Programs & Campaigns

Win Scored for Young Chimpanzees -- Arthur and Phoenix

Joint Dismissal of Diamond Action, Inc.’s litigation against Greenville (NH) Wildlife Park allows NEAVS to place Young Chimpanzees in Florida Sanctuary

November 7, 2002, the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) announced that following the dismissal of litigation that had been pending in the State of New Hampshire concerning the ownership of two young chimpanzees, Arthur (a/k/a Ennio) and Phoenix, Diamond Action, Inc.’s (The Lowell Spinners) President, Drew Weber, transferred ownership of the chimpanzees to NEAVS. Arthur and Phoenix have now been permanently placed with the Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care (CCCC), a widely respected Florida sanctuary.

Weber had intended to exhibit the young chimps during promotional events at the Spinners’ ballpark—a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. NEAVS contacted Weber in early spring after first learning about the purchase of the 2 and 2 1/2 year-old chimpanzees and their housing at a roadside animal park in New Hampshire.

On Friday, October 11, 2002, Judge Groff of the Hillsboro Superior Court in New Hampshire granted a preliminary injunction, ordering the defendants Greenville Wildlife Park to surrender the chimpanzees to the plaintiff Diamond Action, Inc. (The Lowell Spinners), until the case was resolved after trial.

Following months of conversations and meetings with NEAVS about the plight of chimpanzees who had become fodder for the vivisection and/or entertainment industries, Weber became committed to doing the “right thing.” Diamond Action, Inc. had purchased the babies from the Coulston Foundation (Coulston), a facility that did research on chimpanzees and other primates and was also a major breeder and supplier of chimpanzees for vivisectors. Shortly after Arthur and Phoenix’s sale to Weber, Coulston closed down as the result of years of mounting pressure for violations of the Animal Welfare Act and growing economic failure—a campaign led by In Defense of Animals. With the generosity of the Arcus Foundation and other animal advocacy organizations including NEAVS, CCCC recently purchased Coulston. The 266 chimpanzees and 61 monkeys represent the largest rescue of its kind.

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