NASA Chimpanzees Retired to Chimp Haven
Chimp Haven is a sanctuary for chimpanzees which have served in the space program and in U.S. medical research centers, helping to develop vaccines for Hepatitis B, polio and Hepatitis C. Some of the chimps are a result of NASA’s breeding program, descendants of Ham, the first U.S. chimpanzee in space, although none of the chimps that lifted off are still alive. Ham’s flight in1961 paved the way for the flight of the country’s first astronaut, Alan Shepard.
The retirement home is located in a remote area of northwestern Louisiana, and it offers an opportunity for these animals to experience life in a more natural environment; some, which were born in captivity, for the first time.
The chimps born in the wild in Africa quickly began climbing trees and building nests, although most were captured when only a few months old and transported to the United States in the 1960s. The members of the group born in captivity have slowly begun to emulate them. The sanctuary covers 200 acres, with five acres of original forest where an effort is made to allow the chimps to live as naturally as possible.
Initially, rather than sleeping in the wild, the chimps chose to sleep in customized sleeping areas where they are allowed to watch limited amounts of television as they did during the years they were confined in laboratories. Television shows with hospital themes seem to be favored, possibly because of the chimp’s familiarity with white lab coats. As the animals become more familiar with their new home they spend less time inside watching TV.
Recently U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-Louisiana) along with Senators David Vitter (R- Louisiana) and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) introduced the Chimp Haven is Home Act to improve the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act of 2000, which established Chimp Haven in Keithville, Louisiana for chimpanzees no longer needed for research. Under the current law, chimpanzees are evaluated and sent to the sanctuary when their numbers exceed research needs. The new bill would stop the removal of retired chimps from Chimp Haven for research by the National Institutes of Health, which the original legislation failed to do.
Senator Burr explained that many of the one hundred chimps residing at Chimp Haven have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis, and this bill would protect the chimps in their retirement and ensure they will no longer be used for research. Giving permanent protection to these animals would allow peace of mind for animal welfare groups and other organizations partnering with Chimp Haven.
This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 at 3:03 am and is filed under Public Relations, Space Agency News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
