Next of Kin

To travel to the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg, Washington, and to educate everyone about the plight of the highly endangered chimpanzee.

There really is no place in the world like the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI). They provide sanctuary for four chimpanzees--Washoe, Loulis, Tatu, and Dar. Their primary goal is ensuring the well-being and protection of these chimpanzees by guaranteeing their freedom from invasive or disruptive research, by maintaining a safe, healthy, and interesting environment, and respecting and providing for their individual needs. CHCI is an amazing place to visit, and I encourage all of you to do so when you have the opportunity. There is actually a cache at CHCI, Monkey Business (GCDB5E), though it is a micro, so please take the Next of Kin Travel Bug as close to CHCI as possible. Also, please note that chimpanzees are great apes and humans’ closest genetic relative. However, they are not monkeys.

Unfortunately, chimpanzees in the wild are on the brink of extinction. At the turn of the last century, chimpanzees were living in 25 countries across West and Central Africa numbering around one million. Today their total number has dwindled to less than 200,000, with significant populations found in only four countries. There are many reasons why chimpanzees are disappearing in the wild. Their habitat is vanishing at an alarming rate due to deforestation by foreign hardwood logging companies. Logging in remote areas has increased chimpanzees' vulnerability to poachers by disrupting their once secluded environments. For more information about the highly endangered chimpanzee, please visit www.janegoodall.org.