Arriving in Wauchula a few days before Thanksgiving in 2004, Denyse is one of the oldest chimpanzees at the Center. (Only Sam and Marco are older.)

When she was a tiny infant, she was purchased from a small roadside zoo by a couple who raised her as their daughter. She lived as a human in their house for the first five years, and then was kept alone in a tiny backyard cage for the next 30 years until her one of her owners died. The other owner, now in his eighties, needed a home for Denyse. When she arrived at the Center at age 35, she had never seen another chimpanzee before.

Most of her life, she had been fed a diet which included some fruit… but also marshmallows, canned pie filling, pizzas, and beer. It took the sanctuary staff several months to help Denyse wean off beer and adjust to a new diet of fresh leaves and browse, fruits and vegetables, primate chow biscuits, and healthy treats.

Because Denyse identifies more with humans than with chimpanzees, the introductions to other chimps have been done gradually and carefully. Overall, Denyse really does not like chimpanzees, but we continue to socialize her from a distance to various chimpanzees at the sanctuary and hope that soon, Denyse can experience a life living with her own species.