Rescued Animals Benefit from Special Gifts this Season

December 19, 2008

Jenkintown, PA⎯The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) is getting into the spirit of the holiday season by awarding over $60,000 in grants to care for rescued animals.  

The national organization, which is headquartered in Montgomery County, is donating holiday gifts ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 to sanctuaries across the U.S. that provide haven for animals released from research facilities.

AAVS  is the first animal-protection organization in the U.S. dedicated to ending the use of animals in science.  This commitment to animal protection is also furthered by providing direct assistance to animals formerly used in research.

Among the animals who will benefit from these holiday gifts are seven chimpanzees who spent most of their lives in a facility in Bucks County, Pa. and were used primarily in medical research. The chimpanzees, who spent years housed in stark cages in a windowless basement, now live at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Washington state, where they enjoy fresh air and sunshine in their new indoor/outdoor home. Once deprived of almost any mental stimulation, the chimpanzees can now play with each other and a wide array of toys, as well as interact happily with their human caregivers.  
       
Foxie, a female chimpanzee who had been used as a breeder, with all her babies taken away, has adopted a troll doll “baby” that she carries everywhere she goes, grooming it and holding it close to her chest.        
       
Those interested in helping animals like these that have been rescued from labs and similar facilities can make dedicated gifts to AAVS’s Tina Nelson Sanctuary Fund.  One hundred percent of the money in this fund goes directly to help animals at sanctuaries that adhere to high standards of animal care.

Particularly at this time of year, says AAVS President Sue Leary, “We caution donors whose kind hearts may be exploited by outfits that call themselves sanctuaries when they are not.” Before donating to a sanctuary, she suggests, people should check to make sure the animals in its care are prohibited from breeding, which only exacerbates the problem; that they are not commercially traded (bought or sold); and that they are cared for properly.

Among the sanctuaries receiving AAVS grants this month are two other sanctuaries that care for monkeys, who are widely used in invasive research but are occasionally released after experiments that might include implanting hardware in their skulls for neurology experiments.  Both Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary in Oklahoma and Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary in Florida care for some real hard-luck cases, such as monkeys who have had coils surgically implanted in their eyes to record eye movement.

One sanctuary in Chester County, Pa.—Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines, in South Coventry Township—is among the grant recipients. Ryerss Farm cares for over 80 horses, including several who were once used in pharmaceutical production.  

“Animals used in research are often inflicted with disease, trauma, or harmful chemicals causing great suffering,” said Tracie Letterman, Executive Director of AAVS. “It’s gratifying to know that we can play a part in rescuing animals from research, and help provide a home where they can live out the rest of their lives free from harm.”  

The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) is the first non-profit animal advocacy and educational organization in the United States dedicated to ending experiments on animals in research, testing, and education. Founded in Philadelphia in 1883, AAVS pursues its objectives through legal and effective advocacy, education, and support of the development of non-animal alternative methods.  

The Tina Nelson Sanctuary Fund is a special gift program of AAVS.  Established in 2005, it honors the memory of a former Executive Director who greatly enjoyed working with sanctuaries. Tina Nelson died at the age of 48.