Programs & Campaigns

A Voice for All Animals

July 27, 2005

The New York Times Magazine

Dear Editor:

While Charles Siebert's article "A Planet of the Retired Apes" answered many questions, it left some questions not only unanswered but not even asked.

As someone who intimately knows the sanctuary life of chimpanzees formerly used in research, my predominant concern is that retirement not be conveyed as an easy walk on the beach. Chimpanzees used for decades in biomedical research and housed in the typical laboratory setting have scars from which they need to heal. Some chimps do quite well with new found safety and care; others have lingering anxieties fears and illnesses that will never
heal.

In the past several years, our sanctuary has mourned the sudden deaths of 3 relatively young chimpanzees with deep physical and emotional scars caused by decades of experimental protocols. We support immediate sanctuary for
the remaining 1300 chimpanzees in labs in the U.S. before it's too late for them.

Sincerely,
Tony Smith
President
The Fauna Foundation Sanctuary