The Great Ape Grab: Seven Chimpanzees Go From Lab to Refuge … to Uncle Sam
by Lee Hall
The news reports paint a rosy picture of Chimp Haven, Inc. Chocolate lovers can buy a bar of Endangered Species Chocolate with a picture of a baby ape on the wrapper to support the company’s guaranteed donation of at least $25,000 to Chimp Haven, [1] a place that almost everyone happily dubs a “naturalistic sanctuary in Louisiana.” [2]
Chimp Haven is no sanctuary. Located near Shreveport, it serves as a holding site for the National Institutes of Health, whose only interest in chimpanzees is using them in tests. Donors who want to help chimpanzees are helping the NIH continue to afford experimenting on these beings.
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On March 20, 2007, Elizabeth Howland wrote:
This is an email I just sent to PETA…maybe I can get a response…
“Re: Primarily Primates, Inc. in Texas - I have been reading various articles regarding PPI and Chimp Haven and the litigation regarding some OSU chimps relocation to PPI, as well as PETA’s involvement with trying to get the chimps moved from PPI to Chimp Haven. I understand that Chimp Haven is a place to house chimps for the NIH among other groups, until they are needed for research. Then I also read that the conditions at PPI are not suitable living conditions for the primates and that they were not taking proper care of the primates. I donate to PETA as well as Friends of Animals in the hopes that animals will be taken care of and helped as much as possible. Now, after reading this information and conflicting points of view from both organizations, I am confused as to the facts of the case and the reasons behind why PETA would choose to send primates to Chimp Haven (and donate the money for the travel expenses as well as the first 3 months of upkeep) knowing what kind of organization it is, as opposed to taking those funds and making sure that it is used to upgrade the santuary where you know that the animals will no longer ever be used in research…”