WIKIMEDIA, RENNETT STOWEGovernment inaction has delayed the retirement of 60 National Institutes of Health (NIH) research chimps. Specifically, the lack of an appropriations bill has delayed needed tweaks to the Chimp Act, which caps the amount of money the NIH can dedicate to the care of its sanctuary-housed chimps at $30 million. The legislative hiccup also spells trouble for the 100 already retired chimps currently living at Chimp Haven in Keithville, Louisiana.
“We have hit this wall, and we need this fixed, or else come mid- to end-November, we will not be able to pay Chimp Haven to take care of these animals,” Kathy Hudson, NIH Deputy Director for Science, Outreach and Policy, told ABC News. “Scientifically, ethically, and economically, that is a bad idea.”
The NIH announced in June its plan to retire most of its approximately 360 chimpanzees currently housed in research laboratories—a decision that stemmed from a December 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that suggested the majority of chimp research at the agency was unnecessary. In January, an NIH working group seconded the IOM’s findings, and the agency decided to move forward with scaling back its chimp research operation by retiring ...
