Ask Congress to Permanently Protect Chimpanzees Retired From Experimentation
Close loophole in CHIMP Act so that they won't be recalled into research
In 2000, the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection Act (CHIMP Act) was signed into law, creating a system for the retirement of government-owned chimpanzees no longer wanted for experimentation. So far, Chimp Haven, located in Louisiana, is the only facility awarded a contract under the Act. To be eligible for government funding, current conditions include the possibility of returning chimpanzees to the labs if deemed necessary by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Given the emotional and physical condition of the animals and their abbreviated life expectancy caused by lifelong experimentation and confinement, it's unthinkable that they could be returned to the laboratory. This is the loophole that the Chimp Haven is Home Act, sponsored by Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), intends to close, and that would guarantee their protection from further experimentation.
When the Burr amendment was introduced last year, it passed the House, but not the Senate. The bill is now before the Senate (S.1916) Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and the House (H.R. 3295) Committee on Energy and Commerce.
What You Can Do:
Please ask the Chairs of the House and Senate committees to pass the Chimp Haven is Home Act. This will prevent the National Institutes of Health from recalling retired chimpanzees back into research from facilities like Chimp Haven that receive government funding, and guarantee permanent protection for chimpanzees retired from experimentation!
Please refer to the sample letter below, and call or write:
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
317 Russell Senate Building
Washington D.C. 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4543
Webmail: http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm
The Honorable John D. Dingell, Chairman
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
2328 Rayburn House
Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: (202) 225-4071
Webmail: http://www.house.gov/dingell/contact.htm
Sample Letter:
Please support the Chimp Haven is Home Act (H.R. 3295 and S.1916), an amendment to the CHIMP Act (Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection) Act of 2000. This amendment would guarantee the permanent protection of federally-owned chimpanzees retired to such facilities as Chimp Haven in Louisiana, a sanctuary partially funded by the government. The law currently allows for the possible recall of these chimpanzees, who have endured lives of experimentation and confinement in research laboratories, back into research laboratories. I am writing to respectfully ask that this egregious loophole be closed, and that chimpanzees previously used in experiments be guaranteed safe haven in their final years.
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