More than 300 residents spend their retirement years at Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for chimpanzees, that is spread out across 200 acres in Northwest Louisiana.

Keithville

Spread across 200 acres in Northwest Louisiana, Chimp Haven is recognized as the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary. The sanctuary hosts over 300 chimpanzees, who are enjoying a well-deserved retirement after serving decades in biomedical research. Established in 2000 following the passing of the Chimp Act by Congress, Chimp Haven provides a refuge for these animals, offering them humane care post-research life. The act mandates that the National Institutes of Health should contribute 75% of the funding needed to maintain the sanctuary, which incurs a cost of approximately $25,000 per chimpanzee annually.

The chimpanzees at Chimp Haven have a substantial history in scientific research, having contributed to projects ranging from the NASA space program during the 1950s and 60s to infectious disease research in the 70s, and even HIV studies in the 80s. Due to their biological similarity to humans, they have played crucial roles in developing technologies like rocket ships and vaccines, including for hepatitis B. However, evolving attitudes toward animal research have led to a decrease in the use of chimpanzees in scientific studies, culminating in the National Institutes of Health's decision to no longer support biomedical research on chimpanzees.

Chimp Haven provides a unique care environment tailored to the chimpanzees’ needs, directed by President and CEO Raina Smith. Regular medical checkups are conducted by Dr. Raven Jackson, who navigates the medical complexities of caring for chimps of varying ages, from as young as 7 to around 60 years old. Protective measures such as wearing masks and gloves are in place to minimize the risk of disease transmission between staff and the chimpanzees.

The sanctuary fosters complex social dynamics, with groups of chimps forming their own characteristics and hierarchies. Colony Director Michelle Reiniger mentions the intriguing personalities of the chimps and the deep bonds that form between them and their caretakers. While the chimpanzees adjust to their new lives at Chimp Haven, the hope is that one day facilities like this may no longer be needed, as chimpanzees retire from research careers they never chose.



Chimp Haven, the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary

Spread out across 200 acres in northwest Louisiana, Chimp Haven is the world's largest chimpanzee sanctuary. Every detail, from the moat to the meal plan, has been designed to ensure the more than 300 residents here are getting the most out of their retirement years. A lot of the chimpanzees that are here at Chimp Haven, they spent decades in biomedical research, but Chimp Haven provides their happy endings. Raina Smith is the president and CEO of Chimp Haven. Chimpanzees have been used in research for decades. Back in the 1950s and 60s, they were part of the NASA space program, and in the 70s, kind of moved into infectious disease. They are ideal surrogates for men in tests involving potentially hazardous conditions. Chimpanzees were instrumental in the development of everything from rocket ships to the hepatitis B vaccine. In the 1980s, they were used in HIV research. But precisely because of how similar they are to us, attitudes about chimp research began to change. In 2000, Congress passed the Chimp Act, establishing a sanctuary system to care for retired research chimpanzees. You've done a good job with this. It's a humane bill. The bill required the National Institutes of Health to kick in 75% of the funding for the retirees. It costs around $25,000 a year to care for each chimp, and the banana budget alone is impressive. They go through an annual 117,000 of them. Colony Director Michelle Reiniger, my call to staff here, All right, Miss Fanny. knows the chimps by name. There you go, puppy. For you, what is it about chimps that make them different than any other species? I think it's the personalities. I like the sassy ones. I like the ones who you have to really work hard to get them to respond to you and to trust you. And when you get that trust, there's no feeling like it in the world to have that bond with an animal like that. Hi, Sparkles. To minimize disease transmission, staff only interact with the chimps while wearing masks and gloves. Good job. Hey, guys. The animals receive regular checkups from veterinarian Raven Jackson. Chimpanzee medicine is challenging. It's like working with a really strong toddler. Each day I start with, am I smarter than the chimp? Are there days where you feel like they outsmart you? Oh, all the time. I work for them, and they don't work for me. Since Dr. Jackson's patients were retired at different ages, plus a few are rescues or former pets, she treats a wide variety of conditions. If you were a doctor at a retirement home for humans, you're not seeing anybody until they're in the later stages of life, but you have much younger chimps here as well. Yeah, so as young as 7, all the way up until the mid-60s. It keeps things very interesting, and I think it also keeps things interesting for the chimpanzees because we're able to put them in these very dynamic social groupings where you're going to see various age ranges. Each of the 30 or so groups has its own characteristics and alpha leader. They don't always get along, but they're quick to make up. They always want to reconcile, right, very quickly. So it taught me, hey, it isn't worth holding on to anything. Learn from the chimps. One day, a sanctuary like Chimp Haven may be unnecessary. Ten years ago, the NIH announced that it would no longer support any biomedical research on chimpanzees. While there are still some new arrivals, animals that the labs had initially deemed too challenging to move, eventually there will no longer be chimpanzees retiring from careers they never chose. Do you think we owe a debt to the chimpanzees? Chimpanzees have given so much of their life to science, and we feel like it's our responsibility and the government's responsibility to care for those chimps for the rest of their life.

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