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| The Great Ape Protection Act would phase out invasive research on chimpanzees. © istock.com |
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by Rebecca Simmons
Amid unprecedented international activity on behalf of great apes, primatologists and other experts gathered at a symposium held at the International Primatological Society Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 8 to discuss the use of great apes for invasive research.
Developed and led by The Humane Society of the United States, the symposium was one of the first-ever devoted to the subject of invasive great ape research at this influential conference.
Entitled "The use of great apes for invasive research: science, policy, welfare, and current events," the symposium was chaired by Kathleen Conlee, director of program management for animal research issues at The HSUS.
Conlee led the symposium with a presentation entitled "Chimpanzee use for invasive research and testing worldwide: overview, laws, current events and campaigns," during which she discussed the status of great ape research worldwide, The HSUS' Chimps Deserve Better campaign, and recent worldwide successes on behalf of chimpanzees in laboratories.
Great apes include gorillas, orangutans, and other large apes, but it is widely believed that chimpanzees are the only great ape still used for research.
Great apes have recently been receiving international attention because of initiatives like the Great Ape Protection Act (a bill recently introduced in the U.S. Congress that would phase out invasive research on chimpanzees), a new resolution passed in Spain that would enforce humane treatment of great apes and prohibit experimentation on them, and the pending Revision of an EU-wide Directive 86/609, which is expected to confirm a total ban on great ape use and the use of wild caught primates in the European Union.
Other presentations included:
- The scientific case for invasive research with chimpanzees: John VandeBerg, Ph.D., director of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
- Examining the efficacy of chimpanzee research and its contribution to combating human diseases: Jarrod Bailey, Ph.D., geneticist and science director of Project R&R: Release & Restitution for Chimpanzees in U.S. Laboratories
- Humane considerations regarding the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research and testing: Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D., psychologist, president of The New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) and executive director of Project R&R
- Ethical issues surrounding the use of great apes in invasive research: Michael Balls, Ph.D., trustee of The Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
- An overview of worldwide sanctuaries with great apes from research laboratories: Gloria Grow, founder and director of The Fauna Foundation and Project R&R co-chair
"This was a historic dialogue among leading primatologists on the use of great apes in invasive research," said Conlee. "Discussing the urgent need to get all great apes out of labs and into sanctuaries has been pivotal to gaining major support from these scientists, which has further strengthened our efforts."
Of the estimated 1,200 chimpanzees currently held in nine U.S. laboratories, approximately half are government owned or supported. The U.S. is the only remaining country that continues the large-scale use of chimpanzees for invasive research and testing.
