Retiring Chimps

The National Institutes of Health is retiring 110 research chimpanzees. The chimps were housed at a research center in Louisiana that activists have accused of abusing animals. Earlier this year, NIH asked the Institute of Medicine to do a study. Researchers found most invasive research on chimps was scientifically unnecessary. Nature magazine reported some of these NIH animals will go to Chimp Haven, a federally-funded sanctuary in Louisiana. The rest will go to a San Antonio institute where they can be observed for behavioral studies. NIH will still use about 300 chimps for invasive research of new medical therapies.