In Episode 20 of "The PETA Podcast," Dr. Emily Trunnell talks about having been persuaded to test on rats and how that experience led her to question the science and ethics of animal experimentation—and led her to a new career. Listen Now.
AAVS is excited to join in
celebrating the very first World Chimpanzee Day!
It’s the perfect opportunity to
raise awareness about the threats chimps face, and it’s a reminder that
chimpanzees are still in labs waiting to be moved to Chimp Haven, The
National Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
The National Institutes of Health
(NIH) officially ended invasive research on all government owned and supported
chimpanzees in 2015. However, getting them to sanctuary has been fraught with
delays and they're running out of time!
One big problem that has persisted
is resistance from the lab facilities where the chimps are currently located.
They don't seem to understand sanctuaries, which have a mission completely
dedicated to animal well-being—not just medical care, but social connections and
natural environments. In short, sanctuaries allow for the full experience of
being a chimpanzee.
Sanctuaries make miracles. We
recently heard this story from the wonderful sanctuary, Save the Chimps,
about one of their most beloved chimpanzee residents, Henrietta. 'Henri' was
found in the section of a lab in New Mexico called "the dungeon," seeming
elderly and frail. Henri spent many years in barren cages, so it's not
surprising that she did not appear very healthy, but after moving to sanctuary,
she enjoyed 14 years of a full life.
Shouldn’t every chimpanzee be
given the same chance as Henrietta?
Most NIH-owned chimpanzees know
nothing else but life in a lab. They deserve to have a chance for a new and full
sanctuary life at Chimp Haven.