Oppose Experiments on New Mexico Chimpanzees

There is an urgent situation in Alamogordo, N. M., that could affect the lives of almost 200 chimpanzees. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to move these animals to the Southwest National Primate Research Facility in San Antonio, Texas,where they will be subjected to painful, invasive experiments.

Watch: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson asks the USDA to investigate the planned transfer of the Alamogordo chimpanzees.

None of these chimpanzees have been used in research since 2001, and because of their advanced age and health many, may not even survive the move to San Antonio. There is tremendous local support for keeping the chimpanzees in Alamogordo. True Blood actress Kristin Bauer has spoken up for the chimpanzees in a letter to NIH. And in July, Gov. Bill Richardson wrote a letter to NIH and he continues to support permanently retiring these chimpanzees.

"This is an urgent situation and I am asking the National Institutes of Health to permanently retire the 202 chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility so that they may not be used for invasive research. New Mexico wants to save these chimpanzees who have already given so much of their lives to the American public as part of medical research studies,” said Gov. Richardson.

Now we need your help—this issue is not just a concern to New Mexico, it is a concern to all of us. NIH is using your tax dollars to move these chimpanzees to a San Antonio research facility that is notorious for animal welfare violations.