There are many things to see inside the beautiful parks of this country. From the sweeping landscapes to the beautiful trails, there is something for everyone. And some parks have really unique attractions to them, such as Orr Park in Alabama with beautiful log carvings. Eddie D. Jones Park in Keithville, LA near Shreveport is another park with a unique attraction. The park, known for its mountain bike trails, is home to the largest Chimpanzee Sanctuary in the world. The sanctuary is called Chimp Haven and is closed to the public, except for 4 days out of the year - and two of them are coming up - March 16th and April 13th.
Chimp Haven exists as a way to respond to the need of long term chimpanzee care. Chimps were used in biomedical research supported by the federal government. "The height of the breeding for research was in the 1980s as a response to HIV/Aids and a need to find treatment and a possible cure," says Sharon Dewar, who serves as a Board of Director, "Since chimps are our closest genetic relative, they were believed to be a good medical model for these studies." Dewar also said that chimpanzees contributed to hundreds of studies including hepatitis and supported the efforts to create effective vaccines for people. The times, however, were changing. As Michelle Reininger, Colony Director at Chimp Haven, says, "Things evolved to the point where using chimps were no longer considered the model for medical research. They were expensive to keep and weren’t as effective models for human research as was expected. Plus, they are considered our closest relative, so many people feel they should be able to live freely."
Chimps gather together at the sanctuary in Eddie D Jones Park, Louisiana. [Photo/Chimp Haven]
As most of the chimps were born and raised in captivity, returning them to the wild is pretty much out of the question. They would not know how to fend for themselves, and they could potentially expose wild chimps to unfamiliar diseases and other complications that make re-wilding not an option. So finding a place that the chimps could live out their retirement from research in as natural an environment as possible was important. In 2000, the Parish of Caddo, Louisiana set aside 200 acres in Eddie D. Jones Park for the sanctuary. Chimp Haven was awarded the federal contract and in 2005, the first two chimpanzee residents came to live there. Since then, hundreds of chimps have been cared for by the staff at Chimp Haven.
In Chimp Haven, they have a great life. Spread out over 200 acres, Chimp Haven is currently home to over 270 chimps. "We have different habitats throughout the sanctuary, like open air corrals, courtyards, and others," Reininger says, "And we'll move chimps to different areas to make sure they are happy." Some of the environments at Chimp Haven are different from those they have been accustomed too, for example, many have not access to forests with real trees. If they are afraid of these types of environments, Chimp Haven can offer smaller habitats or more enclosures as they adjust to sanctuary life.
How does the staff know if the chimps are happy? Turns out, they are a lot like people. "Chimps are very vocal," Reininger explains, "they give certain calls to each other and we can tell if they like something by what it is. Some may be unfamiliar with grass and dirt, and can get kind of freaked out so we ease them into it." Reininger says they don't know what many of the chimpanzees past experiences the chimps have been before coming to the sanctuary. However, "we just do the best we can to make sure that every day after they get here is healthy, where they can make friends and spend time outside."
The sanctuary is completely shut off from the public all year. As it is place of refuge for chimps, it is not meant as a place to show off the animals. However, as mentioned, 4 times a year Chimp Haven hosts Discovery Days where the public is welcome. "We love for people to come see what we are all about," Reininger says. Discovery Days goes from 9-12 on the these 4 days and they, according to the website, "give you the opportunity to observe our chimpanzee retirees in their forested habitats, learn more about their personalities and behaviors from knowledgeable and friendly Chimp Haven caregivers, and discover the wonders of caring for more than 270 chimpanzees." People come and observe chimpanzees from the other side of a protective moat. "We put out some food and things to play with so people can see natural behaviors," Reininger says, "We also have artificial termite mounds that have sugar free apple sauce in them, so the chimpanzees get sticks and dig out the mounds like they do in the wild. It's really great to see that." There are different stations that are setup that discuss the different aspects of Chimp Haven, like the Veterinary department and Behavior Technicians, and there is an additional behind-the-scenes tour for folks that want to see things a little closer.
The largest Chimpanzee Sanctuary in the world happens to be in a park in a small town south of Shreveport, Louisiana. The folks that work there are giving these curious and happy creatures a happy life, something that comes back to them. Reininger says her favorite thing about working there is being able to spend time with the chimps. “I love spending time with the chimps. You just feel calm around them. They have this view on life that is like, ‘don’t worry, everything is going to be alright!’. And that’s great to be around.”
Destinations, Louisiana, Nature, Open Road, Outdoors, Parks & Recreation, Wildlife