EDITORIAL: MONKEY BUSINESS...

Emma...Ain't she cute?

This might seem like an odd post, but it's an odd subject. It seems that "Chimp Wars " have broken out in an interstate battle between Louisiana and Texas.

A few years back, I started hearing about an idiot plan to build a retirement home for "research chimpanzees" in Shreveport, LA. They were calling it "Chimp Haven." I just laughed and laughed! The idea was the butt of alot of jokes on TV, radio, and regular conversation. But the more I heard about it, the better I thought the idea was.

It seems that the US Congress passed a law several years ago that required that all chimpanzees that had been used for research, or in the films, or for other purposes had to be cared for until they lived out their natural lives. And the cost of keeping chimps alive is higher than you might think. If memory serves, it was something like $75 a day that the US taxpayer was putting out (per chimp).

So these folks over in Shreveport decided that they would build a sanctuary for retired chimpanzees. The chimps were mostly living in cages, or some unnatural place for them...and these folks decided to build a natural habitat that these monkeys could spend the rest of their days.

The selling point to me was not so much the humane treatment of chimps...letting them live in the woods and all...or the "social" aspect of living with other chimps. It was the money! It just made good sense. These people at Chimp Haven do it at a fraction of the cost. I remember laughing when they started asking for donations. But once again, when I found out that this is an independent non-profit group trying to help the monkeys, and save the taxpayer a dollar or two I didn't laugh so hard. I mean, what somebody wants to do with their money is their own business. If they want to give it to chimps...well God bless 'em.

You can see all about "Chimp Haven" on the computer here

Anyway, it seems that about a year and a half ago 6 chimps were moved from an animal sanctuary in San Antonio, TX due to all kinds of problems down there. When the chimps arrived they were in pretty rough shape, and have made Chimp Haven their new home.

The "before" and "after" of Sarah would convince me that they are in a better place!

So in a court case, some judge over in Texas has ordered that the 6 chimps be returned to Texas...big surprise (probably a Texan...everything is better over there if you ask one). Chimp Haven has decided to fight the ruling, and try to keep the chimps here in Louisiana. You can see the whole article here.

But here is the front part of it: " KEITHVILLE - The Chimp Haven board of directors has decided to fight the ruling of a Texas judge that would return six chimps to a San Antonio animal sanctuary, Chimp Haven officials said at a news conference this morning.

"Chimp Haven has stepped forward to help these chimps in need, and we will not turn our back on them now,” said Dr. Linda Brent, Chimp Haven president and director. “Our only goal has been to insure the best future for the chimpanzees.”

The chimpanzees were brought to Chimp Haven in November 2006 after Primarily Primates, the San Antonio facility, was seized by the Texas State Attorney's office on allegations of mismanagement of charitable funds and animals living in substandard conditions."

I never thought I'd care about something like this, but I really do. I have been out there to Chimp Haven. It's a real nice place...way out in the woods, quiet, and set up like a jungle. Once a month during the Spring and Summer (they don't do it very often...it ain't a zoo...it's a "haven"), they open up for "Chimp Discovery Day." We took my youngest boy out there once, and it was thoroughly enjoyable, very educational, and really "cool" to see those old chimps monkeying around.

It was kinda funny. One of the old broads had turned up pregnant. This was a real shocker, as all the males had "supposedly" been fixed. I guess some chimp fixer missed a tube or something. It was a big news story around here, and they even had a place on the computer where you could vote for which chimp you thought was the Daddy. I voted for "Puddin'," but it turned out to be "Conan"...guess I shoulda guessed! We got to see the Momma toting the baby around the day we were out there...it was really interesting.

You can see all of the chimps here...it's really worth a look...especially "Grandpa". They also got a picture of little Baby Tracy...cute as all get-out.

Well anyway, I hope that Chimp Haven wins in their appeal. And it ain't just because it's a bunch of Texans trying to kidnap those monkeys. I really think those folks are doing good work. I know for sure that nobody will love, or care for those 6 Texas chimps any better than those monkey folks in Shreveport will.