In Memoriam: Donna
Donna, April 2, 1963 - November 9, 1999
This gentle chimpanzee died a gruesome death at The Coulston Foundation, the notorious primate-testing laboratory in New Mexico. She succumbed to a massive infection after carrying a large dead fetus in her womb for as long as two months. When Coulston veterinarians belatedly treated her, they found her to be literally rotting from the inside out, with a liter of pus in her abdomen and the decaying skull of her fetus protruding through the ruptured wall of her uterus.
Described as a "sweet" chimpanzee and an "excellent mother," Donna was captured from Africa at the tender age of 3 
for use in the U.S. space program. She spent the remaining thirty-three years of her life incarcerated at Holloman Air Force Base. There she was subjected to invasive procedures and tests of drugs before being turned into a "breeding machine," with at least 14 babies born in 26 years (in the wild, chimpanzees normally breed at most once every 6 years).
On its website, TCF includes this photo of Donna and claims to acknowledge the so-called sacrifice she made in the name of science. No gratitude was shown this gentle Air Force veteran, however, when TCF's egregious negligence killed her after causing unspeakable suffering.
It is in Donna's memory that IDA continues our battle against The Coulston Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. As we fight to save the hundreds of chimpanzees still in TCF's grip, we struggle to ensure that her death will not have been in vain.
Related Links
- Coulston Campaign Overview Page
- Campaign Milestones
- The "Spirit of the Mission Award"
- Chronology
- Chimpanzee List
- Quotes from Frederick Coulston
- IDA Testimony to Congress
- Coulston Campaign Archive
Resources
- In Defense of Animals
- Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care
- Jane Goodall Institute
- Animal Protection Institute of New Mexico
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