help chimps

The issue of experimentation on chimps is one that breaks my heart. They are so close to us. And even if they weren't they are amazing beings.

One way in which they are not similar to humans however is disease expression. Evidence has shown that when medications are tested on chimps the results are not repeated in human subjects. For example a drug that controlled HIV in chimps failed to do so in humans. So why are laboratories still performing cruel tests on these sensitive emotional beings? Some scientists once thought that chimps made ideal test subjects because their genome is similar to the human genome but evidence is mounting that chimps just don't react to medications the same way humans do.
 
Ethical considerations aside it just doesn't make sense for the medical community to continue spending huge amounts of money torturing chimps.
 
How You Can Help
 
Support The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act H.R. 1513/S. 810 by writing to your representatives. Here is a summary of what the bill entails:

Phase out the use of chimpanzees in invasive research in both federally funded and private laboratories
Release the more than 500 federally owned chimpanzees to sanctuaries
Prohibit future breeding of chimpanzees for purposes of conducting invasive research

Let's all promise to write a letter this month. Strength in numbers! Consider this kind act your holiday gift to all the great apes in captivity.

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Photo Credit: Chimp Sanctuary