NIH told to retire most research chimpanzees

[superpatriotman]

http://www.nature.com/news/nih-told-to-retire-most-research-chimpanzees-1.12277

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) should dismantle a decades-old colony of 360 chimpanzees, retiring all but 50 or so of the animals to a national sanctuary, the agency was told on 22 January in a long-awaited report.

The report, from a working group of external agency advisers, also counsels the NIH to end half of 22 biomedical and behavioural experiments, saying that they do not meet criteria established in a December 2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report.

The working group’s recommendations apply to the 360 research-eligible chimps that are owned by the biomedical agency and housed at facilities in Texas and New Mexico. The fate of an additional 91 animals that the NIH pays to maintain, but does not own, was not clear; the agency cannot compel the retirement of these animals, which are housed at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TBRI) in San Antonio.

Animal-rights activists welcome the report. “A chimpanzee should no more live in a laboratory than a human should live in a phone booth,” says Justin Goodman, the associate director of laboratory investigations at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Norfolk, Virginia. The TBRI issued a statement saying that the report’s recommendations “will slow urgently needed medical advances necessary to prevent and treat human diseases that afflict millions of Americans as well as hundreds of millions of people living in other countries”.

Translation: "You're affecting our profits!"

more at link

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Great news for the GOP. More choices for the mid-terms, and beyond.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

3. Beat me to it....

Michelle Bachman now has a debate opponent?

[meow2u3]

4. No. She has a new running mate

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

5. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Republican National Committee

[catchnrelease]

7. That is a gross insult to chimps!! n/t

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

8. You know, I thought that just as I was posting it...

These little guys are adorable!

[catchnrelease]

11. Well, you are right in one thing

This group of Chimps would probably be more productive than the RNC!

[FSogol]

6. Is it her Primate?

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I am so hopeful that 100s of these chimps will get sanctuary.

[RandiFan1290]

9. Here is a wonderful sanctuary in Florida

http://www.savethechimps.org/

[11 Bravo]

10. I know of one ex-President who will be sleeping a little more soundly tonight!