This
falls under wild and unusual rather than weird, and when they open their doors
to visitors it’s a rare opportunity not to be missed.
Just
outside of Shreveport in Keithville, Louisiana, is Chimp Haven, an oasis where
chimpanzees used in biomedical research go to retire. This National Chimpanzee
Sanctuary is part of the federal plan to move chimps from the laboratory back
to nature.
Many
of the chimps are elderly, many enjoy large habitats and some remain in cages due to not being able to
acclimate from a window-less concrete environment in which they had lived.
Naturally,
since these are wild animals, Chimp Haven is not open to the public. But
several times a year they open their doors for a peek inside. The Chimp Haven’s Fall Festival will be Saturday, Nov. 8, the
second of two yearly festivals held at the facility in the Eddie D. Jones Park
off Highway 789. Events will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission prices are $6
adults, $3 children ages 6-12 and
free for children ages 5 and under. Activity tickets are 50 cents each.
Activities
include games and food, a local band, Cajun-Dixon Line, cake walks, a string
maze, face painting, chimpanzee story time and behind-the-scenes tours.
Sanctuary
visitors are encouraged to bring jars of peanut butter for the chimpanzees. The
individual who brings in the most peanut butter will win a prize package that
includes a behind-the-scenes tour.
Check Chimp Haven before coming if weather starts to turn; they cancel for bad weather. The fall festival was rescheduled from October due to lightning and rain. To check on the fall festival status, call (318) 925-9575 and press 1 when prompted or visit Chimp Haven’s Facebook, Twitter page or website.
Check Chimp Haven before coming if weather starts to turn; they cancel for bad weather. The fall festival was rescheduled from October due to lightning and rain. To check on the fall festival status, call (318) 925-9575 and press 1 when prompted or visit Chimp Haven’s Facebook, Twitter page or website.
Want to know more about Chimp Haven? I wrote a story on the facility for Country Roads magazine.
Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is also the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.
Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is also the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.
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