Laboratory Chimps Can Still Love Abusing Researchers, Study

By R. Siva Kumar - 03 Aug '15 08:47AM

Chimpanzees may be a much abused animal species, yet they do not stop loving humans. One video that was shot in 2013 is still viral, showing a group of chimps in a Liberian island. Earlier they were used and abused during hepatitis research, but were later released by the New York Blood Center (NYBC) they had finished being used, according to thedodo.

Even though they have been highly abused, these chimps are still loving and caring towards their caretaker when he arrives on the island. They just rush upto him and hug him, hooting happily. Their family members also gather around them and hug them in greeting. They eagerly reach out for fruit given by their caretaker. The chimps are not able to look after themselves in the islands, and are dependent on the caretaker for help.

PETA explains that "the U.S. holds the dishonorable distinction of being the only nation in the world, other than Gabon, that continues to conduct invasive experiments on chimpanzees."

In 1974, the chimps in Liberian Island had been earmarked for medical research by the NYBC and had to suffer it for 30 years. Once the experiments had got over, the NYBC funded the colonies' care through the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research, and paid caretakers to look after them.

However, now the NYBC has decided to stop caring for them. The center "never had any obligation for [sic] care for the chimps, contractual or otherwise," NYBC spokeswoman Victoria O'Neill told the New York Times at the time.

This statement had started a storm, when Jane Goodall wrote an open letter slamming the NYBC, which she called "completely shocking and unacceptable," while Duke primatologist Brian Hare explained, "Never, ever have I seen anything even remotely as disgusting as this."

Reports thedodo: "Of the 200 chimps originally abandoned on the island, 66 are left, ranging from babies to a 41-year-old female. Some are blind and limping, suffering from the effects of age and decades of experimentation. When the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) rushed to the island to take up the burden dropped by the NYBC, they found the chimps had no source of fresh water."

The kindness of strangers has, however, kept them going. Thanks to the HSUS, the unfortunate chimpanzees are being fed and cared for. Meanwhile, animal rights activists are still holding the NYBC responsible for cruelty and abandonment.