Guest guest Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 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.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 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.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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