Retired Research Chimps Moving to Louisiana Sanctuary

Retired research chimps from New Mexico are moving to Chimp Haven, the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary, in Louisiana.

The National Institutes of Health confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday that 23 chimps from the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico will make the move in the coming months.

The apes have not been used as test subjects since 2015, when the NIH retired chimpanzees from invasive research.

Why Are the Chimps Moving?

Over 200 chimpanzees were previously moved from the New Mexico facility to the Louisiana sanctuary. However, according to the NIH, it was decided in 2019 that some chimps were too frail to be relocated because of their health conditions.

The remaining chimps—aged 34 to 62 years old—were under the care of contracted veterinarians and caregivers. However, when a contractor told the NIH that a significant number were expected to retire by July 2025, the agency decided to move the chimps.

“Recruitment and training of new staff has proven difficult due to the specialized nature of the work and APF’s remote location,” the NIH said. “Given this uncertainty, NIH has determined that the best course of action for the welfare of all these chimpanzees is to relocate them to the federal sanctuary at Chimp Haven.”

Animal Advocates Pressure NIH

The Humane Society of the United States and other groups have petitioned the NIH to relocate the remaining chimps over the years.

“We believe that the extraordinary amount of pressure that has been put on NIH to move them to Chimp Haven — including the engagement of thousands of our supporters who demanded that the chimps be moved and our winning lawsuit — played a major role in the decision to finally move them to sanctuary,” the group said.

In 2021, the Humane Society of the United States—along with Animal Protection New Mexico, the Humane Society Legislative Fund and three individual plaintiffs—sued the NIH.

In 2022, a federal judge in Maryland ruled that NIH could not legally refuse to send the remaining chimps to a sanctuary.

Chimp Haven Celebrates ‘Wonderful News’

Chimp Haven President and CEO Rana Smith said in a statement Friday that the sanctuary is prepared to welcome the chimps’ first arrivals from New Mexico in early 2025.

“There are many details to be determined in the weeks to come, but for now, we celebrate this wonderful news for the APF chimps,” Smith said. “They are on their way to a well-deserved retirement at sanctuary, and we cannot wait to welcome them home.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.