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October 5, 2009

Questions and Answers About Chimpanzees Used in Research

• What is life like for chimpanzees in the laboratory?
• Which laboratories have chimpanzees available for and used in invasive research?
• Who pays for research on chimpanzees?
• Why should we give special attention to chimpanzees?
• What is the history of chimpanzee research in the United States?
• Why is there a decline in the use of chimpanzees for biomedical research and testing?
• Is the public supportive of an end to invasive biomedical research on chimpanzees?
  

Q: What is life like for chimpanzees in the laboratory?
A: In the wild, chimpanzees live in very diverse social groups and travel several miles in one day. However, in some research protocols, chimpanzees are forced to live alone in cold, metal cages approximately the size of a closet.

Individual housing of chimpanzees can cause severe problems such as depression, heightened aggression, frustration and even self-mutilation. In addition to solitary housing, chimpanzees used in research are often subjected to many painful and distressing procedures including numerous liver biopsies, isolation from others for long spans of time, injection of human viruses, and frequent "knockdowns" in which chimpanzees are shot with a dart gun of anesthetic.

The majority of chimpanzees in laboratories at any given time, however, are not being used and are simply being warehoused, often at taxpayers' expense. Being in the laboratory, even when not being used, can cause the chimpanzees anxiety and fear due to seeing other chimpanzees undergo procedures and not knowing what may happen to them next.

Q: Which laboratories have chimpanzees available for and used in invasive research?
A: There are currently nine laboratories in the United States which use or house chimpanzees for invasive research purposes. Those labs are:

• Alamogordo Primate Facility (Alamogordo, NM)
• Bioqual, Inc (Rockville, MD)Center for Disease Control (Atlanta, GA)
• Food & Drug Administration (Rockville, MD)
• MD Anderson Cancer Center (Bastrop, TX)
• New Iberia Research Center (New Iberia, LA)
• Primate Foundation of Arizona (Mesa, AZ)
• Southwest National Primate Research Center (San Antonio, TX)
• Yerkes National Primate Research Center (Atlanta, GA)

Q: Who pays for research on chimpanzees?
A: U.S. taxpayers spend an estimated $20-$25 million each year on experiments involving chimpanzees and on their care. The estimated expense of simply maintaining one chimpanzee in a laboratory is $20–$39 per day. This high cost works to the chimpanzees' advantage, as it is one reason their use has been declining. The government will save an estimated total of $15 million per year if invasive research is ended, and the 600 government-owned chimpanzees are retired to sanctuary.

Q: What is the history of chimpanzee research in the United States?
A: View the Timeline of Chimpanzees Used in Research for a complete history.

Q: Why should we give special attention to chimpanzees?
What we know about these animals should serve as a wake-up call. They exhibit a range of emotions including pleasure, depression, anxiety, pain, distress, empathy and grief. Chimpanzees are very social, highly intelligent, and proficient in tool use, problem solving, and numerical skills and can even be taught American Sign Language. Due to the overwhelming evidence of their intelligence and ability to experience emotions so similar to humans, their suffering under laboratory conditions cannot be refuted.

Q: What is causing the recent decline in the use of chimpanzees for biomedical research and testing?
A: Fortunately, the scientific community and others have decreased the use of chimpanzees both nationally and internationally due to:

• High costs of keeping chimpanzees in laboratories
• Serious ethical concerns
• Unsuitability of chimpanzees as research models for humans
• Public pressure

Q: Is the public supportive of an end to invasive biomedical research on chimpanzees?
A: Opinion polls indicate growing public concern regarding the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research. See more detailed information about public poll results.