KEITHVILLE, La. – Chimp Haven welcomes new veterinarian to join its team of leading vets to provide care for more than 300 chimpanzees retired from medical research at the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary.
A person smiling for the camera
Description automatically generated with low confidenceDr. DaShaunte’ M. Coleman, a native of Atlanta, Ga., who joined the team in May and began practice in June, is well underway in her efforts to attend to the chimps’ health care needs, said Dr. Raven Jackson-Jewett, Chimp Haven director of Veterinary Care. Welcoming Dr. Coleman to the staff is essential to meet the caregiving needs for a growing population of chimpanzees as they retire from research facilities and are welcomed to their forever home thanks to newly expanded sanctuary habitats.
“With these additions and the colony’s growing clinical needs, I am overjoyed to add Dr. Coleman to the team,” Jackson-Jewett said. “Dr. Coleman’s emergency medicine expertise provides the perfect blend of experience to our existing team of veterinarians. She is eager to learn and brings a level of excitement in learning a new field of medicine that is refreshing as a leader,” Jackson Jewett said.
Coleman attained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2009 from Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. After veterinary school, Dr. Coleman completed a one-year internship in Bohemia, NY that focused largely on emergency and internal medicine. Finding her passion in emergency medicine and triage Dr. Coleman has practiced emergency medicine in both the Southern Maryland and Atlanta, GA sectors. She received her undergraduate degree from Tennessee State University, in Nashville, TN.
“Dr. Coleman brings with her a knowledge base in traumatic wound care and emergency stabilization, and the work mantra of taking a deep breath and steadying the pace,” Jackson-Jewett said. Wound care is valuable experience for any veterinarian caring for chimpanzees as their dynamic social behavior can include tussles and challenges for social rank that require veterinary intervention.
Coleman joins Jackson-Jewett and Dr. Lauren Novak as clinical veterinarians. The health care team also includes a team of veterinary technicians.
Chimp Haven is a private, nonprofit refuge on 200 acres of forested land in Northwest Louisiana. It’s home to more than 300 chimps already retired from biomedical research. While federal funds cover a crucial portion of the lifetime care of these government-owned chimps, the organization relies entirely on the generosity of donors to build their habitats and provide 25 percent of their annual care costs. Additional habitat construction is needed for the sanctuary to welcome more retirees into Chimp Haven’s care.
For information about how you can support Chimp Haven’s historic efforts to offer a refuge for retired chimpanzees, visit chimphaven.org/expansion/.
