Release Wenka and the Elder Chimpanzees

  • by: Project R&R
  • recipient: Elias Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health
Wenka is a frail 52-year-old chimpanzee, held at the Yerkes Primate Research Center, who deserves the comfort of sanctuary before she dies. Project R&R needs your immediate help to secure Wenka’s release along with 18 other chimpanzees born in the 1950s who are still held at labs around the country. Their time is running out.
We respectfully urge you to release the Elder chimpanzees listed below to a sanctuary that provides permanent protection from future research and meets the highest standards of care.

Many of these chimpanzees have endured being taken away from family and friends during the course of their lives in laboratories. So as not to further disrupt or traumatize these individuals, we also request that you release at least one other family member or friend with each of the Elders.

The list of Elders below includes chimpanzees who have been in a laboratory for 40 or even 50 or more years. Yet, 71% of the American public agree that chimpanzees who have been in a lab for 10 years or more should be retired. For these Elders, retirement is long overdue. Please immediately release these chimpanzees before it is too late for another single one of them. (Elders who have already died: Gwen, age 54, released Oct. 2006, died Nov. 2006; Susie, age 52, now deceased. Harriet, age 49, not released, euthanized Dec. 2006; Jenda, age 48, not released, now deceased; Reba, age 48, not released, now deceased; Jake, age 48, not released, now deceased.)

The Chimpanzee Elders (and labs where they are held)

Wenka - age 52 (Yerkes)
Cheeta - age 49 (Yerkes)
Flo - age 49 (Alamogordo)
Lulu - age 49 (Yerkes)
Maxine - age 49 (Yerkes)
Karen - age 48 (New Iberia)
Guy - age 47 (Alamogordo)
Boka - age 47 (Yerkes)
Billy Ray - age 47 (New Iberia)
Clay - age 46 (New Iberia)
Diana - age 46 (New Iberia)
Jan - age 46 (New Iberia)
Julius - age 46 (New Iberia)
Lady Bird - age 46 (New Iberia)
Martha - age 46 (Yerkes)
Mary - age 46 (Yerkes)
Pumpkin - age 46 (New Iberia)
Sandy - age 46 (New Iberia)
Walter B. - age 46 (New Iberia)
Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.