An international movement to give chimpanzees and other apes legal rights and personhood is gathering pace. Read more (BBC News)

A wild-caught chimpanzee, Hiasl was intercepted about 20 years ago during an illegal attempt to send him to a vivisection lab. He was sent to a sanctuary instead. Now that the sanctuary is facing financial bankruptcy, a British woman named Paula Stibbe is working to prevent his transfer to a zoo. Ms. Stibbe has applied to the court to be named Hiasl’s legal guardian, saying he deserves the same rights as a human. A judge in the Modling district court will decide the case. View the BBC video

The Parliament of the Balearic Islands, one of the Autonomous Communities of Spain, recently announced its approval of a resolution to grant legal rights to great apes. This resolution has also been presented to the Spanish Government. The resolution “recognizes basic legal protections supported by biological and scientific evidence…”  Read more (Great Ape Project)

Nine chimpanzees formerly used in research have arrived at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida.  The new residents transferred from the former Coulston Foundation facilities in New Mexico include 43-year-old Ron, who was featured in the PBS documentary Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History. Read more (Palm Beach Post/savethechimps.org)

Presentation Features Gloria Grow, of PBS’ Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History

March 1, 2007 (Boston, MA) ― Project R&R: Release and Restitution for Chimpanzees in U.S. Laboratories, a national campaign of one of the nation’s oldest animal protection organizations, has chosen Chicago, Illinois as its Midwest stop for its educational tour: In Their Own Words – Stories of Chimpanzees from Research to Sanctuary.

This one night only program will present unique and inspiring stories of chimpanzees rescued from research and brought to sanctuary. Project R&R, a campaign to end the use of chimpanzees in research, will be hosting the program at Chicago’s Cultural Center on March 22nd, 2007 at 7:30 pm.

Gloria Grow, founder and director of the Fauna Foundation and Project R&R Honorary Co-Chair, will present along with former laboratory worker Nancy Megna. Ms. Grow was recently featured on a PBS Nature documentary, Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History.

Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D, executive director of Project R&R notes, “We are eager to bring this program to Chicago - a cultural center on the cutting edge of environmental and animal issues that is also home to several major universities, including the nation’s largest medical school. We hope to inspire students, faculty, legislators, community leaders and the public to question long-held assumptions regarding the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research and testing.”

Project R&R aims to mobilize public support to release an estimated 1,200 chimpanzees into permanent sanctuaries. Most chimpanzees currently in U.S. labs have been there for decades. Some of the oldest were captured as infants in Africa.

A recent survey showed that most Americans are concerned about chimpanzees in research. More than 70% believe that chimpanzees used for more than 10 years should be retired. The U.S. is the only large remaining user of chimpanzees for research. England, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan, and Austria have banned or limited their use.

This special event is free and open to the public. For more information: 1-877-2CHIMPS (224-4677) or releasechimps@neavs.org.

Contact: Karen Smith 617-523-6020
E-mail: ksmith@neavs.org
http://www.releasechimps.org