My Nonprofit Reviews

I started working at the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, Ky., in March 2010. I work every Saturday, from 9 a.m., until we finish for the day, usually after 5 p.m. The center was founded by a Nicholasville couple back in 1987 as a rescue site for primates who were living in research and entertainment conditions, or for families who purchased the animals when they were young and quickly discovered they were not appropriate as pets. Today, the center is home to over 40 monkeys, 11 chimpanzees, a baboon and a Siamang Gibbon, plus a pygmy goat, a burrow, many peacocks, and Tigger, the dog. As a volunteer, I am not permitted to have any physical contact with the animals, but I am able to enjoy interacting with them from a safe distance. My tasks when there include chopping fruits and vegetables for the primates, making their daily meal, cleaning animal enclosures, seasonal gardening and grounds work, and sorting donated produce from local grocery stores. The PRC employs four full-time caretakers who work directly with the primates. The PRC is not open to the public in order to maintain the sanctuary for the residents. The monkeys are adorable, and fun to watch, but my favorites are the 11 adult chimps, with whom I play hide and seek, run “races” along the outdoor enclosure fencing, and just enjoy watching play together in their beautiful, peaceful Kentucky home.

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