How to Help Chimp Haven Meet Its $50K Donation Match Goal

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been passionate about helping those without a voice, whether it be children, pets, the disadvantaged or the underdog. Each week, I feature an adoptable pet via the KVKI and Kiss Country websites through my Bristol’s Babies program.

So, you can imagine how excited I was to learn there's another way we can support animal welfare in our community: Generous donors have promised to match each dollar donated this month to Chimp Haven, up to $50,000. That means any donation you make through the end of the year will automatically be doubled until they reach that $50,000 goal!

If you aren’t familiar, Chimp Haven is a 200-acre forested refuge located just outside Shreveport. The sanctuary is home to more than 260 former research chimpanzees, making it the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. Here, the chimps live their lives like chimps in the large, dynamic social groups they would have in the wild, and Chimp Haven provides everything they need to be happy and healthy, from fresh, healthy diets, expert veterinary care, daily enrichment, and more.

Why were they retired? Here's how Chimp Haven explains it on their website:

Chimpanzees are a lot like us. They are mankind’s closest biological relative, and were considered a good medical model for research on illnesses and diseases that affect people. After the research community overwhelmingly determined chimpanzees were no longer necessary for medical research, in 2015, the National Institutes of Health made the landmark decision to retire all NIH-owned chimpanzees living in research centers around the country.

It costs about $18,000 a year to care for each chimp. The government covers about 75 percent of that cost, but Chimp Haven is left to raise the rest of the funds, plus money to cover improvements and expansion of chimp habitats and veterinarian suites. There are more chimps waiting for space to retire.

They have plenty of fun donation options: $25 will provide daily bananas (their favorites!), $100 will care for a retiree for a week, $150 will provide enrichment activities, and so on. If you're looking for a family donation, they have plenty of ways to engage little ones, including games for kids and educational videos.

Let's band together to support Chimp Haven. These animals served us, so we should do our part to give them a comfortable retirement! Click here to donate today!