Born 1975, possibly in the wild. Celebrated birthday: Mother’s Day.
Died April 30, 2023 in her sanctuary home.

Jody was used primarily for breeding during her years of use by the biomedical research industry, and had a total of nine babies during this time plus two miscarriages. Three of her surviving children, Andrea, Bart, and Clay, live at Save the Chimps (STC) sanctuary in Florida. Clay is also Burrito‘s half brother. Jody’s son Levi was one of fourteen chimpanzees involved in a dispute in 2011 because they were moved from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) laboratory to the Texas Biomed laboratory instead of going to Chimp Haven sanctuary in Louisiana. Fortunately, Levi and the others in that group did eventually go to Chimp Haven, all because people spoke up on their behalf. Jody’s daughter April never made it to sanctuary; she died in 2012 at APF of a respiratory virus. Jody’s children Opy and Adam also died before making it to sanctuary and we don’t have information about her other two children, Cliff and Taylor.

In between her many pregnancies, the industry managed to also use Jody in hepatitis vaccine research.

She often played the protector or worried “mom” within her group. She loved foraging for and harvesting food from the outdoor habitat and had an incredible “dinosaur groan” that she made when eating something particularly exciting. She was skillful at making nests and never missed an opportunity to kick her feet up and relax, often in “happy baby” pose. She played with her friends, and some of the funniest play sessions were between her and Negra. Jody embraced all that the sanctuary offered, and we are so glad we, through your support, were able to provide her with a new life. Thank you for continuing to keep her presence within you.

See the video of her chimpanzee family saying goodbye.

Donate in memory of Jody today or become her Chimpanzee Pal (in memorial). Jody currently has 15 pals (in memorial):