Success: National Institutes of Health to End Testing on Chimpanzees

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