Freed lab chimps to get own islands off Africa

[Guest guest]

This item appears to be nearly 20 years old.

 

The Liberian Institute of Biomedical Research, with the help

of the New York Blood Center, in the very early 1990s retired about

90 of its 165 chimps to nearby island refuges.

 

In 1993 the facilities were completely overrun by combatants

in the Liberian civil war.

 

Manager Brian Garnham, of Britain, asked the invading

soldiers to spare the 120 chimps who were still alive. He was shot

in front of his wife and four-year-old adopted daughter, who was

already an orphan of the war.

 

 

 

 

>Freed lab chimps to get own islands off Africa

>

> Six remote African islands are to be turned into sanctuaries for

>chimpanzees, released from research laboratories after years of

>experimentation.

> The islands, off the coast of Liberia, have been taken over by

>the New York Blood Centre (NYBC) to release more than 70 animals

>used in its hepatitis research programmes. Campaigners hope the

>example might inspire the creation of other sanctuaries to house

>retired research animals, especially great apes. The centre is one

>of many research institutes to abandon experiments on chimpanzees

>because it now considers such work unacceptable on ethical and

>welfare grounds.

> The decision to set up sanctuaries for the animals to live out

>their lives in semi-natural peace has been widely praised by

>campaigners. The African sanctuaries are initially being set up for

>the exclusive use of animals released from NYBC's Vilab facility at

>Robertsfield, Liberia.

> If they succeed they could become a model for similar releases of

>animals from zoos and laboratories. The Vilab centre, set up in the

>1970s, made many breakthroughs in blood research, including the

>development of vaccines to prevent the spread of hepatitis and AIDS

>viruses.

> " Vilab did a great job for a long time but there are new methods

>for doing this kind of research so we don't need to use

>chimpanzees, " said Betsy Brotman, its director. " Research

>chimpanzees generally receive little reward for the knowledge we

>gain. "

> " Once their work is over their futures are grim. They often live

>out the rest of their lives, which last an average of 50 years, in

>cramped cages or laboratories. "

> Brotman originally planned to release the animals into national

>parks in Liberia but abandoned the idea when he realised that the

>chimps associate humans with food and so might pose a risk to

>tourists and villagers. SUNDAY TIMES

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]

[Guest guest]

Looking further into the item that Debasis Chakrabarti

posted, entitled " Freed lab chimps to get own islands off Africa, "

I found that very similar articles were actually published about 30

years ago, not 20, as I had written.

 

However, I also found that the same people--Betty Brotman

and the New York Blood Center--are apparently starting over, trying

again to do what they did in the years 1978-1993.

 

This was posted to the Vilab II web site in June 2006:

 

---------------------

 

Vilab II has acquired from the Liberian government six 10-90

acre islands in nearby rivers and pioneered methods to release groups

of 15-30 animals onto each of these islands. Release onto islands

began in 1978 and sowed the seeds for an ultimate permanent

sanctuary. During the next 28 years, Vilab personnel gained

considerable expertise in the rehabilitation and release process. By

1990, the released animals were well adjusted to their island

habitat. Most adult females had given birth to and were successfully

rearing at least one offspring. Although the animals had learned to

eat the wild fruits on the islands, it was necessary to supplement

their diet and during the dry season, and to provide water.

 

The largest island was divided into three by the construction

of two canals. This was a project of several years duration and

required extensive manpower and continual maintenance (cutting back

of mangrove, maintaining transects.) The last of these canals was

completed and a sixth group of animals had just been released at the

start of the dry season in 1990, unfortunately coinciding with the

onset of the civil war in 1990. During the civil war it became

necessary to return all animals on the islands to Vilab II, as the

rivers were too dangerous to permit Vilab II staff to feed the

animals Since the end of the civil war in Liberia, Vilab II has begun

to release animals to the islands again. Presently 4 islands have

been re-populated, and 2 more groups are due for release in 2006-7.

 

OBTAINING THE FUNDS TO OPERATE THE SANCTUARY

 

Vilab II believes that the Sanctuary should be operated by a

chimpanzee welfare organization, as the New York Blood Center does

not have the knowledge, or dedication to chimpanzee welfare, to do

so. Negotiations for such a transfer are underway in 2006.

Chimpanzee welfare organizations do no have the financial

resources to operate a Sanctuary for the life time of the chimpanzees

(~50 years). It will therefore be essential to create an endowment

for the sanctuary. It is estimated that $6.8 million will be

required. $1.5 million have already been raised.

 

---------------------

 

So, maybe this is a rare case of a recycled story being as

good as new.

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

[ANIMAL PEOPLE is the leading independent newspaper providing

original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide,

founded in 1992. Our readership of 30,000-plus includes the

decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations.

We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. $24/year;

for free sample, send address.]