The Centre for Captive Chimpanzee Care rescues Coulston Chimpanzees

by Tony Smith
Spring 2004 newsletter

In September 2002, Carole Noon and The Centre for Captive Chimpanzee Care (CCCC) purchased the financially ruined Coulston Foundation 's research facility and assumed the care and responsibility of the 266 chimpanzees and 61 monkeys confined at Coulston's Alamogordo, New Mexico facility.

Boy in his cell at the Coulston Foundation

This landmark development, considered as possibly the largest single effort on behalf of captive chimpanzees, had bought an end to Frederick Coulston's sick obsession of obtaining control of the vast majority of captive chimpanzees held for research purposes in North America. The Coulston Foundation 's controversial research laboratories are finally closed down after years of negligent and inhumane treatment f the chimpanzees in their care.

CCCC, located in Florida, was founded by primatologist Carole Noon and is currently home to 25 chimpanzees. Their goal is to create a sanctuary for the permanent, lifetime care of chimpanzees retired from both research laboratories and those that have been abandoned by people no longer able to pr vide adequate care.

The first group of chimpanzees to arrive, in 2001, at CCCC was comprised of thirteen females and eight males ranging in age from six to forty and consisting of some descendants of America's space program. Their release was the result of a long hard-fought battle by the CCCC, led by Carole Noon, Jane Goodall, Roger Fouts and the Doris Day Animal League, to retire the Air Force chimpanzees from the notorious Coulston Foundation 's New Mexico-based research laboratory. Following a decision by the United States Air Force, in 1998, awarding custody of 111 chimpanzees to the Coulston Foundation, CCCC challenged this inhumane decision in court and the lawsuit was settled in 2001 with the release of 21 chimpanzees to the Centre.

The 142 chimpanzees in question, housed at the Holloman Air Force base in New Mexico, were the subject of a controversial decision by the United States Congress that had issued a mandate instructing the Air Force to award the chimpanzees to an organisation that would best provide for their welfare. Despite this mandate 111 chimpanzees were awarded to the Coulston Foundation, already under investigation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USDA) for several violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

The remaining 31 chimpanzees were awarded to Primarily Primates, a reputable sanctuary run by Wally Swett located in Texas.

These chimpanzees were the survivors and descendants of America's space program. Originally used to test the safety of the Mercury capsules prior to manned flights, the chimpanzees were leased to research laboratories once they were no longer needed by the U.S. Air Force. The Coulston Foundation (TCF), teetering n the brink of bankruptcy and under pressure from various animal rights groups, had been seeking a buyer for their research facilities. In the spring of 2002, unable to make payroll payments, TCF had contacted CCCC in an apparent effort to avert bankruptcy.

Following this, CCCC made an offer to purchase the Coulston Foundation's buildings and equipment based on the condition that ownership and subsequent care of all the chimpanzees and monkeys incarcerated at their Lavalee Road facility would be handed over to CCCC.

This offer to purchase would not have been possible without the support of The Arcus
Foundation who stepped in and offered an unprecedented grant of $3.7 million to support Carole Noon's dedication and determination to help the Coulston chimpanzees and monkeys. Fortunately, The Arcus Foundation recognises society's responsibility for these individuals who were used by science then callously discarded by the federal government and academic institutions. Furthermore, their commitment includes a dollar for dollar matching grant for operational support throughout the year 2003.

The Animal Rights Foundation f Florida, Doris Day Animal League, Friends of Washoe, In Defense of Animals and New England Anti-Vivisection Society also provided help and made financial donations to further support this cause.

It is important to note that the chimpanzees who have been rescued from the Coulston Foundation include not only some of the survivors and descendants of chimpanzees used in the U.S. space program, but also many chimpanzees unceremoniously dumped by the National Institutes of Health, New York University and New Mexico State University and subsequently acquired by Frederick Coulston, founder of TCF, for research purposes.

The Coulston Foundation's primate research laboratory has struggled to survive over the past years and has a long history of abuse and negligence for the primates under its care.

They have been investigated at least seven times and formally charged an unprecedented four times by the USDA for violation f the federal Animal Welfare Act. The charges included the negligent deaths of ten chimpanzees and four monkeys. We should not forget Donna, a 36-year-old former Air Force chimpanzee who died from a massive infection and ruptured uterus after carrying a large dead fetus in her womb for weeks, as well as Robert, James and Raymond, who literally cooked to death when a malfunctioning heater sent the temperature in their cage soaring to 150 degrees. TCF was also facing possible disqualification by the USDA for widespread and repeated laboratory practice violations. In 2001, after repeated inspections, the USDA warned TCF that it would not accept any study results from its lab while the violations continued.

