Chimps on a Plane: Research Issues

A news article by the Huffington Post reported on a story in which an importer of monkeys commonly used for research has been charged with animal cruelty after 15 chimpanzees died while being transported to Los Angeles from China.

The Stop Cruelty Now advocacy group has commented that the trial against this importer will "shed light into the secretive world of laboratory animal imports".

The United States is reported to be one of two countries left in the world that use chimpanzees and other monkeys for research purposes. It is also reported to be the country with the highest use of chimpanzees in laboratory research settings.

Some activists are proposing the Great Ape Protection Act, which if passed, will work to halt the use of these creatures in research in the United States.

Reintroduced on April 18th of this year, the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R.1513/S.810) proposes that the use of these animals in research be halted and that chimps currently in federal laboratory research settings be transported to sanctuaries where they are to be cared for in a more natural setting. This legislation aims to extend to chimpanzees as well as all great apes.

Sources:
http://www.globalanimal.org/2012/03/30/risky-business-for-ape-research/70801/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/26/robert-matson-conyers-cruelty-charges_n_1379569.html
http://www.releasechimps.org/mission/change-laws/the-great-ape-protection-act/#axzz1tV8RwRcZ