HSUSWhistleblower

Crystal: So it turns out the accrediting body, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, is also controlled by HSUS. GFAS came to do an inspection while I still worked there, after I had emailed them detailed concerns. While at Project Chimps, the GFAS inspectors told me they found several problems and didn't censor their thoughts on the sanctuary. However, an official report was never released. They quietly helped their fellow HSUS organization make some changes here and there while publicly maintaining the whistleblowers were liars. You can see how we've compiled all the accreditation violations here.

Crystal: this is something we've asked ourselves a lot. At this point, we feel that HSUS is making a ton of money on the backs of these chimps. They're bringing in more money than ever, yet care is steadily declining. Meanwhile, the sanctuary is operating as a tourist attraction with AirBnB chimp experiences, weddings, etc. All while nothing improves for the chimps.

Lindsay: No. The report was never released to the public from GFAS. We believe that this could have something to do with the fact that many of the whistleblower complaints were validated by GFAS's findings.

Crystal: Thank you for asking this! YES. They absolutely have a "tour mode" when people are visiting. They put an interactive chimp group in the habitat (even if it means skipping another group's habitat day) and they station people at windows along the habitat wall to throw treats over and lure the chimps to the windows. Visitors aren't allowed behind the scenes in the failing buildings to see the chimps' stress behaviors and actual living conditions. If someone were visiting, I would recommend asking "What are the rest of the chimps? What are they doing since they're not outside? When do they go outside again? How do you keep them occupied inside buildings for days on end?" You just have to get past the smoke and mirrors.

Crystal: For comparison, great apes in zoos have daily outdoor access to a natural habitat. At this sanctuary, they're only outdoors a handful of hours per week. The rest of that time is spent in barren concrete enclosures.