Patti became the second member of our sanctuary in June of 1996, after she arrived from Vallejo, California.  Raised by humans since she was born on September 11, 1982, Patti performed tirelessly for Marine World Africa USA for fourteen years before she became too unpredictable to have around the public.  Due to her exceptional personality, she was allowed to entertain visitors for a longer period than most chimpanzees.

As Marine World was closing down their chimpanzee entertainment sector, we gladly provided her with an environment that suits her captive behaviors: humans, television, paint, books, and numerous other enrichments.  Moreover, Patti, who weighs about 150 pounds, now lives comfortably in a chimpanzee community that has, to some extent, similar backgrounds.

Of the eight chimpanzees that we now house at our sanctuary, Patti proves to be the best at communicating to us what she wants, especially when it comes to food.  She also understands numerous American Sign Language signs such as: "more," "hungry,' "flower," "please," and "drink."