| | | | | NEWS HIGHLIGHTS February 2022 |  Protest Monkey Deaths During Transport Three monkeys were shot following an accident on a Pennsylvania highway involving a trailer of 100 primates destined for use in research. Originating from Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, the monkeys were flown thousands of miles to New York on Kenya Airways and, despite the frigid weather, were reportedly being transported to a quarantine facility in Florida when the accident occurred on January 21. Wooden crates spilled onto the highway, allowing the three monkeys to escape. In another deadly incident, an unknown number of 720 primates who were being transported from Cambodia to a research animal dealer in Houston, Texas, died aboard a charter plane operated by Wamos Air, according to a news report. The dangers associated with transporting monkeys is nothing new. In fact, AAVS documented the extreme conditions primates are forced to endure in our 2011 report “Primates by the Numbers: The Use and Importation of Nonhuman Primates for Research and Testing in the United States.” It documents similar extremely long travel times and the serious suffering primates face during these transports. Although Kenya Airways announced that it would no longer transport primates for research—as many airlines have done, it’s time for Wamos Air, owned in part by the Royal Caribbean cruise company, to make a compassionate choice and do the same! |
|  The latest issue of the AV Magazine is now available online, and it’s free! “Veterinarians: Essential Care, Everywhere” examines lesser known aspects of the veterinary profession, including an interview with a wildlife veterinarian and the status of veterinary education. It also shares insiders’ knowledge about access to veterinary care and the roles of vets working in labs. READ MORE » |  AAVS’s Animalearn division provides an introduction to David Upegui of Central Falls High School, Rhode Island, as its inspiring 2021 Humane Educator of the Year! He was chosen for his commitment to teaching science with a dedicated, humane approach. “We have the capacity, and therefore the responsibility, to teach our students about the natural world…in sustainable ways,” stated Mr. Upegui. READ MORE » |  Xenotransplantation is the insertion of cells, tissue, or organs from an animal into a human or another animal species. Recent media has contributed to sensationalizing xenotransplantation, but an essay by bioethics professor L. Syd M. Johnson explains the ethical implications of this experimental science on both humans and animals. A must read for anyone who cares about animals! READ MORE » | | | |
| | SANCTUARY MOMENT: Chimp Haven |  Gympanzee Helps Crystal Shed Pounds Many of us are guilty of putting on a few pounds, or more, at some point in our lives. So when we heard about Crystal’s great weight loss, we had to congratulate her. Crystal has lost 60 pounds! She is a member of the Gympanzee Scale Club, part of the Wellness Program at Chimp Haven, a longtime recipient of AAVS sanctuary grants and the largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. Chimp Haven’s Gympanzee Program has about 60 members and aims to improve the overall health and fitness of individual chimpanzees by pairing them with personalized trainers to improve mobility, provide physical therapy, and, in Crystal’s case, walking for weight loss. The chimpanzees are also trained to voluntarily step onto in-floor scales, so their weight loss can be monitored. Crystal’s trainer/behavior technician Robyn Gillies says the wellness plan works and has greatly impacted the chimps’ health. “It’s an amazing feeling to see the payoff: the chimps feeling better, with more energy, and a better quality of life,” says Gillies. “I’m so proud of Crystal—she’s crushing it!” VIEW MORE » | | | | | | |
