The Great Ape Heart Project does not collect blood samples directly, but does accept copies of whatever blood work was performed at the time of an anesthetized echocardiogram.

Please note that Dr. Suzan Murray’s BNP study at Smithsonian National Zoo is no longer accepting blood samples.

We often receive inquiries about equipment and training methods for obtaining blood samples from great apes. Many zoos have designed their own blood sleeve devices to help train great apes to present for blood draws. Visit our Blood Sleeve Page to find out more information about the device used at Zoo Atlanta, followed by examples from other zoos.