Chimpanzee News - Captive Chimpanzees

It may, or may not, come as a surprise to people that America is the last nation in the world still using chimpanzees in invasive experiments. Although just about every other country in the world has banned or restricted research on great apes, the USA stubbornly continues to perform experiments on caged chimpanzees, the closest living animal relatives to humans.

In an article written by Sarah Baeckler from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and Debra Durham, a primatologist and ethologist with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, published in the Vancouver Sun, the two experts detail the ugly reality of American experiments on chimpanzees including how American laboratories are allowed to keep the chimps in cages the size of kitchen tables, depriving them of social contact with others of their species and retain them for a lifetime of experimentation – some of the chimpanzees have been in cages more than 50 years.

In something of a harmonic Hollywood convergence, three animal-themed documentary movies that have earned The HSUS recognition for excellence are drawing favorable attention and exposure against the backdrop of the 24th Annual Genesis Awards scheduled for March 20 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Two films focus on the growing epidemic of keeping dangerous wild animals as pets, and the third examines the controversial use of primates in entertainment. [...]

Cinema Chimp, which won The HSUS's ACE feature documentary film grant in 2009, examines the sometimes bizarre lifestyle of Cheeta, a chimpanzee who was a film and television “actor.” The film explores the ethics of using young primates in entertainment. By the age of six or seven years, chimpanzees and orangutans can become dangerous and unmanageable unless taken care of by experts and housed in a proper environment, such as a reputable sanctuary. After brief showbiz “careers,” they can spend their remaining 40 or 50 years in squalid roadside zoos, sideshow menageries or even in research laboratories.

More limits would be placed on the importation and possession of more types of wild animals under revisions to existing regulations proposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The DEP has scheduled three forums to hear from the public and interested groups about the proposed changes, the first on Tuesday in Old Lyme. DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said the agency was directed by the state Legislature last year to revamp existing regulations after it agreed to add three animals - orangutang, chimpanzees and gorillas - to the list of banned animals. The addition of those animals followed publicity about the chimpanzee kept in a Stamford home that attacked a friend of its owner, causing serious disfiguring injuries to the woman. The chimp had previously shown aggressive and dangerous behavior.

"Fatal Attractions" airs on Animal Planet, Sunday nights at 10, Eastern and Pacific times; 9, Central time.

Human ego run amok is the central theme of Animal Planet's "Fatal Attractions." 

Bottom line: The old expression of "Live by the sword, die by the sword" sums up these sad tales of people who for all the wrong reasons, selfishly loved their lethal charges too much.  These people make terrible judgement calls that endanger themselves and their friends and family, resulting in very unhappy endings for most if not all of the animals who are put down or locked up, left confused and alone.

Mentally ill people who anthropomorphize lethal animals and reptiles, convinced they have the ability to manage a creature that can kill them at will, will explain to you the 'whys' of their obsessive love.

Three young chimpanzees that were discovered without food or water at an abandoned captive facility in the Democratic Republic of Congo reached safety at a sanctuary today, following a two-month effort by the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) and a coalition of conservation and welfare organizations.

The chimpanzees – two males and a female, all believed to be between three and five years of age – arrived at the JACK sanctuary in Lubumbashi, where they will ultimately join the 29 orphaned chimpanzees already in residence.

PASA worked closely with organizations in the region to coordinate the rescue, including the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP), the African Conservation Foundation (ACF), Virunga Park, and the Congolese wildlife authority (ICCN).

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It's a stunning day in Fort Pierce, Florida, just north of Miami. Sunshine has nudged out the winter cold and there's green grass and blue sky as far as you can see. Only the words "Careful -- she's going to spit!" interrupt the postcard moment.

Just as Triana Romero says those words, Tammy does as predicted (neither of us gets hit).

Romero, director of communications for Save the Chimps, clearly knows Tammy, a 20-something chimpanzee, well enough to spot a spit-face when she sees one. Tammy is being silly, Romero says, and Tammy goes on being silly by blowing a stream of Bronx cheers that would impress even South Park's Terrance and Phillip.

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The death of a SeaWorld whale trainer was tragic. But, after all, they don't call orcas killer whales for nothing.

The whale that grabbed the 40-year-old trainer by her ponytail Feb. 24, pulled her into the water in front of 20 spectators and thrashed her in the pool until she died, had been involved in the deaths of two other people. Some immediately suggested that the whale, named Tilikum, should be put to death like a dangerous dog.

That comment may go to the heart of the problem of keeping these creatures in captivity. Killer whales never were meant to be domesticated like dogs. They are not designed to play fetch or bring us our slippers.

Zookeepers in Russia apparently had enough of the bad habits of one of their animals last week. A chimpanzee named Zhora has been unable to stop guzzling beer and smoking cigarettes, prompting officials to send the animal to a rehabilitation center.

According to reports, Zhora's drinking has gotten so out-of-hand, he has resorted to begging for alcohol. Nobody really knows why the chimp started drinking and smoking. Officials say he started hitting the bottle as soon as he arrived at a zoo in Rostov. Zhora was s circus performer and was transferred to the zoo when handlers could no longer tolerate his aggressive behavior. Some say Zhora likely picked  up his love for booze and cigarettes sometime during his performance career. 

The United States is the only country in the world that still allows federally-funded medical experiments on chimpanzees.

"It will be a great tragedy for humanity if research with chimpanzees were stopped."

Chimpanzees are our closest animal relative. So close, in fact, that 98 percent of a chimpanzee's DNA is identical to that of humans.

The highly intelligent primates share many of our physical and behavioral characteristics and that similarity has made them attractive to medical researchers, sparking a heated debate over animal rights and medical ethics.

Billy loved spaghetti. He would stick his fork right in the middle of pile of noodles, lift it dripping with tomato sauce, and slowly twirl until each noodle had wrapped around the tines. Only then would he put the forkful delicately into his mouth and chew with deep satisfaction. Billy treated all his habits and chores with the same deliberation, making up his bed with the precision of a military man and preparing his coffee with the attention of an artist.

His pleasure in these rituals reflected something more than appreciation for a good meal or an overly tidy personality. Similar to many, Billy's tastes hark back to childhood. Motions acquired in youth recall in adulthood an essence of self that often gets buried under life's travails. Daily routines that were taken for granted in the salad days provide comfort in difficult times.

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An animal rights group went ape this week when "Dancing with the Stars" wanted to use a chimpanzee as a guest judge.

The popular ABC show scratched plans to have the primate appear on Tuesday night's episode after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) complained to "Dancing" producers, reports Variety.com.

The primate protest was sparked on Monday, when "Dancing" host Tom Bergeron announced a chimp would be appearing on the show the following night.

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A recent study documents the severe emotional trauma chimpanzees suffer as a result of laboratory use and confinement. Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees was published in the September issue, Vol. 45 (5), of the American Psychological Association journal Developmental Psychology.

Psychologists G.A. Bradshaw, Ph.D., Ph.D., Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D., Lorin Lindner, Ph.D., and Gloria Grow, Fauna sanctuary director, examined the case histories of three chimpanzees -- Billy Jo, Tom, and Regis -- all used in research before rescue into sanctuary. The study underscores the ethical implications of cross-fostering nonhuman primates and their use in research.