‘Chimp Sanctuary’ Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I’ve said it before, and I will be happy to say it again, I love nature related documentaries on BBC America. Because these little slices of our world, not only do a phenomenal job of providing all of us an incredible view of nature as it really is, they sometimes force us to ask important questions about our role in nature’s health, and what we can do to improve and support the delicate eco-system that we are a part of, and for Thanksgiving this year, the network was gracious enough to offer up two new documentaries about our world and our impact on the simian world, starting with ‘Chimp Sanctuary’.
 
Now this particular documentary, hosted by Sue Perkins, brings us to a place in Louisiana known as Chimp Haven, a magnificent facility that exists out of a unique set of circumstances. For it’s a well-known fact that we as humans have a tendency to test products and medicines on animals first in order to ensure their safety when it comes to human use and this is a practice that is slowly coming to an end. Because the harshness and pain the test animals endure is indeed cruel to say the least and in 2015, testing on chimpanzees was outlawed in the United States, providing chimps in testing facilities across the nation with a newfound sense of freedom, but that freedom came at a price.
 
For these majestic creatures have spent most, if not all of their entire lives locked up in cages and don’t understand anything about their true nature. Which means they cannot simply return to the wild…which is why a place like Chimp Haven exists. And over the course of the hour, we came to learn everything there is to know in regard to the incredible work the staff here does for the chimps that are able to come to this magical destination. Because at Chimp Haven, not only are these creatures cared for with proper medical treatment, they are given a chance at a healthy and natural life, one where they can in fact, live in a controlled but somewhat natural environment for the rest of their days which brings us to the best part of this documentary, the story it had to tell.
 
Because in this tale, we were able to meet two groups of chimps, male and female who were about to be integrated so that they could live their lives in a pack and enjoy the sense of unity these animals need for the benefit of their mental health and well, this was just fascinating and beautiful to watch. Because we were able to get to know these lovely animals and come to understand their personalities and their quirks and that made the grand moment when the two groups came together all the more magical. For despite a few minor speed bumps and a little trepidation, eventually these two groups bonded and took the first steps toward becoming a little family right before our eyes and this…was just so special and so wonderful to watch.
 
For it speaks the fact that it’s possible for animals, who have endured some serious hardships, to heal and reclaim their instincts and it’s equally as wonderful to know that a group of people, some of whom used to work in animal testing, have seen the light and changed their perspective and banded together to give back to nature just a little bit and well, this is just another fine example of what wonders BBC America has to offer when it comes to its documentaries. Because this one, truly demonstrated how far a little kindness can go when it comes to nature and really, it’s incredible and humbling to know that there are places out there giving back in this fashion and there’s a certain peace that comes with the knowledge that some of the poor animals that once endured sheer terror in a lab, are going to live quite the peaceful life after all…

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