Great Ape Protection
On October 15, 2011 Maine Animal Coalition presented Dr. Theodora Capaldo, EdD, President and Executive Director of New England Anti-Vivisection Society. Dr. Capaldo spoke about the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act of 2011, which is currently before Congress.
Dr. Capaldo started with a brief history of her venerable organization. NEAVS was founded in 1895 in response to Harvard’s establishing in 1871 one of the first vivisection laboratories in the country. In the beginning members of NEAVS believed that if they pointed out the horrors of vivisection, the public would reject it. NEAVS’s current approach still focuses on educating the public, but it is now fighting science with science.
Dr. Capaldo explained that as science has advanced it has become clear that subtle differences between organisms tend to outweigh gross similarities. Chimpanzees are humans’ closest relatives, but trans-species extrapolation is unreliable. For example, chimpanzees do not get AIDs. In the early 1980’s using results of experiments on chimpanzees, scientists decided (with disastrous results) that it was safe to transfuse HIV contaminated blood from human to human. In fact today scientists accept the fact that the experimental results can vary greatly from human to human. Medicine that is effective for one human may not be effective for another depending on a variety of factors, such as sex and race.
Using the latest science, NEAVS is advocating for the passage by Congress of the Great Ape Protection and Cost Saving Act (S810/H.R.1513). The Act would end invasive research on all Great Apes in the United States and retire to sanctuaries those currently used in research. Great Apes include chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans and gibbons. However, chimpanzees (approximately a thousand) are the only Great Apes currently used in invasive research in the US. More than half of these chimpanzees are owned by the federal government and the vast majority are financially supported by the government.
During her presentation, Dr. Capaldo also explained other efforts to protect chimpanzees. For example, this fall the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a petition to list all chimpanzees as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act. Currently the Fish and Wildlife Service only recognizes wild chimpanzees as endangered. Those in U.S. zoos, sanctuaries, laboratories and private hands are deprived of all protections that threatened and endangered species are normally afforded.
Dr. Capaldo also explained the interesting plight of 200 former research chimpanzees in Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico. The chimpanzees are owned by the U.S.Government but the contract to manage the chimpanzees was held by Charles River Laboratories. Upon the expiration of the contract the National Institute of Health wanted to transfer the chimpanzees to Texas for more research. A statewide animal protection organization (Animal Protection of New Mexico) is leading the fight to keep the chimpanzees in New Mexico. Yielding to political pressure, the National Institute of Health decided that the chimpanzees will not be transferred until the National Academy of Sciences completes a review of the scientific necessity of chimpanzee research. (Update: The review has been completed and the National Academy of Sciences held that it was not scientifically necessary to use chimpansees in medical research! This makes the passage of the Great Ape Protection Cost Saving Act even more timely and necessary. )
What can you do to help chimpanzees? Senator Susan Collins is a key sponsor of the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Write her an email and thank her. Maine’s other members of Congress, Senator Snowe and Representatives Pingree and Michaud have not come out in support of the bill. Write letters letting them know it is important to end the needless suffering of these magnificent creatures . Or send them a postcard urging them to support the bill and become sponsors. Contact us and we will send you postcards. (Dont feel like writing? - Phone them please. Senator Snowe (202) 224 5344, Rep. Michaud (202) 225-6306 and Rep. Pingree (202) 225-6116.)