In August 1999, TCF had settled a three-year accumulation of Animal Welfare Act charges by agreeing to divest the foundation of 300 chimps by January 2002. Fortunately, there were no takers for the chimpanzees within the research community.

Over the years, TCF had been the recipient of substantial amounts of federal funding from the United States federal agency: The National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH had continued to provide funding to TCF despite mounting pressure from animal rights groups regarding their dismal record of violating federal law.

Finally, in 2001, NIH dealt a serious blow to TCF by making the decision to discontinue all financial support to them. Prior to this TCF had managed to survive based on receiving approximately two-thirds of its annual income from the federal agency.

In December 2001, Coulston's major creditor, First National Bank of Alamogordo, filed foreclosure papers for over $1.1 million in outstanding loans. This move was another serious financial blow to TCF putting them on the verge of bankruptcy and compounding financial problems brought about by their increasing inability to attract private clients due to the USDA sanctions and coupled with their loss of major source of funding, namely, NIH funding for research programs.

The NIH had baled out TCF, temporarily, in May 2000 by reclaiming title to 288 chimpanzees and taking over the $2.5 million per annum responsibility of feeding and caring for the chimpanzees, after having paid TCF in excess of $10 million to feed and house them during the preceding seven years.

These remaining 288 chimpanzees are currently owned by the NIH and will be retired to Chimp Haven's 200-acre site currently under construction in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. Current plans are for Chimp Haven to receive the first 200 chimpanzees in early 2004, with the rest to follow at a later date. Chimp Haven, founded by Linda Brent, was incorporated in Texas in 1995 to provide sanctuary for the increasing numbers of chimpanzees no longer needed in biomedical research and unwanted as entertainers or as pets.

Chimp Haven has contracted with the NIH, under the CHIMP (Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by former U.S. President Bill Clinton just before he left office, to take care of 300 chimpanzees currently under control of the NIH.

Under the terms of the CHIMP act, Chimp Haven could be obliged by the NIH to return some of these chimpanzees to research if the NIH ever deems this necessary. This condition had caused most sanctuary organisations in the United States to reject the opportunity to bid on the NIH contract. TCF is now history and despite the existing drab conditions at the Lavalee road facility Carole Noon and the CCCC continue to do what they can to provide the chimpanzees with a secure and enriching environment.

The chimpanzees are now receiving fresh fruit daily along with a variety of vegetables that has replaced their previous daily regimen of Monkey chow. They are provided with toys for enrichment and blankets and hammocks to sleep in.

A window - And A Milestone
by Carole Noon, Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care

Chimpanzees Boy and Clay experienced a literal breakthrough on March 25, 2003 after a work crew cut a wind w in the concrete wall between their cages. I had the great pleasure of wielding the sledgehammer to remove the last piece f concrete. Living in adjacent cages for more years than we will ever know, Boy and Clay had never seen each other because they were separated by the solid wall. Now a wire mesh window allows them to see and interact with one another for the first time. The staff and I saved pieces of the concrete to commemorate the watershed event in the chimps' socialization, which made my heart sing.

Boy & Clay months after the takeover by Carole Noon

Currently, Carole Noon's plans are to move all the former TCF chimpanzees from New Mexico to CCCC 's existing sanctuary in Florida. However due to financial constraints this important task could take between 5 to 10 years to accomplish and would include construction of another eight or nine islands in addition to the one already there. A medical facility, museum and education centre are also included in their future plans.

The sanctuary will not be open to the general public for visits. However, CCCC plans to have non-invasive video cameras in the habitats and to provide the opportunity for students of zoology, psychology, anthropology, and other related fields t observe the chimpanzees.

The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR), a sanctuary close to San Antonio, Texas, has accepted responsibility for the care of the 61 monkeys, all Macaques, based at the ex-TCF facility.

Funded by Lynn Cuny in 1977, WRR is a non-profit organization with the purpose of providing rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned, injured and displaced wildlife and giving permanent care in large natural habitats to indigenous and non-indigenous wildlife, as well as wild animals who, due to severe injuries, have been deemed non-releasable. On average WRR rescues annually over 7000 wild birds, mammals, and reptiles. Fortunately most of these are returned to the wild. For those who can never go back but who can live comfortably in captivity WRR provides large environmentally rich, permanent enclosures at their sanctuary.

To date, some of the 61 macaques have been moved to WRR and future plans are to move the remainder after creation f enclosures for their housing. WRR Executive Director Lynn Cuny is hoping to raise the necessary funds to house the 61 macaques. This will require an amount in excess of $250,000 just to build their enclosures.

Many thanks to Carole Noon and all at CCCC, The Arcus Foundation, Lynn Cuny and all at WRR, NEAVS, The Doris Day Animal League and all other organizations and people that have made it possible for this to happen.