AAVS News
December 12, 2024
Urgent help needed to stop funding for primate breeding and research
No Funding for Primate Breeding!
The current Congressional session is scheduled to end on December 20, but the FY25 budget still has not been approved. The rush is on, and this is when all kinds of interests ask to add language to giant omnibus bills that no one even has the time to read! You can help the animals by making sure that something is taken out!
Please help to ensure that no funding is allocated for primate breeding and research!
For months, the Senate’s version of the federal budget has included $30 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to renovate existing lab facilities or construct new ones so that primate breeding and research can be expanded in the U.S. (even though the NIH requested only $10 million for its primate research centers.) However, the good news is that the House version of the budget includes language specifically excluding such funding.
The FY25 budget could be finalized any day, so please take action today!
Using millions of dollars to increase primate breeding and research will lead to the unnecessary suffering and death of thousands of animals. Instead, taxpayer funding should be used to support the development and use of alternatives that produce reliable data that can be used to study and treat human diseases. With over 90 percent of new drugs tested on animals (including primates) failing in human clinical trials, it’s the responsible approach to research that will save both human and animal lives.
Other News
The Street Dog Podcast Feature
Looking to be inspired? Check out this interview with AAVS’s Animalearn Director Nicole Green! She shares her own story of finding a career helping animals and describes AAVS’s positive work to instill compassion in children and champion humane science education.
FDA Advisor Recommendations for Alternatives
The Food and Drug Administration is considering several recommendations on driving the development and use of alternatives in regulatory testing, including a dedicated office to build buy-in among stakeholders. A recent report also stressed that the strategy behind this effort should be dynamic, so the agency can continually move forward as the science of alternatives evolves. Implementing these recommendations will help modernize regulatory oversight, saving animal and human lives.
Sanctuary Moment
Chimp Haven
An important part of a true sanctuary that sets it apart from other types of captivity is autonomy. Animals can make choices on their own terms. It also gives space for chimpanzees to show their true personalities. Meet Emma, or Smarty-Pants, as the folks at the Chimp Haven sanctuary affectionately call her.
After observing her caregiver use them, Emma showed that she, too, knows how zip ties work, only she likes to zip them shut. She can also forecast the weather, especially when it’s supposed to rain, except on days when she really just doesn’t want to go outside. Either way, her caregiver is left to clean her room another time. Emma likes to paint and her favorite color is blue. She is also particular about her carrots and will point to the one she wants, usually the biggest of the bunch.
This lady with a big personality is one of the 300 chimpanzees living at Chimp Haven, a longtime recipient of AAVS sanctuary grants. They do a great job sharing the lives of the chimps in their care—each has his or her own distinct personality to get to know. We’re grateful to know Emma and that she gets to live the chimp life!