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| The Great Ape Protection Act would phase out invasive research on great apes, including chimpanzees. ©iStock.com |
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The plight of chimpanzees in research laboratories was the subject of a recent Congressional briefing hosted by House Government Reform and Oversight Committee Chairman Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The briefing, held on June 25, was designed to inform members of Congress and their staff about the suffering chimpanzees in labs are forced to endure and the urgent need to address this tragic situation by supporting the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326).
Action for Apes
If passed, the Great Ape Protection Act would phase out invasive research on great apes, including chimpanzees.
The legislation was introduced by Chairman Towns along with Reps. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Roscoe Bartlett, D-Md.
The act, which The HSUS strongly supports, also calls for the retirement of approximately 500 government-owned chimpanzees to permanent sanctuary.
Powerful Presentations
At the briefing, which was standing room only, several chimpanzee experts and advocates presented information about chimpanzees and the Great Ape Protection Act:
- Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, opened the briefing with video footage from The HSUS' undercover investigation of the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana.
- Congressman Bartlett, who previously worked with chimpanzees as a scientist, spoke about his experiences and his vehement opposition to invasive research on chimpanzees
- Ashley Wilson, a staff member of Chairman Towns, talked about the Great Ape Protection Act and the need to pass the bill and explained why Chairman Towns decided to be the lead sponsor of this important legislation.
- Kathleen Conlee, director of program management for Animal Research Issues at The HSUS, presented an overview of the use of chimpanzees in research
- Linda Brent, president and director of Chimp Haven, Inc., discussed the tremendous cost savings to the government of transferring chimpanzees to sanctuaries
- Dr. Theodora Capaldo, president of NEAVS and co-chair of Project R&R: Release and Restitution for Chimpanzees in U.S. Laboratories, presented strong scientific arguments against using chimpanzees in research
- Gloria Grow, founder and director of the Fauna Foundation and co-chair of Project R&R, spoke about a chimpanzee named Tom and showed poignant footage of his rehabilitation and release into a new habitat from a PBS special on chimps retired to sanctuaries
Closest Living Relatives
The use of chimpanzees in lab research has drastically declined in recent years due to the high financial cost, past scientific failures, discovery of more viable alternatives, increased public outcry, and ethical concerns.
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| Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS, opened the briefing.© Michelle Riley/HSUS |
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The vast majority of the 1,000 chimpanzees who remain in research facilities in the U.S. today are not used in active experiments, but are instead warehoused at an enormous taxpayer expense, rather than retired to sanctuary to peacefully live out their remaining years.
"Our closest living relatives deserve better than to be warehoused for decades in barren laboratory cages," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.
"The information our panel presents today should compel Congress to swiftly pass the Great Ape Protection Act and provide chimpanzees in laboratories freedom from harm and the life in sanctuary that they deserve, before their time runs out."
Undercover Exposé
The HSUS' undercover investigation at the New Iberia Research Center, the world's largest chimpanzee laboratory, revealed routine and unlawful mistreatment of hundreds of chimpanzees and other primates.
Undercover footage from the 9-month investigation showed the psychological and physical suffering endured by chimpanzees in laboratories caused by solitary confinement, as well as painful procedures such as multiple liver biopsies.
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| Several chimpanzee welfare advocates spoke during the briefing. © Michelle Riley/HSUS |
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The investigation gave the public a revealing look at the lives of these incredible animals—some of whom have been locked away in U.S. labs and subjected to inhumane conditions and treatment for more than 50 years.
The misery these chimpanzees endure, and the wasted millions of federal dollars funneled to these laboratories each year, are astonishing and inexcusable.
Watch a video about The HSUS's undercover investigation at the world's largest chimpanzee laboratory:
