| | | | | NEWS HIGHLIGHTS July 2024 |  Support the Captive Primate Safety Act! Monkeys are wild animals and keeping them as pets is cruel and dangerous. The Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 8164 / S. 4206) was introduced in Congress to help prevent the animal suffering that inevitably comes from this exploitation. This bill would stop people from owning pet monkeys by prohibiting their import, export, sale, breeding, or possession. Although baby monkeys may seem cute and cuddly, they suffer tremendously as victims of the exotic pet trade. Baby monkeys are typically taken from their mothers soon after birth. As they grow, monkeys become stronger and start to act on their natural instincts. As biting becomes a problem, owners will then often restrict them to small cages and have their teeth pulled. Denying monkeys the opportunity to live in natural social groups—especially during the first months and years of their lives—is extremely harmful, causing psychological damage and lifetime scars. A few lucky rescued monkeys will make it to a sanctuary, but all primate sanctuaries are at capacity and have waiting lists of animals from labs, roadside zoos, and the pet trade. Resources are strained, and the best way to end the problem is to stop the flow. The Captive Primate Safety Act would reduce this burden on sanctuaries by prohibiting the pet monkey trade. AAVS proudly supports many primate sanctuaries and the development of good sanctuary practices and certification. With a strong federal law like the Captive Primate Safety Act, we can help animals and the sanctuaries that rescue them. Please help stop the animal suffering and exploitation of monkeys in the exotic pet trade by contacting your legislators today! |
|  This editorial by the leading science journal Nature makes the case for why human-based alternatives are needed to facilitate discovery in developing drug treatments to improve the lives of patients. The FDA needs to do a better job of informing the research community that non-animal data can be used in seeking drug approval, and doing so will result in “more-rigorous” evaluation of new drugs and “more-meaningful results.”
READ MORE » |  USA Today reports that the four patients who received pig organs to replace their diseased organs have all died less than three months after their transplant surgeries. Pigs used in xenotransplantation research have their genomes edited to limit organ rejection, but the science is far from perfect. Despite the failures, researchers seeking to develop animal-sourced organs vow to continue these experimental surgeries.
READ MORE » |  The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has released its updated Handbook for the Use of Animals in Education, and it encourages the use of alternatives instead of animals in teaching anatomy. The hope is to promote effective alternatives and to support animal welfare and ethics. The handbook states that “anatomy education is at a time of rapid and exciting change.” We couldn’t agree more!
READ MORE » | | | |
| | SANCTUARY MOMENT: Chimp Sanctuary Northwest |  Happy 51st Birthday, Negra! Her caretakers at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW) may call her Queen, but Negra clearly enjoys the simple things in life, like taking an afternoon nap on a pile of comfy blankets. Recently, the sanctuary celebrated Her Majesty’s 51st birthday on June 13, the same day she (along with Annie, Burrito, Foxie, Jamie, Jody, and Missy) first arrived at CSNW 16 years ago. Although she now has carefree days, Negra’s start in life was filled with tragedy. As a baby she was stolen from her family in the forests of Africa and spent the majority of her life in biomedical research laboratories, used in hepatitis vaccine research and as a “breeder.” Thanks to the folks at CSNW, Negra’s life the past 16 years has been carefree and filled with the freedom of peace and healing that a sanctuary can best provide. Now the toughest part of her day is searching for her favorite food—peanuts—and deciding which blanket she wants to wrap around herself, unless of course, she’s taking a nap. Lol! A long-time recipient of AAVS sanctuary grants, CSNW does a great job sharing the lives of chimpanzees in their care, so be sure to check them out on social media!
LEARN MORE » | | | | | | |
