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National Call-In Week for Chimpanzees in Laboratories brought more members of Congress on as co-sponsors of the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (now up to 121 in the U.S. House and 12 in the U.S. Senate) – thank you for your meaningful participation!
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 Heidi (top) is now 27, she has a history of self mutilation after years of lab confinement. Robbie, now 13, was born after the federal breeding moratorium. All of the chimps at the Alamogordo Primate Facility need your help to see permanent retirement!
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But on Friday, December 2nd, the online magazine Wired ran a top story titled “NIH Accused of Dishonesty Over Chimp Research Plans,” revealing that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) continues to support invasive testing on all of the surviving Alamogordo Primate Facility chimpanzees, even though the NIH led the public to believe that the fate of the chimpanzees would be determined after the release of an independent study by the Institute of Medicine.
The Albuquerque Journal also covered the news, and published a clear editorial in response with the heading, “NIH Intent on Cruel, Worthless Chimp Tests.” Here’s an excerpt:
“Never underestimate the ability of government bureaucrats to stay the course despite being ordered to stand down on plans that fail ethically, scientifically, and fiscally. After all, what’s rationality when there are contracts to award and someone else’s money to spend?”
Blogs from scientist Marc Bekoff, chimp trainer’s daughter Dawn Forsythe, and the political clearinghouse Democracy for New Mexico detailed the public’s outrage over the latest developments.
And on December 8th, Congressman Martin Heinrich wrote to NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins about the plan, stating, “The NIH has told Americans that the future management of the Alamogordo Primate Facility chimpanzees would be considered after the IOM report is released. However, your agency has acted to put these chimps once more into invasive testing before the report has been finished.”
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, on whether there is any need for chimps in research, will be released December 15th. You can call into the briefing and/or learn more about the report on the IOM’s website. The IOM study is expected to shine light on whether or not there is any scientific necessity to use chimps in research. Ethics and cost were not supposed to be part of the study, and the NIH has already acted to use the NM chimps in research in 2012. That myopic approach to this crucial issue is unacceptable.
1) Email Congress and ask them to co-sponsor the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Remember to email both of your U.S. Senators and your one U.S. Representative. Individuals outside of New Mexico can use www.ContactingtheCongress.org to find their members of Congress. You can draft your own letter (highly recommended!) or use our sample text below:
Dear Senator_______/Representative _______,
Thank you for your service to our country.
I am deeply disappointed in the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) contempt for the public.
The NIH led the U.S. public to believe a fair and thorough review of the need for chimpanzees in research was taking place, but now we know they have continued to support cruel, worthless tests on aging, ill chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility.
NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins this year spoke of the need for a new direction as current research methods have realized a drug failure rate of over 95%. But the NIH’s actions regarding the surviving chimps of the Alamogordo Primate Facility indicate the agency is only concerned with preserving the status quo.
New Mexico will lose dozens of jobs and at least $25 million over the next ten years, and the aging, ill chimps at the Alamogordo Primate Facility will be subjected to what they understand to be torture if current NIH plans continue.
Please cosponsor and work to pass the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (S. 810/H.R. 1315). This bill will help resolve the scientific, financial, and ethical problems inherent in the NIH’s current chimp research program.
Sincerely,
Name
Address with Zip
Email
• Write to both your U.S. Senators:
Senator Jeff Bingaman
and
Senator Tom Udall
• Write to your one U.S. Representative (not sure who yours is? Input your address at ContactingtheCongress.org to find out!)
Congressman Martin Heinrich (Congressional District 1 – thank him for already writing to the NIH and cosponsoring this bill!)
or
Congressman Steve Pearce (Congressional District 2)
or
Congressman Ben Ray Luján (Congressional District 3 – thank him for cosponsoring this bill!)
** If you have an account with Facebook or Twitter, you can use these social media tools to communicate with your Congressional delegation!
2) Join us Sunday, December 18th to talk chimps with the caring community at Albuquerque Unitarian Universalist Fellowship!
The Albuquerque Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will host APNM’s Program Director Laura Bonar as part of their fellowship on Sunday, December 18th. Put this info in your calendar:
Chimp Chat: Celebrate Retired Chimps,
and Those Facing More Lab Torture
Sunday, Dec 18th
11 am – 12pm
Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice
202 Harvard SE
contact Laura for more info: 505-401-8936
Learn the latest news about chimps and visit with other members of the community who share your compassionate values.
We hope you can join us for an uplifting, affirming afternoon--together we’ll celebrate the chimps who have already retired and plan for the future retirement of Flo, Robbie, Nicole, Heidi, and all chimps languishing in laboratories.
3) Contact us if you would like to help with outreach to Retire The Chimps!
Thank you for your generous support of Animal Protection of New Mexico’s work.
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