By VALERIE RUSSO
Special to the Journal & Topics
There's no golf or bingo. No pilates, line dancing or bus trips to the casinos in nearby Shreveport and Bossier City, La. But there are plenty of names on the waiting list for this new $14 million, 200-acre retirement complex in Keithville, La.
Chimpanzee names, that is.
The facility - called Chimp Haven - houses laboratory chimpanzees no longer needed by the U.S. government for biomedical research.
It's the first sanctuary partially funded by taxpayers through the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection (CHIMP) Act, signed into law in 2000. And it opened for public tours on Oct. 29.
"Some people say, ŒWhy don't you just euthanize these chimps? Why go to all this effort?'," said Dr. Larry Hawk, vice chairman of the Chimp Haven Board of Directors and president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"Well, you wouldn't euthanize human beings, so why would you do it to chimpanzees - especially chimpanzees who have served humankind in medical research? We owe them a lot," he said.
Chimp Haven consists of housing, playground and forested habitat similar to the chimpanzees' natural environment in western and central Africa. It houses 31 non-breeding chimpanzees, age 13 to 53. Next year, after Phase II of construction is complete, 170 more chimps will move in. The cost? $15 per resident, per day, compared to $30 in a federal laboratory.
As in any desirable retirement community, the residents at Chimp Haven have choices.
Those who want the rustic life can forage in the 5-acre forest, build nests with sticks and leaves and "camp out" under the stars.
Others who seek creature comforts can snooze indoors in connecting bedrooms furnished with hammocks, blankets and hay.
There's no curfew.
"One day, there were 18 chimps in one bedroom; they're party animals," said Linda Brent, president of Chimp Haven.
Amenities include mirrors (chimps like to check their teeth), running water (for drinking, cooling off and squirting other chimps), reception rooms (for introducing new residents), clinic (some residents have arthritis, heart and kidney ailments), playground with balls, drums and climbing structures (males like the drums) and a TV lounge.
"We hardly use the TVs now because the chimps are out in the habitat," said Dr. Brent. "But when the weather gets bad, we'll put on some nature programs."
CHIMP H(E)AVEN
What: Chimp Haven, a new 200-acre retirement complex for laboratory chimpanzees no longer needed by the U.S. government for biomedical research.
Where: 13600 Chimpanzee Place, Keithville, La.
Tours: Chimpanzee trails and viewing platforms will be open to the public one Saturday per month. In the spring, tours for groups will be offered.
Admission: Free; donations welcome.
Details: www.chimphaven.org or (888) 982-4467.
KNOW YOUR CHIMPS
UPS AND DOWNS: Wild chimpanzees are almost extinct, but there is a surplus of captive chimpanzees. More chimps have been bred than are needed for biomedical research.
KISSIN' COUSINS: Chimpanzees share 96-99% of humans DNA, making them our closest relatives.
PRIME PRIMATES: Chimpanzees were critical in the development of the Hepatitis B vaccine. They are still used in Hepatitis C research because they get the disease in a manner very similar to humans.
NO MONKEY BUSINESS: Chimpanzees are not monkeys. Like their fellow Great Apes (gorillas, orangutans and bonobos), they can recognize themselves in a mirror. A monkey thinks his reflection is another monkey.
SUPER CHIMPS: An adult chimpanzee is 7 to 10 times stronger than a human. Males can weigh 150-200 pounds.
CHIMP CHANGE: In the wild, a chimpanzee builds a new nest to sleep in every night.
SENIOR STATUS: Their average lifespan is 40 years in the wild, 50 years in captivity. Females outlive males by a decade.
FAVORITE FOOD: Watermelon.
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