Retired research chimps to be moved from New Mexico to a Louisiana sanctuary

Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Nearly two dozen retired research chimpanzees will be relocated from New Mexico to a sanctuary in Louisiana. The decision announced Friday by the National Institutes of Health follows a long battle with animal advocates over the fate of the remaining chimps at a facility at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo. The relocation of the animals to Chimp Haven will happen in the coming months. The NIH says staffing issues, namely the retirement of contracted caretakers, prompted the decision. The animals have not been used as test subjects since 2015. The Humane Society of the United States and other groups had argued that the NIH was violating federal law by refusing to move the chimps to the sanctuary sooner.