Many of you may have noticed, several of our chimpanzees have a common origin story: LEMSIP.
Today, I wanted to scratch the surface on this topic. There is so much more to say about non-human primates in laboratories. Much of this blog is from online sources that I have found while researching LEMSIP, because my personal knowledge is limited. I was blown away by what I found.
LEMSIP stands for the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates. LEMSIP was a research facility at New York University, beginning in 1965. The original goal was for LEMSIP to be a federally funded primate research center, although it remained a private laboratory until their closure. At one point, LEMSIP housed around 300 chimpanzees and nearly 300 monkeys, who were subjected to intensive biomedical research in areas such as reproduction, blood transfusions, hepatitis B, and HIV.
Ultimately, LEMSIP shut down in 1998. Many believe one of the contributing factors to the demise of the facility was the revision of caging requirements prescribed by the USDA, which would cost the University roughly $2 million to accommodate.
This made me think…
Back in 2019, I completed a summer internship at fellow sanctuary, Fauna Foundation, located in Canada. During that internship, I heard a lot about LEMSIP, because just like CSNW, many of their chimps had been at that laboratory. Although it has been over three years since my internship, I remember so vividly learning that this (pictured below) was the type of cage the chimps spent their lives in. The “home” they would not leave unless they were anesthetized and used for a biomedical research study.
Photo of cage from LEMSIP, which is on display at Fauna Foundation:
Plaque in front of cage:
“For decades they languished in cages like this
Victims of research
Until the day of their rescue
By a place that would come to be home
FAUNA Foundation
Founded in 1997 for
Annie, Jeannie, Pablo, Donna Rae, Billy Jo, Rachel, Sue Ellen, Binky, Jethro, Regis, Chance, Petra, Pepper, Yoko, and Tom”
At LEMSIP, the majority of the chimpanzees were housed singly in these small cages. It wasn’t uncommon for the chimps who were young enough, to be housed in pairs. But, that was short-lived as chimps grow quickly.
All of the cages hung above the floor. The founding director, Jan Moor-Jankowski, MD believed that “allowing feces and urine to fall out of the cages would maintain a healthier environment, opposed to hosing out the cages, creating dampness – a contributor to the widespread upper respiratory problems in captive primates.”
However, the design ultimately created a permanent foul stench from beneath the caging that the chimpanzees were forced to breathe in every single day.
Chimpanzees were denied any outdoor access because Moor-Jankowski believed that this would limit their germ exposure.
Adult chimpanzees were given little enrichment.
Infant chimpanzees were taken from their mothers and raised by human caregivers (in the “nursery”) to accustom them to being handled for procedures.
Chimpanzee mothers were bred repeatedly so more babies could go into research. None were allowed to raise their children past one year, if at all.
When NYU withheld the funds earmarked for increasing the size of the chimpanzees cages to comply with the updated regulations, Moor-Jankowski filed a complaint against his employer with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlighting the deficiencies.
In the early 1990s, the USDA charged NYU with 378 violations of the Animal Welfare Act at a separate university lab. The charges were in regard to water deprivation and other cruel treatment of monkeys used in addiction experiments. The charges stemmed from Moor-Jankowski having revealed information to the USDA about problems at that lab.
In 1995, NYU announced the sudden closure of LEMSIP and that all its primates will be sent to Coulston Foundation, a New Mexico-based toxicology laboratory. NYU made this placement decision despite knowing that the USDA had filed charges against Coulston for the negligent deaths of both chimpanzees and monkeys. Shortly after NYU’s announcement, Moor-Jankowski was fired from his director position of 30 years.
In 1997, around 100 chimpanzees were sent to Coulston Foundation, following the closure of LEMSIP.
However, James Mahoney, D.V.M., Ph.D, LEMSIP’s veterinarian managed to quietly place 109 chimpanzees and 100 monkeys in sanctuaries around North America. Those sanctuaries included Fauna Foundation, Wildlife Waystation, and the Primate Rescue Center.
Picture of Dr. James Mahoney conducting a biomedical procedure at LEMSIP (Source: National Geographic)
Primate Rescue Center says Mahoney approached them asking, “How many chimpanzees can you make room for?”.
In 1998, Coulston Foundation was “awarded” 111 chimpanzees who were deemed “surplus” by the U.S. Air Force.
In 1999, the USDA settled three sets of charges against Coulston with a $100,000 fine and orders to restrict breeding and divest itself of 300 chimpanzees (half of their population) by 2002.
Coulston had many documented USDA welfare violations including temperatures in cages as high as 150 degrees, to botched medical procedures such as experimental spine surgery.
In 2002, most of the LEMSIP chimpanzees that were sent to Coulston years prior, were rescued by Save the Chimps, when it took over Coulston.
However, an unknown number of chimpanzees who remained incarcerated in lab cages, were transferred to the Alamogordo Primate Facility, which is owned by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and operated under contract by Charles River Labs.
“Chimpanzees have not been used in invasive biomedical research – any research that causes injury, pain, or distress – in U.S. laboratories since 2015. But what to do with the former research chimps – and how to pay for their costly lifetime care – is a continuing conundrum.” – National Geographic
In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed captive chimps as endangered. This meant that research and experimentation could be done on chimps only if the institution could show the work will enhance the survival of chimps in the wild.
Today, five biomedical research facilities across the U.S. hold chimpanzees once used for research that was funded in some part by NIH.
