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  • (playful pop music)

  • - Chimp Haven is a retirement facility.

  • This is their forever home.

  • This is where they come to explore

  • and live like chimpanzees.

  • (chimpanzees chattering)

  • In June 2013,

  • the director of the National Institutes of Health

  • made an announcement that virtually all of the chimpanzees

  • would be retired from research.

  • We have close to 200 chimpanzees here now.

  • Around half of our colony are veterans of research

  • that was focused on a cure for HIV/AIDS,

  • as well as Hepatitis C.

  • And so, as a result of that,

  • those chimpanzees had to be infected with those viruses.

  • - Good morning, Gina!

  • Genetically, I'd say we're about 98% identical

  • to a chimpanzee.

  • And, as you can imagine, that's why they were ideal subjects

  • in test studies because they wanna learn more

  • about how they can benefit humans.

  • So, I would definitely say

  • that the human and chimp relationship

  • is one that is ever-evolving.

  • Give me your hand.

  • Give me your hand.

  • Good girl!

  • They're a lot like us and our family dynamics.

  • You see siblings, they're interacting,

  • they're playing with one another.

  • Every relationship is different;

  • it's just like us with humans.

  • Certain individuals you'll have

  • really close intimate relationships with; some not so much.

  • - We also have seen some behavioral changes

  • where a chimpanzee might appear to be overly timid

  • and, you know, see a change in that over time.

  • We might see that a chimpanzee is a lot more interested

  • in exploring the five-and-a-half-acre habitat,

  • and this might've been the first opportunity

  • that they had to do that.

  • - I think it's such a great benefit to know

  • that this is where they'll live out the rest of their lives

  • and to know that despite whatever their past may be,

  • we are at least giving them the opportunity

  • to live out a time of retirement

  • where they're with other chimps,

  • where they're able to exhibit

  • these species' typical behaviors,

  • and they're just able to be chimps

  • and know that, you know what?

  • Life is good.

(playful pop music)

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