Target: Francis Collins, National Institutes of Health (NIH) agency director
Goal: Applaud the end of the National Institutes of Health’s research testing on chimpanzees.
Thanks in part to petitions like ForceChange’s Shut Down Lab That Tortures Monkeys, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will send its last 50 research chimps to sanctuaries and end its controversial research testing on the animals. Francis Collins, the agency’s director, said they have moved away from a time where using chimpanzees is essential to medical research, especially considering the federal Fish and Wildlife Service listed captive chimps as endangered recently.
With this announcement, the NIH will no longer keep 50 chimpanzees for future research. The NIH will begin transferring chimps to a federally supported sanctuary, Chimp Haven in Keithville, Louisiana, with a timing depending on the health and well-being of the creatures.
Although it will take years to move all the chimps, it’s amazing to know they no longer will have to suffer in inhumane captivity where they are tested on with often controversial experiments. The chimpanzees will finally be able to live out a peaceful life the way a chimpanzee should be able to live.
Using chimpanzees as animal tests for research has been questioned for years by many scientific and animal rights organizations. This announcement is a huge step in the right direction towards protecting animals, their rights and their lives. Applaud that these chimpanzees will no longer have to endure research testing.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Mr. Collins,
I am writing to applaud your recent announcement that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be releasing its 50 research chimpanzees to a chimpanzee sanctuary and they will no longer be tested on for research purposes. Chimpanzees are the closest living ancestor to humans, so it’s essential that we treat them with love and respect.
Testing on chimpanzees has long been controversial as its purpose and effectiveness has been questioned. This decision to end the testing not only makes sense for us, but makes enormous sense for these innocent creatures. I hope we can continue to show compassion for animals and end animal testing once and for all.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: William Warby
these human animals are far to clever to abuse . they are seen as things less than human . we wouldn’t carry out tests on humans like this yet imagine with a distorted logic that’s its ok to torture these wonderful being sometimes the same chimp for decades . its a shameful act of cruelty and should be stooped .. the fact that such abuse is allowed shows how little ground we have made in both animal and human rights ,, as both are interlaced ..a week of it would be a total nightmare for us and for them it is permaent and we imagine its ok . deep down we know its not ,, its all about the money and these apes pay the price
thanks so much!
Thats wonderful. Please release all of them quickly
Thank you. Excellent news! Best decision. The right decision.
First, thank you for your rationality and compassion — FINALLY!
Second, why is it taking “years” to transfer chimps (or, as you refer to them, “creatures”) to a Sanctuary? Quite unreasonable, I say. —
I would think such a transfer could be done over several weeks.