In Defense of Animals' Statement in Response to Air Force Giveaway of Chimpanzees to the Coulston Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Eric Kleiman, 717-939-3231
August 6, 1998
We are shocked and appalled that the Air Force has decided to turn over "ownership" of 142 "space" chimpanzees to The Coulston Foundation (TCF), a primate testing laboratory with the worst documented animal care record of any research facility in the U.S.
Although not volunteers, the Air Force chimpanzees valiantly served this nation by blazing the trail for humans in space. Everyone from Dr. Jane Goodall to eleven former and current astronauts, including former Gemini and Apollo mission member Buzz Aldrin, has urged the Air Force to retire the chimpanzees to a sanctuary rather than allow them to continue to be used in experiments.
The Air Force’s decision to sell out these space veterans is a shameful chapter in the history of our nation.
In turning the chimpanzees over to the Coulston Foundation, the Air Force has thumbed its nose at Congress, which directed in 1996 that the chimps’ be provided with "adequate care" for the rest of their lives.
The Air Force could not pick an entity that was more incapable of meeting congressional intent for the permanent well being of the Air Force chimpanzees than the Coulston Foundation.
The Coulston Foundation is the only lab in history to be formally charged twice by the USDA for animal welfare violations and is the only lab ever to be under current investigation while charges are still pending. In choosing the Coulston Foundation, the Air Force has not only violated congressional intent; it has also failed to adhere to the criteria set forth in its own Request for Proposals for the chimps.
This decision is the culmination of three and one half years of bias toward Coulston on the part of the Air Force. The Air Force has done what it wanted to do in 1995, when its plans to giveaway the chimps to the Coulston Foundation was blocked by Congress. This time they did it under the guise of a fair and open bid process, but, in reality, that process was rigged from the start.
Resources
- Main AF Chimpanzee Campaign Page
- Transcript of NBC's Dateline Segment on the Coulston Foundation
- Plight of the Air Force Chimpanzees Fact Sheet
- Associated Press Article on Air Force Chimpanzee Divestiture
- IDA Complaint to Air Force in Advance of Award of Chimps to TCF
- 21 Air Force Chimpanzees Freed.
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