This is the Palm Beach County chapter of ChimpanZoo, an international research program created by the Jane Goodall Institute.  Lion Country Safari, located in Loxahatchee, Florida, was one of the founding locations for the program. 

Our group conducts observational research on the chimpanzees at Lion Country Safari, and then passes that information on to the zookeepers and to the Jane Goodall Institute.  Our goal is to not only improve the lives of all chimpanzees in human care, but also to provide sound scientific data for research on chimpanzee behavior.  Through watching their daily behavior, we hope to be able to better inform the public about chimpanzees.  Additionally, we create a variety of enrichment items that the staff at Lion Country Safari use to stimulate the lives of not only the chimpanzees, but all of the primates in their care.

Our chapter consists entirely of volunteers.  If you are interested in volunteering, you can find out more information by clicking here.

Click here for instructions on installing and using ChimpanZoo software on your computer

Practice your coding
Look at the 6/1/08 photo album and try to code all the behaviors of the 31 target chimps in the pictures. Don’t forget to code context and laterality.
* Click here for the answers *

You have made a commitment not just to observe, but to pass on vital information by recording your data for Lioun Country Safari and other research institutions. This information is critical to the future of our primate friends. It is up to us, as a group, to help educate the public by increasing awareness of the needs of animals in captivity. It is equally important to create items to stimulate their natural behavior. In addition, you help Terry and the keepers by adding your narrative observations to our message board so they will be informed of the behaviors we see. Remember to enjoy your observations! Thank-you!