KEITHVILLE, La. — Chimp Haven has completed a major habitat expansion that adds a 12-bedroom wing and four outdoor play yards to the nonprofit sanctuary near Shreveport.
Completed in July, the project added about 3,500 square feet of indoor space and approximately 14,000 square feet of outdoor play areas. The first chimpanzees have begun moving into the new habitats, which are designed to provide additional flexibility in caring for the nearly 300 chimpanzees living at the sanctuary.
The project was funded with more than $5.6 million in private support. Donors included the Annenberg Foundation, which established a lead gift in 2024 at the direction of Wallis Annenberg, as well as Grace Charitable Foundation, the American Anti-Vivisection Society and other contributors.
Chimp Haven receives partial federal funding for the care of federally owned chimpanzees formerly involved in biomedical research, but the nonprofit relies on private donations for construction projects such as the expansion.
The new facilities are intended to help the sanctuary address the changing needs of its large and aging chimpanzee population. Chimpanzees at the sanctuary live in social groups and receive individualized veterinary and behavioral care.
“This expansion means more room for the chimps to be chimps,” Chimp Haven President and CEO Rana Smith said. “It gives residents more spaces to climb, rest, explore and spend time with their groupmates, while giving our care team more flexibility to support each chimpanzee’s needs as they change over time.”
The expansion includes air-conditioned bedroom areas, digital cameras that allow caregivers to monitor the chimpanzees and a built-in power-washing system for daily cleaning. Outdoor play yards include climbing structures with additional supports intended to help older chimpanzees move through the spaces.
The additional facilities also give care teams more options when managing health needs, social introductions and individualized care plans.
“We are grateful for every donor who helped bring this project to life,” Smith said. “Because of them, we have more flexibility and opportunity to provide chimpanzees the Chimp Life and give our care team more room to care for them as their needs change over time.”
Chimp Haven is an independent nonprofit organization located on 200 acres of forested land near Shreveport. The national chimpanzee sanctuary is home to nearly 300 chimpanzees, most of which were retired from biomedical research.