When Maggie was born on September 2, 1990 at a breeding facility in Auburn, California. She was separated from her mother a year later and sold to Marine World Africa, USA in Vallejo, California. There, Maggie was introduced to Thiele and Patti, who became her surrogate sisters and helped raise her.

At Marine World, Maggie was required to perform unnatural acts day after day, on command for many years. Typical of most chimpanzees, Maggie became too strong and unmanageable, and therefore too dangerous to work around the public. At the young age of 8 she was considered unprofitable in the entertainment world and resold to the breeding facility where she was born.

In 2005, the breeding facility became overcrowded and the financial burden of caring for all of the chimpanzees became overwhelming. As a result, the facility chose to relocate Maggie and her surrogate sister Thiele to sanctuary. From that point, it was only natural that both Maggie and Thiele be moved to Chimps Inc. where their 'long lost" sister and companion Patti was living. After nine long years of being separated the "sister" trio was reunited. Like us, chimpanzees have long-term memories, so when Maggie, Thiele and Patti greeted each other with elated pant hoots and gentle embraces it was enough to suggest they remembered one another.

Inquisitive and determined, Maggie is constantly investigating new things. Her creativity shines when she uses socks as mittens on colder days, or when she constructs sleeping nests of only the softest and best blankets. If Maggie is out of sight she is most likely sequestered away being a surrogate mom to Jackson, one of the youngest chimps here at the sanctuary.