Chimpanzees are further abused by laboratories that violate the natural reproductive rhythm and mother-child bond.

In the wild, chimpanzees typically give birth once every five years. Young chimpanzees stay with their mothers for years.

In a lab, chimpanzees used as “breeders” typically give birth once a year and their infants are taken. Since they are not nursing, the mother chimpanzees can get pregnant again within the year.

Sometimes newborns are taken from their mothers immediately after birth and raised by humans as part of lab policy or because the mother doesn’t know how to care for them. Mothers in the wild learn child-rearing skills from their mothers and group members. In most labs, even babies that remain with their mothers are artificially “weaned” by one year of age to accustom them to handling.

Naturally protective, chimpanzee mothers suffer anxiety and depression when their babies are taken. Some mothers eventually lose the ability to care for their newborns. Yet, nursery caregivers cannot meet the infants’ needs for constant contact and cradling.

See also:  Maternal Deprivation