Heinrich Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation To Safely Transport Chimps Being Housed At Holloman Air Force Base
WASHINGTON (Feb. 9, 2022) – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) cosponsored bipartisan legislation to ensure all chimpanzees being housed at U.S. Air Force installations, including Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), be safely transported to Chimp Haven—a sanctuary for more than 300 chimpanzees in Louisiana—no later than 180 days after the enactment of the bill.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I have been advocating for a humane and permanent solution for chimpanzees housed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, so they can live out the rest of their lives in a non-laboratory sanctuary environment,” said Heinrich. “Back when I was serving in the House, I called on the NIH to permanently retire the more than 200 chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility who had previously been subjected to biomedical research. We have a moral responsibility to prevent senseless animal cruelty and provide the 34 chimpanzees who remain at Holloman and the numerous other primates housed in similar facilities across the country with a humane living environment and the best possible care for the remainder of their lives.”
In 2019, Senator Heinrich and his colleagues called on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to ensure compliance with the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection (CHIMP) Act and safely transport all remaining surplus chimps being held at the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) on Holloman AFB. At the time the members sent that letter, there were 44 chimps being held at the APF at Holloman AFB. Today, there are only 34 chimps left alive.
The Chimp Sanctuary Act, led by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and John Kennedy (R-La.), would prohibit the housing of chimps at any U.S. Air Force installation.
This legislation is endorsed by Animal Protection New Mexico, Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, American Anti-Vivisection Society, Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, Humane Society International, Animal Protection Voters and Rise for Animals.
A copy of the bill text can be found here.
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