Research Chimps Plight to Find and Get Released to Forever Homes

Woke up this morning to this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/06/health/research-chimps-stuck-in-labs/index.html

It has long been heartbreaking to me that Chimpanzees and other Animals are used for research. There has been a "stay" put on using Chimps, but there is another current issue going on with another species of Primate.  Please internet search the stories on Rhesus Monkey Infants being used in testing.

It gets my blood boiling that these research companies are not responsible for providing these "employee" Chimps with a retirement fund, that would take care of them.  Obviously they thought they would just end up dead in the labs.  For the ones that are eligible for release, its insane that there's a hold up, even for the ones who have a place to go.

One of my posts in relation to Save Our Chimps, was an idea about rescuing Chimpanzees allegedly still living in cages in a UCSF Lab.  

UCSF Lab is in the same neighborhood as the San Francisco Zoo. I don't know if there is any guidelines for where Research Chimps can retire too, if the AZA has guidelines against this (I did ask another Zoo Director and he said he didn't think so), or if the UCSF Chimps would have any health issues as a result of research testing that would prevent them from an eventual integration with Zoo Chimps.  That all noted, in theory it would be a wonderful thing if Zoos could rescue Research Chimps and give them forever homes.

How does this relate to Save Our Chimps?  Going under the assumption that Our SFZoo Chimps are being booted out because of group size, and/or not being able to expand group because of current enclosure condition (which we still don't know, because Director Peterson has yet to make any public statement), it is heartbreaking that exploring this idea that would give both groups of Chimps a home, has not been done.

Of course this is all thoughts that swirl in my own mind, but they are based in some facts.

*Our Chimps are set to be kicked out.  There is an AZA guideline for size, is this the factor or just the excuse for Director Peterson's alleged personal agenda?

*Research Chimps in need of a home, live in our City.

*The Zoo could, if it wanted to, build a new exhibit for Our SFZoo Chimps.

*The Zoo could, if it wanted to, inquire about rescuing the UCSF Chimps.

Making sure Our Chimps continue to live out their lives in the only home they have known, all depends on if the San Francisco Zoo wants to Keep Our Chimps.  The current plan in action sadly says No.   If you think the SFZoo should not be able to Kick Out Our Chimps, please be a voice for these Chimps and use the contact information provided on this blog.  Thank you.