Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Reprieve for Alamogordo Chimpanzees

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My family lives in New Mexico and my very sharp and active 89-year-old grandmother, who is a supporter of the Cle Elum Seven, sent me word of this great news this morning.

(for background information about the Alamogordo chimpanzees, visit: http://retirethechimps.org/)

Here’s the beginning of a story that the Albuquerque Journal published today:

Chimps To Stay in N.M. for a While

By Rene Romo
Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Southern Bureau
LAS CRUCES — The nearly 200 chimps housed at a federal facility in Alamogordo have won a temporary reprieve from being transferred to another site, where they were to become test subjects, according to the Governor’s Office.
In a phone call received late Thursday afternoon, an official with the National Institutes of Health informed Gov. Bill Richardson that the chimps will not be transferred until the National Academy of Sciences completes a review of policies related to the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research, according to a governor’s spokeswoman.
The review is expected to postpone the chimp transfer for about two years, said Richardson spokesman Alarie Ray-Garcia.
“Until the study is completed, there will be no transfer of the chimps,” Ray-Garcia said.

Read more: http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/312320216413newsstate12-31-10.htm

This means that Negra’s daughter Heidi, Foxie’s son David and Jody’s daughter April will not be put back into research, at least for the time being. And it means that we still have time to let our voices be heard so that they and all of the chimpanzees can be retired permanently.

Alamogordo Chimps Update

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New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is a hero for chimpanzees. Two days ago he filed a complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate the transfer of the remaining 186 chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF). Since then he has been busy with press conferences and interviews with the media about this complaint, which is supported by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and Animal Protection of New Mexico.

The complaint asks the USDA to investigate whether transferring the chimpanzees from APF to a biomedical research laboratory in Texas violates the Animal Welfare Act, which prohibits the transportation of ill, injured or physically distressed primates. Many of the chimpanzees, such as Flo (53 years old), are elderly and suffer from chronic diseases as a result of their age and their history as biomedical research subjects.

Thanks to Freedom of Information requests from PCRM, we now know that Foxie’s mother, Winny, is among the chimpanzees living at APF who faces transfer to Texas. Winny’s birthdate is listed as 1/1/1962. She is almost 49 years old.

Foxie’s son David, Negra’s daughter, Heidi, and Jody’s daughter April also face transfer. Jody’s son Levi has already been moved.

(For the complaint that PCRM filed in September that includes information on the chimpanzees at APF, click here).

For how to help, visit RetireTheChimps.org