Steve Ross, a world-renowned primate expert and champion of the welfare of chimpanzees and other primates, passed away last week. Read more about his work. ⬇️
, have attracted the attention of animal rights groups. Many have criticized the sanctuary online. One group, in a campaign reminiscent of those animal advocates typically stage against research labs, protested outside the home of a board member of the Humane Society of the United States, the sanctuary's biggest funder. Signs called him an"animal abuser" and featured photos of a chimp with a deeply split lip.
To increase outside access, she'd have to further divide the sanctuary's habitat, already split in two, so more groups could go outdoors at the same time. But that would deplete funds for bringing more chimpanzees to the sanctuary, she says."We not only have to do the right thing for the animals that are here, but also for those that are not here yet."
Ross measures the size of each room; the floor space covered in hay, blankets, and other substrates; and the number of perches and ropes the animals can climb. He also looks for steel panels that partially block the view of other rooms, allowing the primates to hide from their comrades if they're feeling stressed."All of these are things we know from the literature are important for chimp well-being," he says.
We watch the chimps through a window in the giant concrete wall. Soon, a 32-year-old chimp with a graying muzzle named Justin ambles by. He has a deep gash in his back, looking a bit like a velociraptor took a swipe at him. It's the kind of untreated wound that might show up in a whistleblower complaint.
Everything Ross records feeds into his new tool, which produces three scores:"social," assessing all chimps and the size, composition, and stability of their groups;"spaces," based on the size and complexity of the animals' environments; and"programs," gauging vet care, staff experience, and diets. The sanctuary gets a full report, and the public sees a summary and final grade.mention the word"chimpanzee" only three times.
GFAS Executive Director Valerie Taylor agrees Ross's tool adds value."We would absolutely welcome something like that," she says."There's power in pooling resources."THE PALM BEACH POSTAndrew Halloran, director of chimpanzee care at Save the Chimps, also embraces the tool."Taking care of chimpanzees is a complicated science, and Steve's approach treats it like one," he says.
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