NEWS - ENEMIES OF CHIMPANZEES THROWN OUT OF BIASED COMMITTEE!

Enemies of Chimpanzees Thrown Out of Biased Committee!

Posted By: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

To: Members in 429 Causes

Enemies of Chimpanzees Thrown Out of Biased Committee! Dear Friend, I want to share an exciting development in PETA's continuing effort to end the exploitation of chimpanzees and other great apes in experiments. Last year, the American public vehemently opposed—and ultimately prompted the cancellation of—the transfer of nearly 200 retired chimpanzees back to a laboratory where they would be imprisoned in small cells and abused in infectious-disease experiments. As a result, the federal government commissioned the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study to determine whether the U.S. should continue to allow invasive experiments on chimpanzees. The U.S. bears the shameful distinction of being the only nation in the industrialized world to do so. In spring of 2011, the committee members were announced. Instead of giving chimpanzees a fair shake, the IOM heavily stacked its 15-member review committee with animal experimenters and people from institutions that have openly lobbied against federal legislation to end chimpanzee experimentation. PETA immediately wrote to the IOM protesting the biased committee, calling for it to be disbanded. I am delighted to report to you that after hearing from us, the IOM removed three committee members to whom we objected, one of whom works for a pharmaceutical company that experiments on chimpanzees, and two others—including the committee chair—whose institutions directly lobbied against protections for great apes. While the removal of these individuals from the committee bodes well for chimpanzees, these intelligent and sensitive animals still need your help! Please help keep them out of laboratories. Click here to let your senators and representatives know that you support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would ban invasive experiments on chimpanzees and other great apes once and for all. Thank you for all that you do for animals. Very truly yours, Kathy Guillermo Vice President Laboratory Investigations Department People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals P.S. For the best way to stay on top of urgent alerts and help animals, join PETA's Action Team today!