To help them out, a volunteer organization called Chimp Haven is building the first sanctuary in the United States devoted exclusively to providing housing for chimpanzees. The facility is being developed in conjunction with the Eddie D. Jones Nature Park on land in Caddo Parish, La. There is a growing national concern about the long-term care of chimpanzees previously used in research. Due to the success of captive breeding programs and the recent downward trend in medical research using chimpanzees, of the 1,600 chimpanzees housed in research laboratories, hundreds are no longer needed. Because they have not been reared in the wild, laboratory chimpanzees do not have the capacity to survive on their own.
Chimpanzees have many social, emotional, and behavioral requirements that are similar to humans.
It is our moral and ethical responsibility to let them live out their lives in a humane environment that addresses those needs. Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center in Atlanta, Ga., has said that as many as 100 of its chimpanzees will be the first retirees to move into the Chimp Haven facility. The northern Louisiana climate and ecology of the Chimp Haven facility are ideal for chimpanzees. The facility will offer a more cost-effective alternative to laboratory housing. Acclaimed chimpanzee researcher Dr. Jane Goodall, is enthusiastic about Chimp Haven.