With all of this said, these are all reasons why we do what we do at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and why sanctuaries are important. We have sixteen chimpanzees who were apart of the biomedical research industry. Their past lives were unfair, to put it simply. Although still in captivity, we hope what we do here everyday for our 16 chimpanzee residents helps make a difference in their lives.
**Special shout out to everyone involved in HOOT! last night. From attending the event in person, participating in the online auction from afar, or heck, even sharing our posts on Facebook…. As always, we appreciate your continued support for Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. We wouldn’t be where we are without you!
Tobin says
Jenna,
Your posting is truly horrifying to read, and yet it a moral imperative to expose the cruelty which transpired at LEMSIP and other biomedical (perhaps that should read “necro-medical”, as those facilities were living deaths for their simian captives) prisons. What absolute demons we human primates have been to our primate cousins.
Susan Kathleen Feeley says
Thank you so much for documenting the appalling events at lemsip and for reminding us of what those Chimpanzee suffered there. Lemsip spelt a death sentence for so many of the chimpanzees although some did survive. I was a sponsor for the sign language Chimpanzee Booie who, after enduring years of anguish at lemsip spent the remainder of his life peacefully at the Wildlife Waystation. Sadly many other chimpanzees weren’t so fortunate and paid the price. And all in the name of science.
Kathleen says
Susan, I have to send you a hug and a big thank you for sponsoring Booie. I followed his life story (as well as Nim’s, and Washoe and her family). I will never forget the now famous 20/20 episode with Roger Foust visiting Booie at LEMSIP and Booie instantly recognizing his old friend and signing to him. Ack! I get tears just thinking about it, it was deeply painful to watch. Booie was spared and today I feel so fortunate to “meet” someone who helped him. Thank you. In a disconnected way it was actually Booie who led me to discover CSNW.
Marya says
Jenna, I’m so appreciative of your involvement with chimps over all these years. I had a hard time seeing the words on the screen because I was tearful throughout reading your post but I know it’s important for people to know the horrors of what our chimp family and friends have been through. Thank you for the courage to share these painful realities with us. These reminders make me ever so grateful for the sanctuaries that exist now and especially for CSNW and all the love, respect, care and attention our friends there receive — not to mention “spa times” for fingernail polish and fruit salads galore.
dennis lorton says
What a sad story for all the primates !! So happy you can give them a better life!!:two_hearts:
Francoise says
For me, knowing the individual stories has made a big difference in my support of and passion for chimpanzees and their lives and freedom, at least so much as is possible so late in the day. Their stories have had a profound impact on my view of the world … and us. And we have a lot to make up for. https://releasechimps.org/chimpanzees/their-stories
Julie Medrano says
Having volunteered at Wildlife Waystation for many years, I was present when we received chimps from Lemsip and
saw the cages they had been kept in. (They were actually shipped in those cages!) I happily read about the chimps you have and how you have enriched their lives even more than we were able to. A million thanks to all you do to make their lives enjoyable!!! I really loved those “critters”!
Amy Goldshine says
What was allowed to be done to our fellow earth denizens is disgusting and reprehensible. I hope it weighs on their (the lab people) consciences for the rest of their lives.
Heidi Shaw says
I wanted to share a little about the connection between LEMSIP, Dr. Mahoney, and the chimpanzees at CWU. Sometime around 1988, Jane Goodall was able to fund an internship of sorts for Mark Bodamer, during which he provided training for the LEMSIP staff about enrichment for the chimpanzees. Mark had been a graduate student of Roger Fouts at CWU and had worked remarkably well with Washoe, Moja, Tatu, Loulis, and Dar. He was a doctoral student of Allen and Trixie Gardner at the time but took a break for this opportunity. During his 3 or 4 month stint at LEMSIP, he developed a very cordial relationship with Dr. James Mahoney, who Mark believed had the chimpanzees’ interests at heart, albeit in a complicated way. Mark talked about how amazed the staff were when the some of chimpanzees signed with Mark, when the chimps used mirrors to brush their teeth and hair brushes to brush their hair. I have no doubt that this collaboration between Jane, Mark, and Dr. Mahoney contributed to LEMSIP closing. Dr. Mahoney flew in to help us move WMTLD into their new facility in 1993. I found him to be a compassionate man who had done a lot of introspection.
Kathleen says
May we never forget. Thank you, Jenna, for this informative post. I have seen one of those cages (while visiting CSNW) and my heart stopped at the sight. Very different seeing one in person than seeing it a photo. I will not forget it.
The history of chimpanzee research brings up so many emotions for me but on the surface there’s always a deep, disturbing sorrow and anger. To this day I still believe that those involved, including our government (that’s you NIH), should have taken and should now take full responsibility for the ethical treatment, placement, and life long care for these chimpanzees. Not partial finacial support, full lifelong care. If you bred them, experimented on them, and profited off of their precious lives, it is your ethical duty to ensure they ALL retire to a life in sanctuary where you will financially support every aspect of ensuring the chimpanzees receive the best care for their lifetime. I believe it is that simple. It is never too late to do what is right.
I am grateful Jim Mahoney discovered Wildlife Waystation sparing the chimpanzees more suffering at the Coulston-Foundation. As it was, there were complications with some of these chimps having been infected with hepatitis (Booie being one such chimpanzee). I am even more grateful Martine Colette offered to take in these chimps. She moved a mountain in a couple of weeks to make it happen, through fundraising and constructing a quarantine facility on her own. No financial help from NY University. Seeing the WW chimps now at CSNW proves that it is never too late to improve their lives. I send out a heartfelt “thank you” for every single person who played a role to better their lives.