Chimp Haven - Part 2

I try to keep narrative on my blog to a minimum but I'm so revved about this place I've just got to spout off a little about it.  If you don't care, I certainly understand, but it gives me a record of some facts that if I need to come back to it in the future, I know I have it here.  I hope you at least enjoy the photos.

I didn’t mean to mislead anyone in yesterday’s post when I told you I almost had a disaster on my trip to Chimp Haven.  I certainly did not mean a disaster that related to my heath and welfare, anything so ominous as an accident, but simply that I was in danger of not being able to find this place and I was afraid I would have no option other than to return home.

The directions listed on CH’s website were less than clear, with directions listed if you were traveling from the east or the west but I was coming from the south.  Many of the roads that were listed in the directions did not exist on a Louisiana state roadmap, did not exist on Google maps, and even the map shown on their website was not very definitive.  I knew the address of the facility was Keithville, LA, so I figured I’d get to Keithville, have a look around (there was even a mention about follow the signs to Chimp Haven) and see what I could figure out.  I’m pretty good with maps and navigation, although I don’t have GPS on my vehicle but it has never hindered me when traveling to new places.  I arrived in Keithville, pulled over into a parking lot to consult the directions, maps, whatever info I had.  That’s when I discovered I had left everything I had laid out to bring with me – roadmaps, a national atlas, Google maps, directions, printouts about the facility, everything – at home!  I was too busy packing the truck with an ice chest, stopping to buy water, making sure I had my camera and lenses, extra charged batteries, an extra memory card, a fanny pack, a baseball cap to ward off the summer sun that I simply left all the maps and info.

I stopped at a gas station ($3.08 a gallon so I decided to fill up, even though I still had half a tank) and decided to ask a couple of local fishermen who were gassing up if they knew where to find Chimp Haven.  They had never even heard of it and suggested I go back the way I came and stop at a truck stop down the road a few miles and ask there.  As I backtracked I decided to go through what seemed like directions to the town area of Keithville (although I never found it) and to my good luck I found a fire station.  One of the firemen told me he had a map.  Not just a map but a map to Chimp Haven because so many people couldn’t find it.  The day was saved.  I headed off with the map and his oral directions only to run into a dead end about a mile down the road!  What was going on here?  I backtracked again and discovered that when he had told me to turn right as I left the fire station (which I did) what he actually meant was turn right and then make another immediate right.  Another correction and another sign of relief.

I found all the proper roads, another right turn, another right turn, and then I was searching for the final road.  It didn’t seem to exist.  I went past the area on the map where I expected to find this road (the only one that wasn’t labeled with a name), so I turned around again.  I pulled onto a gravel road that ended in about 20 yards at a locked gate but there I found a family who was having the same problem as I.  We shared the information we each possessed and I decided to go back the way I came to search again because I really felt I had gone too far.  Neither of us could get a cell phone connection and without a connection I couldn’t find the number of the sanctuary (which I had of course left at home) nor could I even call if I had the number.  Nor could I find it on my phone’s GPS).  A few minutes later the family passed me going in the opposite direction with not a hint they had seen me before.  I finally got the cell connection and was trying to find the phone number when they came back again following another vehicle and gave me a big “follow us” wave.  It seems that the hand drawn map the fireman had given me was WAY out of perspective and the road that I should have been looking  for was much nearer than what the map had shown.  I finally found the sanctuary – an hour later than I had intended.  This was my almost disaster, that I would have traveled this distance to come home empty-handed.  To prevent this snafu in the future, I have written out detailed instructions on how to find this place and I will not lose it – I promise.  It is definitely in the middle of nowhere, a forest with no clue of where to go.  The signs mentioned on the website that you are supposed to follow simply say “Visitor Parking” with an arrow.  Even on Google Maps and Mapquest, when you ask for directions they tell you to go on roads that are gated and locked!  It’s amazing that someplace 22 miles from Shreveport, a city of over a half a million people, could be so isolated.

