9781422279106

such as cancer, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS. Because chim- panzees are so genetically similar to humans, researchers believe that studying them can lead to new treatments and cures. While Penny, Ned, and the other residents at Chimp Haven have “retired,” there still are hundreds of chimps being used for research. The tests are often painful and distressing, according to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), part of a worldwide organization that protects the rights of all animals. The procedures include liver biopsies , human virus infections, and “knockdowns,” in which a chimpan- zee is shot with a tranquilizer gun. The chimps live alone in closet-size metal cages. “This type of confinement and isolation,” the Humane Society reports, “can cause severe problems in chimpanzees, such as depression, heightened aggression, frustration, and even self-mutilation.” The HSUS is among many groups and individuals work- ing to completely eliminate or greatly decrease all types of animal testing. They consider such testing to be cruel, painful, immoral, and unethical. Besides chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates, animals used in tests include dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, mice, rats, birds, and frogs.

8