Target: Dr. Francois Villinger, Director, New Iberia Research Center
Goal: Praise the release of former research chimps to a nature sanctuary.
Twenty chimpanzees formerly kept as test subjects in a laboratory were finally set free into a Georgia nature preserve. The federal government had ended the use of chimpanzees as test subjects five years ago, but it is only recently that the animals have been set free due to endless debate over whether or not they could survive outside the lab and tireless efforts to find them a forever home.
Chimpanzees and other animals have been test subjects for decades, rarely treated well as they were pushed to their limit and sometimes even killed by endless tests and dangerous experiments. Even when the testing stopped, many scientists felt the chimps should be kept at the lab for their own safety. Petitions such as this one circulated demanding the animals be set free.
This is a huge step forward for chimpanzees as a whole, and an important push for more humane experiments among science labs. Sign this petition to thank New Iberia Research Center for sending these creatures to the sanctuary to be set free.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Dr. Villinger,
Thank you for your role in freeing twenty chimpanzees from a laboratory five years after the facility was made to stop their experiments on animals. For years, it was debated as to whether former test subjects should remain in laboratories for the familiarity, but it is clear that they belong in nature preserves where they will be safe and free to live the lives they deserve.
Chimpanzees are an endangered species who have been used as test subjects for decades, despite the dangers to their health and well-being. The fact that they were still being used in the 2010s was an outrage, and it is sad that it took this long for such experiments to stop. However, these chimpanzees will no longer suffer, and we have you to thank for freeing them.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Sirylok
