The Mötley Crüe drummer visited Save the Chimp’s 150-acre sanctuary and had a special meeting with a 9-year-old chimpanzee, Limbani
NEED TO KNOW
- Tommy Lee visited Save the Chimps in Florida, a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees, including those from labs and the entertainment industry
- The Mötley Crüe drummer performed a private bongo concert for Limbani, a 9-year-old chimp learning to socialize with others
- Lee and Limbani collaborated on a painting that sold for $5,000 to support the sanctuary’s work with rescued primates
One lucky rock music lover got a private concert from Tommy Lee.
The Mötley Crüe drummer recently visited Save the Chimps’ 150-acre sanctuary in Florida, which provides refuge and care for chimpanzees rescued from labs, the pet trade, and the entertainment industry, including Tonka, Alan Cumming’s primate costar from Buddy.
During his visit, Lee stopped by to see Limbani in his temporary habitat. The 9-year-old chimpanzee is the youngest primate at the sanctuary and, before arriving there, had never met another chimp. Save the Chimps is working to help Limbani gradually form relationships and learn to socialize with the other animals before moving him to one of the sanctuary’s large, cage-free island habitats, where he will live among other chimpanzees.
While Limbani prepared for the move, Lee stopped by to give the young ape a personal drumming performance. Save the Chimps filmed the adorable interaction. In the clip, Lee expertly beats on a bongo while Limbani responds with eager rhythmic dancing. The moment of connection, which Save the Chimps posted on Instagram, has been viewed more than 3.7 million times.
“@tommylee drummed for Limbani🥁check out his moves!🙈Limbani and the other residents in Special Needs are becoming accustomed to living with other chimpanzees before moving to an island habitat. They enjoyed some musical enrichment from the rock icon, who visited ahead of Mötley Crüe’s show in West Palm Beach. More on Tommy’s epic visit next week!” Save the Chimps captioned the viral video.
Credit: Save the Chimps
Limbani wasn’t the only fan of the concert; the exchange left an impression on Lee as well.
“I never thought I’d play drums for a chimpanzee. Limbani’s rhythmic response to my beat was captivating! I don’t know who enjoyed our session more, him or me?” Lee shared in an exclusive statement with PEOPLE.
Credit: Save the Chimps
“I learned a lot from the staff and volunteers. To me, they are the rock stars! It’s a day I’ll NEVER EVER forget!” he added.
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Along with jamming out with Limbani, Lee also collaborated on a painting with the chimp, which sold at auction for $5,000, funds that will go to support Save the Chimps’ animals.
Credit: Save the Chimps
“I painted the black and silver base coat, then he added brush strokes in red and blue,” Lee said of his and Limbani’s work, which they titled “Wild Side.”
To learn more about Save the Chimps and support their work, visit the organization’s website.
