Urge NIH to adopt CoC recommendations and retire all chimpanzees to sanctuary

February 28, 2013 • Posted in Action Alerts

UPDATE: The deadline has passed to submit comments to the NIH.

UPDATE: In June 2013, the NIH decided it would retire nearly 90% of its chimpanzees to sanctuary. For the latest on chimpanzees in U.S. labs, visit our News page.

The NIH seeks public input on its recent Council of Councils (CoC) recommendations regarding the fate of federally owned chimpanzees in U.S. laboratories. In January, the CoC unanimously accepted its Working Group’s findings that nearly all federally owned chimpanzees should be retired and sent to federal sanctuary. The report also defined exemplary criteria for appropriate environments for future housing and care, and recommended immediately ending two-thirds of current biomedical research using chimpanzees.

NEAVS fully supports nearly all the CoC recommendations and appreciates NIH director Dr. Francis Collins’ commitment to chimpanzees. However, we see no reason, scientifically or ethically, to accept the recommendation to hold 50 chimpanzees for “future potential research.” Please tell NIH you want all the other recommendations accepted and all chimpanzees retired.

Before deciding how it will implement the recommendations, the NIH will review public comments. We urge you to share your concern for chimpanzees in research and your dedication to getting them all out (read NEAVS' comments in full). Please follow the instructions below to give your input to NIH – deadline March 23.

Step 1: Visit the Request for Information website.

Step 2: Fill in your name and email.

Step 3: Scroll to the bottom. In the box titled “Overall Comments,” please use the following talking points to write short comments.

Thank NIH director Dr. Francis Collins for his vision and commitment to providing humane and better care to chimpanzees. Thank him for acknowledging and honoring the NIH’s commitment to their lifetime care.

Ask Dr. Collins to use his authority to transfer dollars for the housing and care of chimpanzees in laboratories to those same chimpanzees’ housing and care in sanctuary.

If the chimpanzees remained in labs, NIH would continue to support them. Those same funds will be better spent in sanctuary. Appeal to Dr. Collins to transfer federal dollars to sanctuary care, now!

Assert that a reserve population of chimpanzees is unnecessary, as past and present science disproves any need for chimpanzees in research. Refer to scientists at an Institute of Medicine hearing who testified chimpanzees have no future value in research. Wholeheartedly recommend all federally owned chimpanzees be transferred to sanctuary.

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