Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Associated Press - Tuesday October 24, 2000
Rebecca Sinderbrand, Associated Press Writer
The sanctuaries would care for the animals after they are no longer needed for biomedical research.
The measure, which passed on a voice vote, would allow spending up to $30 million to set up the centers, which would be managed by a nonprofit private entity. Chimpanzees used by nongovernment researchers could also be admitted to the preserves, space permitting, for an entrance fee.
Government researchers overbred chimpanzees at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, according to Rep. James Greenwood, R-Pa., the bill's sponsor. But they found the monkeys to be a poor model for study because the animals rarely contracted AIDS after being infected with the virus, HIV.
Chimpanzees, which can live up to 60 years, cannot be returned to the wild after medical research because most of them carry diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. They also face death from wild chimpanzees that feel their territory has been violated.
Once admitted to these proposed sanctuaries, chimpanzees would not face any further invasive research, although observational research would be permitted.
"These animals deserve far better from us than they have been getting," said Greenwood. "This legislation is not only the humane thing to do - it is also the cost-effective thing to do."
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the plan would save the federal government an average of $3 million a year after the starting costs, because of a planned public-private partnership.
The bill has received pledges of fund-raising support from such prominent naturalists as Jane Goodall.
Last week, Congress voted to provide $5 million a year for the Interior Department to use for grants to organizations involved in efforts to protect the great apes of Asia and Africa.
The bill is H.R. 3514.
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