NIH has no plans to house chimpanzees at Holloman Air Force Base

Alamogordo, New Mexico Some former laboratory chimpanzees may not leave New Mexico at all. About a decade ago, the National Institutes of Health stopped laboratory testing of chimpanzees.

While many former laboratory chimps are spending their final days in a special sanctuary, at least two dozen remain trapped in cages in southern New Mexico.

A few years ago, animal rights activists sued the National Institutes of Health to have the chimpanzees relocated, and a federal judge agreed they belonged in a protected area. However, the federal agency confirmed Thursday that there are no plans to relocate the chimpanzees. Supporters now fear they could die in the same place where they have been tested for years.

“When you think about it, it’s tragic and a little cruel,” said Gene Grant, chief program and policy officer for Animal Welfare New Mexico. “They very much deserve freedom and shelter. When you really think about it, they’ve paid back their dues.” A debt to society and our country.

Grant said the 26 remaining chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility have undergone years of rigorous testing.

“This has resulted in a lot of injuries and, unfortunately, deaths,” Grant said. “I mean, there really are no rules for what kind of research is done on chimpanzees.”

Congress passed the Chimp Act in 2000, requiring the transfer of all former laboratory chimpanzees to a special sanctuary in Louisiana. But when testing stopped in 2015, the New Mexico chimpanzees remained in cages.

“Because the National Institutes of Health believes that they have chronic health problems and should not be moved to shelters,” said Maggie Robinson, a staff attorney at the Humane Society of the United States.

The Humane Society of the United States sued the National Institutes of Health in 2021. A federal judge agreed.

“The law is clear, these chimpanzees must be moved to a sanctuary,” Grant said.

Yet, 16 months later, the chimpanzees were still in cages.

A spokesman for the National Institutes of Health said the court had not directed the agency to relocate the chimpanzees. They added that the Chimpanzee Act includes exceptions for dying or dying animals. According to the agency’s assessment, all remaining chimpanzees are near death.

“We strongly disagree with this decision, we don’t agree with it,” Robinson said. “We just don’t think that a chimpanzee that’s alive after three years would meet that criteria, in any sense of the word.”

Supporters also point out that keeping chimpanzees in Alamogordo instead of a sanctuary costs taxpayers twice as much per day.

“We estimate that moving them to a chimpanzee sanctuary would save about $800,000 per year,” Robinson said.

Even if the court rules in their favor, advocates are still concerned that time is running out to give the chimpanzees a few quality years.

“It’s reasonable to say that NIH is just waiting for these chimpanzees to die before they’re willing to spend a dime to keep them in some kind of comfortable environment for the rest of their lives,” Grant said. “That’s very unfair to the chimpanzees. It’s not fair to the taxpayers either. It’s not fair to the way our country does things. We need some compassion here.

For now, Grant said, it’s up to the congressional delegation.

U.S. Senator Ben Ray Lujn said he was disappointed that the National Institutes of Health continued to ignore the court’s ruling and encouraged the agency to make every effort to safely relocate the chimpanzees.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich added that the NIH’s refusal to transfer the chimpanzees was in direct violation of federal law and court orders. He urged them to reconsider.

Grant told KOB 4 that a study showed that some of the chimpanzees at the facility could live until 11 years later, in 2035.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued the following statement:

“In its ruling, the court declined to direct the NIH to transfer Alamogordo’s chimpanzees to a chimpanzee sanctuary.

The Chimp Act requires the transfer of federally supported chimpanzees to chimpanzee sanctuaries unless the chimpanzees are endangered. The National Institutes of Health previously classified each of Alamogordo’s remaining chimpanzees as moribund, based on the agency’s understanding of the term. The National Institutes of Health plans to conduct annual assessments of Alamogordo’s chimpanzees to determine whether they are dying or if they are no longer dying and can be safely transported to a chimpanzee sanctuary, pending space there becoming available.

NIH remains committed to complying with relevant animal welfare laws and policies and ensuring the safety and care of chimpanzees owned and supported by NIH. The National Institutes of Health adopted a process to determine the health of remaining chimpanzees.

Full statement from Senator Martin Heinrich:

During my time in Congress, I have advocated for humane and permanent solutions for these chimpanzees so that they can live out the rest of their lives in non-laboratory sanctuary settings. We have a moral responsibility to prevent senseless animal cruelty. This includes providing the chimpanzees remaining at Holloman and primates in similar facilities across the country a humane living environment, the best possible care, and eventual transfer to a chimpanzee sanctuary. Mann is in direct violation of federal law and court orders, and I urge them to reconsider.

Senator Ben Ray Lujn’s full statement:

These chimpanzees deserve to live in an environment that allows them to live their best lives, in a sanctuary designed to meet their needs. I am disappointed that the NIH continues to ignore the court’s ruling, and I encourage the NIH to do all it can to safely relocate the chimpanzees.