Wednesday, 18 March, 2009 15:58
by Tarah
telephone: 318.925.9575
fax: 318.925-9576
www.chimphaven.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release # 090318 Contact: Lee Anna NaranjoMarch 18, 2009 Public Relations Specialist 318.925.5787 Lnaranjo@chimphaven.org
CHIMP HAVEN’S “SPACE CHIMP”
KEITHVILLE, La. — It could be said that the Endangered Species chocolate bar bearing a photo of two-year-old Tracy, Chimp Haven’s youngest chimpanzee, is out of this world.
Last Sunday, when NASA successfully launched shuttle Discovery to the International Space station, it carried eight Endangered Species chocolate bars in Tracy packaging. One of the space walkers of flight STS-119 requested them to be packed as a dessert for one of the astronauts’ meals.
On January 8, 2007, Tracy was an unexpected addition to Chimp Haven, the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Keithville, Louisiana. She has won the hearts of the care staff, the public, and many of the other chimpanzees at Chimp Haven. While she stays close to her mother, Teresa, she is often watched over by many chimpanzee “aunties.” Very photogenic, she has served as a “cover girl” for Chimp Haven publications, not to mention the Endangered Species chocolate bar.
Endangered Species Chocolate, a company that produces organic and ethically traded chocolate bars gives a percentage of its proceeds from the sale of its products to support Chimp Haven’s mission of providing care to chimpanzees no longer needed in research or as pets or entertainers.
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Chimp Haven, The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to provide a permanent retirement sanctuary for chimpanzees no longer used for biomedical research, entertainment, or as pets. Located 25 miles southwest of Shreveport, La. in the Eddie D. Jones Nature Park in Caddo Parish, Chimp Haven opened its doors in Phase I to the first residents in April 2005. The sanctuary is now home to 132 retired chimpanzees.