This timeline pertains to legislation surrounding the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection (CHIMP) Act and implementation of the chimpanzee sanctuary system.
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
April 15, 1999
A coalition that includes representatives from the research, animal protection, zoo, and sanctuary communities writes a letter addressing the issue of chimpanzee "retirement" and submits it to U.S. Representative Porter and U.S. Senator Specter.
November 1999
H.R. 3514, the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection (CHIMP) Act is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. James Greenwood (R-PA). This bill will require the federal government to provide for permanent "retirement" of chimpanzees who are identified as no longer needed for research.
May 18, 2000
The House Committee on Commerce holds a hearing on H.R. 3514. Speakers presenting testimony include the world renowned primatologist, Jane Goodall, Dr. John Strandberg (the National Institutes of Health), Tina Nelson (American Anti-Vivisection Society, representing the National Chimpanzee Research Retirement Task Force), and Dr. Alfred Prince (New York Blood Center).
June 14, 2000
Legislation for S. 2725, the CHIMP bill, is introduced in the Senate by Senators Robert Smith (R-NH) and Richard Durbin (D-IL).
September 20, 2000
S. 2725 gains approval by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
October 24, 2000
The House passes H.R. 3514 with the Bliley amendments (see introduction for more details).
December 6, 2000
The Senate passes H.R. 3514 by an unanimous vote.
December 20, 2000
President Clinton signs the CHIMP Act into public law (P.L. 106-551).
March 29, 2001
The HSUS submits testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education regarding funding for chimpanzee sanctuaries.
April 16, 2001
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), publishes a "sources sought" notice to determine whether there is an existing nonprofit that fulfills the requirements of the CHIMP Act and is interested in serving as the "contractor " of the sanctuary system.
April 20, 2001
The HSUS submits written testimony to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, regarding funding for chimpanzee sanctuaries.
September 28, 2001
The National Institutes of Health publishes a Request for Proposal for an entity to operate and maintain a sanctuary system via the CHIMP Act.
December 2001
The Departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and related agencies' 2002 Appropriations Act (H.R. 3061) allocates $5 million to begin construction on the national chimpanzee sanctuary facilities.
January 10, 2002
President Bush signs H.R. 3061 into public law, including $5 million towards the construction of the national sanctuary system.
April 25, 2002
The HSUS submits written testimony to the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, regarding funding for chimpanzee sanctuaries.
September 30, 2002
NIH announces the award of a contract to Chimp Haven for the establishment and operation of a chimpanzee sanctuary, as mandated by the CHIMP Act.
November 2003
Construction begins on the 200 acre Chimp Haven facility in Shreveport, Louisiana.
March 2005
The HSUS submits joint comments to the National Institutes of Health regarding the proposed standards of care for chimpanzees in the federally funded sanctuary system in response to a February 2005 Federal Register Notice.
April 4, 2005
The first chimpanzee residents, Rita and Teresa, from The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research arrive at Chimp Haven.
October 28, 2005
Chimp Haven celebrates its official Grand Opening. At that time, there are 31 chimpanzees already at the facility.
February 2006 - Ohio State University closed its chimpanzee facility and transferred nine chimpanzees to Primarily Primates in Texas. Note: The seven remaining chimpanzees from this group were moved to Chimp Haven (two chimpanzees died within six weeks of arrival at Primarily Primates)
February 22, 2006
Chimp Haven releases its second group of chimpanzees (Grandpa, Grandma, Gwennie, Les, Sheena, and Tulip) into a four-acre wooded habitat.
April 2006
Chimp Haven welcomes 13 more chimpanzees from laboratories bringing the total number of retirees at the sanctuary to 44.
July 2006
An amendment is introduced by Representative McCrery to take out the provisions in the CHIMP Act that allow for chimpanzees to be removed from the sanctuary system and sent back to the laboratory for research purposes.
July 13, 2006
A bill to amend the CHIMP Act was introduced in the House of Representatives. H.R. 5798 was intended to disallow the removal of chimpanzees from the federal sanctuary system for research purposes other than non-invasive behavioral studies.
October 2006
There are a total of 77 retired chimpanzees after 13—11 of whom are older than 40 years old—are brought to Chimp Haven.
November 17, 2006
Seven chimpanzees formerly used in behavioral research at Ohio State University were brought to Chimp Haven from the Primarily Primates sanctuary after the Texas State Attorney General's office seized Primarily Primates due to allegations of poor care of the animals and mismanagement of funds.
December 2006
The CHIMP Act amendments introduced in July 2006 passed the House of Representatives, but did not make progress in the Senate before the end of the session.
Spring 2007
Twenty seven chimpanzees arrive at Chimp Haven, bringing the total number of chimpanzees at the facility to 117.
August 1, 2007
Two bills, H.R. 2395 and S. 1916, are introduced in the House and Senate. The identical bills are intended to disallow the removal of chimpanzees from the federal sanctuary system for research purposes other than non-invasive behavioral studies.
August 2007
Amendments to the CHIMP Act are introduced by Rep. McCrery and Sen. Burr that would take out the provisions in the CHIMP Act for chimpanzees to be removed from the sanctuary system and sent back to the laboratory for research purposes
November 2007
Chimp Haven welcomes 10 chimpanzees bringing the total number of chimpanzees at the sanctuary to 127.
December 2007
The CHIMP Act amendments introduced in August 2007 were signed into law by President Bush.
February 15, 2008
A Texas judge rules that the OSU chimpanzees sent to Chimp Haven from Primarily Primates should be returned to Primarily Primates.
March 19, 2008
Chimp Haven announces it will fight the Texas judge's ruling that the OSU chimpanzees previously transferred to Chimp Haven from Primarily Primates should be returned to Primarily Primates.
July 2008
Chimp Haven is home to 138 chimpanzees.
November 10, 2008
Final standards of care are implemented by the National Institutes of Health for chimpanzees in the federal sanctuary system. The standards regulate housing, veterinary care, behavioral management, population management and control, staffing, records, and guidelines for accepting chimps into the system. No other U.S.-based sanctuaries are subject to such legal standards.
February 2009
An appeals court in Texas rules that the chimpanzees from OSU will remain at Chimp Haven and will not be returned to Primarily Primates.
