The ruling reflects a commitment to providing these chimps, who suffered years of invasive biomedical experiments, the sanctuary retirement they deserve.
HSUS: A Maryland federal judge ruled that the National Institutes of Health [NIH] cannot lawfully refuse to retire federally owned chimpanzees formerly used for research to Chimp Haven, the federal chimpanzee sanctuary. The decision was issued in a lawsuit brought by the Humane Society of the United States, Animal Protection New Mexico, Humane Society Legislative Fund, and three individual plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs sued NIH in 2021, after the agency reneged on its commitment to sanctuary retirement for all chimps owned or supported by the federal government. Instead, NIH decided to retain dozens of chimps at the Alamogordo Primate Facility — the same New Mexico laboratory where they were previously used in experiments — for the remainder of their lives…
The ruling held that NIH’s decision was unlawful under the Chimpanzee Health, Improvement, Maintenance and Protection (CHIMP) Act, a 2000 law that created and funded the federal chimpanzee sanctuary system. Thirty chimps currently remain at the Alamogordo facility…
The order noted that NIH had violated the law because “the plain and unambiguous language of the CHIMP Act mandates the transfer of all [Alamogordo] chimpanzees to Chimp Haven.” Further proceedings will follow to determine how NIH must proceed in light of the court’s ruling…
“The CHIMP Act means exactly what it says: These chimps cannot be denied the sanctuary retirement they deserve,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “It is a win that the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland agreed with us that the law reflects a commitment to providing these chimps—who suffered years of invasive biomedical experiments—the highest standard of care possible”…
“Thirty chimp survivors are waiting in Alamogordo, New Mexico for the sanctuary they’ve been promised by our federal government. This decision affirms what we’ve asserted all along: by law, these chimpanzees have the right to live their best chimp lives in sanctuary,” said Leslie Rudloff, Esq., chief program and policy officer, Animal Protection New Mexico. SOURCE…
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