s garage as a pet. An animal lover who specializes in rescuing dogs took pity on me and rescued me from the garage, moving me to his sanctuary in Alabama.

However, I needed the company of other chimpanzees, so my rescuer contacted Save the Chimps for assistance. In 2007, I became part of the Save the Chimps family. I may have gone as many as 15 years without seeing another chimpanzee, but to everyone’s surprise, I adjusted to life with other chimpanzees much more quickly than is typical of former entertainment and pet chimps.