One day a month (except in July and August) Chimp Haven is open to the public, with no admission fee.  Even though I was late in arriving I was able to hear a talk by Dr. Raven Jackson, one of the veterinarians on the staff, about chimp behavior and she and another staffer very candidly answered questions about the chimps and their home, including topics about sexual behavior, health concerns, and escapes, of which there have been a few, but evidently once they get out of the compound, the escapees invariably return home.  The   chimp habitats are located on an island surrounded by a moat, and since chimps can't swim and don't like water, it's almost as difficult as escaping from Alcatraz.  Because of this configuration the primates are allowed to live in a forest with no nets, wires, or cages.  Some were actually up in very tall pine trees swaying around.

The following information is taken directly from the organization's website:

Responding to the need for long-term chimpanzee care, Chimp Haven was founded in 1995 by a group of primatologists and business professionals.  Genetically, chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than any other species.  Because of their physiological and behavioral similarities, chimpanzees have been an attractive animal model for many researchers.  In the 1980s the U.S. government launched an intensive breeding program.  The resulting offspring were the intended research subjects for hepatitis and HIV studies.  However, with new research models and developing technologies (and obviously the emergence of animal rights groups - this comment added by me), the use of chimpanzees in human disease research declined in the 1990s.  A large number of chimpanzees specifically bred for research or already exposed to infectious diseases are no longer wanted, resulting in a surplus of chimpanzees.

Established in 1995, Chimp Haven set its sights on constructing a chimpanzee sanctuary where the residents could live in large social groups in spacious, outdoor habitats.  Impressed with Chimp Haven's vision and expertise, the government selected the organization in 2002 to operate the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary System.  This initiative was a result of the passage of the CHIMP Act that was signed into law by President Clinton in 2000 and is overseen by the National Institutes of Health.

In 2007 the Chimp Haven is Home Act was passed.  This law closed a loophole in the CHIMP Act and prohibits chimpanzees retired from medical research to be returned to laboratories.

Chimp Haven can accommodate up to 140 chimpanzees, with enough area to expand to 300 residents when funding is available.

To answer some questions which appeared in the comments section:

EG CameraGirl:  So geriatric chimps can still have babies?
Even though it is primarily a geriatric colony, there are many younger chimps in residence.  In addition to retired research animals, there are a few former pets and chimps who were used in the entertainment industry.  The first birth took place five years ago when Tracy, a male, was born.  It was at this time that the staff discovered that four out of five males in the mother's social group had failed vasectomies and the males were revasectomized.  Females were started on birth control.  But as in humans, birth control is never 100 percent and evidently chimps are very promiscuous.  Last Valentine's Day, a female chimp, Flora, came walking out of the forest with a newborn in her arms.  The staff was shocked.  Recently Ginger, another of the younger females, was discovered to be pregnant.  DNA testing has shown that Tracy is the father of both!  I imagine Tracy has probably undergone surgery this year.

Kate asked about the gray hair:  Yes, the gray hair is a sign of aging.  It would be interesting to know the ages of the chimps in the colony.

Jo's World asked:  Do the research organizations pay for this haven?
No.  Chimp Haven is partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and then receives private donations.  In May of this year, retired game show host and animal rights advocate Bob Barker announced a $380,000 donation to open a new area for five HIV-infected animals.  These animals came from a private sanctuary here in Texas that closed because of overcrowding and a lack of money.  Other sanctuaries took the rest, but none would take the five because of their illness.  Their names are Doc, JoJo, Murphy, Flick, and Pierre.

In addition to the one-day-a- month Chimp Discovery Days, Chimp Haven offers a few times during the year where you may attend an event called Chimp Chat & Chew.  For a donation of $30 attendees receive lunch, a presentation by a staff member, and a behind-the scenes tour.  One staffer I spoke to said you also receive an introduction to a few of the chimps (the ones that can be trusted, I assume!).  You can bet I'll be making my reservation soon, probably in November when the temperature cools off.  If I were 30 years younger I'd volunteer at this place.  It just rings a bell in my heart.

For further information go to chimphaven.org.