by Chimp Haven over 200 hectares in the northwest of Louisiana is the world’s largest chimpanzee. Every detail, from the water ditch to the menu, was developed to ensure that the more than 300 residents get the best out of their retirement years.
“Many of the chimpanzees who are here spent decades in biomedical research before they came to the sanctuary, but Chimp Haven offers their happy ending,” said Rana Smith, President and CEO of Chimp Haven.
“Chimpanzees have been used in research for decades,” said Smith. “In the 1950s and 1960s, they were part of the NASA world space program and in the 1970s to infectious diseases.”
Chimpanzees were significantly involved in the development of rocket ships to hepatitis -B vaccine. In the 1980s they were used in HIV research. Precisely because of the similar ones as they are for us, the settings for chimpanzee research began to change. In 2000, the Congress passed the chimpanzee law and founded a sanctuary system for maintaining retired research creates.
At that time, the legislators stopped the action as “humane” legislation that “a group that has no lobby” should protect. The national health institutes had to use 75% of the financing for pensioners, which is not according to peanuts. It costs around 25,000 US dollars a year to take care of every chimpanzee and donate federal funds. The banana budget alone is impressive – they go through 117,000 of them each year.
The Colony Director Michelle Reininger knows each of the chimpanzees by names like all Chimp Haven employees. Reineringer said that her personality distinguishes these animals from any other kind.
“I like the cheeky,” she said. “I like those who have to work really hard to get them, react to them and trust them. If you get this trust, there is no feeling in the world to have this connection to an animal.”
Days in the sanctuary are full of head scratches and a lot of lazy ones. The animals also receive regular examinations from veterinarian Raven Jackson.
“Chimpanzee medicine is a challenge,” said Jackson. “It is as if I am working with a really strong toddler. And so I always say that every day I catch with ‘I’m smarter than a chimpanzee?’
There are days when Jackson is outsmart.
“I work for you and you don’t work for me,” she laughed.
Since Jackson’s patients were retired in different age groups and are some rescue workers or former pets, they treat a variety of diseases. Some of the chimpanzees are up to 7 young, while others are in the mid -1960s.
“We see the full range,” said Jackson. “It keeps things very interesting. And I think things also consider things interesting for the chimpanzees because we use them in these very dynamic social groups in which they will see different age areas.”
Each of the approximately 30 groups has its own properties and alpha leaders. They don’t always get together, but they quickly turned out.
“You always want to reconcile very quickly,” said Jackson. “It taught me, Hey, it is not worth holding on to something. Learn from the chimpanzees. Let go of it. Enjoy yourself so that you can go forward as a group.”
One day a sanctuary like Chimp Haven can be unnecessary. Ten years ago, the NIH announced that it would not support biomedical research on chimpanzees.
While there are still some newcomers – chimpanzees who originally classified laboratories as too difficult to move – after all, there will be no chimpanzees out of their career that they have never chosen.
When asked whether people owe a guilt for the chimpanzees, Smith replied: “Chimpanzees gave science so much of their lives. And we have the feeling that it is our responsibility and the responsibility of the government to take care of these chimpanzees for the rest of their lives.”
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