Should animal testing be used to produce safe medicines for other animals?

March 31, 2021 Allyson J. Bennett, PhD and Jeremy D. Bailoo, PhD Pets directly benefit from animals in testing, research, and teaching veterinary medicine. In fact, pet medicine is big business, projected to reach $12 billion by 2022. In the US alone, 67% of households reportedly have pets. Data from the 2019-20 pet owners survey … Continue reading Should animal testing be used to produce safe medicines for other animals?

Opinion or fact? Chimp Haven should provide the public with evidence and data to inform critical decisions about retired chimpanzee health and well-being

Yesterday we wrote about NIH’s announcement that 44 elderly and/or frail chimpanzees would be retired in place at the Alamogordo Primate Facility instead of being transferred to the federal sanctuary, Chimp Haven (CH). The announcement drew a range of responses and media coverage. Responses that were critical of NIH’s decision came from leadership associated with … Continue reading Opinion or fact? Chimp Haven should provide the public with evidence and data to inform critical decisions about retired chimpanzee health and well-being

Retired in Place: National Institutes of Health Announces Decision to Prioritize Chimpanzee Health, Safety, and Psychological Well-being

Forty-four elderly and frail chimpanzees will not be forced to leave their social groups or partners to endure a stressful cross-country move, quarantine, and introduction to new housing at the federally-funded US chimpanzee sanctuary, according to an announcement posted today by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH’s announcement provides a public view of the … Continue reading Retired in Place: National Institutes of Health Announces Decision to Prioritize Chimpanzee Health, Safety, and Psychological Well-being

Guest Post: Save the Bastrop Chimpanzees

This guest post, about research chimpanzees and their transfer to the U.S. federal sanctuary, was sent to us by the group "Save the Bastrop Chimps." Every story has two sides. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) own or financially support approximately 500 captive chimpanzees in the United States. These chimpanzees have been a part of … Continue reading Guest Post: Save the Bastrop Chimpanzees

NIH announces final decisions to relocate chimpanzees

The National Institutes of Health recently announced its final decisions about moving the remaining 180 chimpanzees it owns to the US federal sanctuary, Chimp Haven. The Louisiana sanctuary was founded in 1995 as a nonprofit led by primate behavioral researcher Dr. Linda Brent and others. Brent served as Chimp Haven’s President for 17 years until … Continue reading NIH announces final decisions to relocate chimpanzees

Public dialogue about US research chimpanzee retirement: Unanswered questions

Growing concerns about NIH’s plan for retired research chimpanzees summarized in a WIRED article last week continue to provoke more questions than answers. These questions fall into three general areas discussed below. In many cases, they are questions that could stem simply from a lack of transparent, public information. One example of this is found … Continue reading Public dialogue about US research chimpanzee retirement: Unanswered questions

What is science?

We learned today from an NIH announcement about a new plan by the federal agency to relocate and transfer all of the NIH-owned chimpanzees to the federally-funded sanctuary, Chimp Haven, by 2021 or later. The announcement was quickly the subject of announcements and proclamations of victory by PETA, HSUS, and some associated with Chimp Haven. … Continue reading What is science?

Heat or light? An Analysis of Chimp Haven’s Message

Earlier this week the president of Chimp Haven, Cathy Willis Spraetz, issued a rebuttal to “a number of articles and blog posts focusing on the retirement of federally-owned chimpanzees to Chimp Haven.” She identifies the goal of the open message as a response to address the “concerns and resistance from some in the laboratory community,” … Continue reading Heat or light? An Analysis of Chimp Haven’s Message