Play Houses
Chimpanzee Outdoor Habitats
Aerial Tunnels
Cat Habitat
Greenhouse and Organic Gardens
Kitchen and Food Preparation
Intern House

Chimps Inc.
Chimps Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(C)3 wildlife sanctuary dedicated to furthering chimpanzee conservation through education. It was founded by Lesley Day in 1995 in response to the multitude of captive chimpanzees desperately in need of homes. Our sanctuary is located in rural Bend, Oregon. It is situated in a quiet, peaceful setting not far from the beautiful Three Sisters Mountains. Bend is typical of the high desert with the sun shining nearly every day.

topPlay Houses
There are 2 large indoor playhouses which are always open for the chimps to explore, play, rest, or retreat whenever they need to.

Our newest indoor area was completed in 2007. It is 2,200 square feet, bi-level building with a huge vaulted ceiling. There are 12 oversized skylights casing the entire roof allowing the sun to shine in. The interior is specifically designed to meet the physical and behavioral needs of chimpanzees by offering high nesting areas, multi-level platforms, hammocks and durable fire hose to swing from. The windows that peer to the outside are made of laminated layers Lexan and tempered glass, otherwise known as 'bullet-proof' glass. This allows the chimps to look outside without having the bars of the enclosures in front of them. Additionally, the new play house has a full functioning, top of the line kitchen and food preparation area. This allows the volunteers to see the chimps and the chimps to check out all of the good food that we are preparing on a daily basis.

The second indoor area is approximately 1,100 square feet. It consists of 4 connected "bedrooms" and a large, open play room area. Each wall in this play house is painted with vibrant colors and beautiful nature scenes so the chimps always have something beautiful to look at.

topChimpanzee Outdoor Habitats
The chimpanzees have 3 large outdoor enclosures to explore every day. The largest of these areas is nearly one acre in size. There is a 30 foot, tri-level tower with fire hose cargo nets and telephone poles scaling the sides. An underground tunnel provides a cool place during the hot summer days as well as great hide-away place. And there are always pant hoots when the simulated termite mound is filled with peanut butter and honey. It gives them the opportunity to create tools out of tree branches and "fish" for the goodies.

topAerial Tunnels
Elevated tunnels connect all of our indoor and outdoor habitats allowing the chimpanzees to reach any point of the sanctuary at any time. They often like to make blanket beds, as if they were nesting in the canopies of trees. They have a spectacular view of the entire sanctuary and the beautiful Three Sisters Mountains.

topCat Habitat
Alfonz, the Siberain lynx, has ¾ of an acre of outdoor space to run around and explore. It is built on a rocky bluff, terrain which is very similar to his native environment. He has multiple "huts" to bed in and oversized spools to jump up and off of.

topGreenhouse and Organic Gardens
A 450 square feet Greenhouse allows us to grow various vegetables throughout the spring, summer and fall. Our 3-tiered organic garden is situated right next to the chimpanzee's outdoor habitat. It's positioned in such a way that the chimpanzees can point to the vegetables that they would like to eat. Nothing tastes better than home grown! The second organic garden is located near the cat habitat. It allows us to grow additional tomato, corn, and leafy green vegetables

topKitchen and Food Preparation
Inside the largest chimp play house is a state-of-the-art kitchen containing stainless steel counters and sinks, an oversized walk-in refrigerator and freezer, stove-top and microwave. The sanctuary is fortunate to receive generous donations of fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. The chimps receive four balanced meals of produce per day.

topIntern House
Located adjacent to the chimp facilities is where interns, volunteers and guests stay while at the sanctuary. It contains the education center filled with informative videos, books, articles, and newsletters about apes, big cats, and conservation issues facing wild animals.