Chimpanzees Suffer Psychologically Like Humans

Dear NEAVS Board, Project R&R Advisory Board, Friends and Supporters:

I wanted to let you know about the press release which went out nationwide yesterday regarding NEAVS/Project R&R’s latest paper, Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees: http://www.releasechimps.org/2009/09/09/chimpanzees-suffer-psychologically-like-humans/.

I co-authored this study along with psychologist G.A. Bradshaw, Ph.D., Ph.D., Lorin Lindner, Ph.D., NEAVS vice president, and Gloria Grow, Fauna sanctuary director and Project R&R co-chair. Published in the September issue, Vol 45(5), of the American Psychological Association journal Developmental Psychology, the paper examines the case histories of Billy Jo, Tom, and Regis – all of whom, as you know, were used in research before being rescued into sanctuary by Fauna. The paper underscores the ethical implications of cross-fostering nonhuman primates and their use in research.

Along with our previous psychology paper, Building an Inner Sanctuary: Complex PTSD in Chimpanzees, published in the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 9(1), 9-34, this study provides clear evidence of how cruel and indefensible laboratory confinement and use is and how it leads to severe and lasting emotional trauma – documentation that is critical in our case to lawmakers and the public.

Post-Trauma Self Repair is our latest installment to our growing body of work that challenges the science, ethics, and economics that surround the use of chimpanzees in research. Currently we are working on an economic paper as well as one on their use in hepatitis research – the main area in which researchers continue to try to justify the use of chimpanzees. For the sake of your time, I have attached an abstract of the current paper.

I thank each of you for your invaluable contributions to our work, and for helping us hasten the day when all chimpanzees have been released from U.S. laboratories into sanctuary. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D.

President
New England Anti-Vivisection Society
Project R&R: Release and Restitution for Chimpanzees in U.S. Laboratories

BOSTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A recent study documents the severe emotional trauma chimpanzees suffer as a result of laboratory use and confinement. “Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees” was published in the September issue, Vol. 45 (5), of the American Psychological Association journal Developmental Psychology.

Psychologists G.A. Bradshaw, Ph.D., Ph.D., Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D., Lorin Lindner, Ph.D., and Gloria Grow, Fauna sanctuary director, examined the case histories of three chimpanzees -- Billy Jo, Tom, and Regis -- all used in research before rescue into sanctuary. The study underscores the ethical implications of cross-fostering nonhuman primates and their use in research.

Says Dr. Capaldo, president of the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS)/Project R&R: “A federal bill to end the use of chimpanzees in research (the Great Ape Protection Act, H.R. 1326) has been introduced. Studies like ours expose the reality of what it is like for approximately 1000 chimpanzees languishing in U.S. labs. Chimpanzee research must stop if we are to end the suffering caused by decisions -- both scientifically flawed and ethically unjustifiable -- to use them as living test tubes.”

Billy Jo lived like a human child from infancy to his teenage years when he was sent to a lab. He spent his next fourteen years alone in a 5’X5’X7’ cage, enduring hundreds of procedures. He was rescued into sanctuary at age 29 and died only 8 years later.

Tom’s family was killed in order to capture him in Africa. He spent decades in three different labs undergoing multiple procedures including 369 “knockdowns” -- anesthesia by dart gun. Every morning, Tom gags uncontrollably -- the result of repeated intubations.

Regis, born in a lab, was only 2 years old when he was treated for his first stress-related injury -- he had chewed his finger nail completely off. Regis, fearful if left alone, suffers severe anxiety attacks in which he nearly stops breathing.

The chimpanzees’ symptoms are consistent with traumatic stress, depression, and other psychological conditions. “Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees” follows “Building an Inner Sanctuary: Complex PTSD in Chimpanzees” (published April 2008 in the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation), which represented the first time human psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses were applied to chimpanzees, demonstrating that psychological suffering crosses species lines. Together, the papers provide irrefutable arguments to the growing ethical imperative to end the use of chimpanzees in U.S. research.

CONTACT: Karen Smith, NEAVS, 617-523-6020, 617-413-0611, ksmith@neavs.org

Paper Summary

Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees

Bradshaw, G.A., Capaldo, T., Lindner, L., & Grow, G. (2009)Developmental Context Effects on Bicultural Post-Trauma Self Repair in Chimpanzees. Developmental Psychology, Vol. 45(5), 1376-1388

To examine, through clinical case studies, post-trauma self-repair of chimpanzees who now reside in sanctuary. Each of the chimpanzees -- Tom, Regis and Billy -- represented one of three developmental histories: born and reared for some time in the wild by his biological mother (Tom); born and reared in a lab in a peer group without adult chimpanzees (Regis); and reared by humans as a human (Billy). All were subsequently used as biomedical subjects.

Conclusions:

• Chimpanzees subjected to laboratory confinement and biomedical research and testing exhibit trauma-induced psychological symptoms.

• Cross-fostered chimpanzees also contend with an identity crisis and the enhanced vulnerability and compounded trauma this presents.

• Cross-fostered chimpanzees show symptoms of identity confusion and attachment disorder peculiar to their early developmental history:
- compromised ability to socialize with other chimpanzees;
- dominant behavioral traits reflective of human culture;
- a preference to socialize with humans rather than other chimpanzees; and
- symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of depression

• The study raises serious ethical implications for the practice of cross-fostering chimpanzees and for their use in laboratory research.

Fauna Foundation Chimpaznees on National Geograhic

CHIMPS ON THE EDGE - Tuesday September 26 6P - US channel - Featuring a segment regarding the many chimpanzee’s retired or transferred from New York University's LEMSIP laboratory.

Chimpanzees. They're our closest genetic relatives, with DNA over 98% the same as ours. Chimpanzees can learn from those around them in ways many other animals can't -- and when they're captive, they become even more human-like. But is a new form of chimp evolving in captivity?

Read more:http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/4090/Overview#ixzz0Rmt1uJNs

Check in your area for local listings.

Titus the Gorilla King is Dead

Daniel Howden in Rwanda mourns David Attenborough's silverback, who changed the way the world sees great apes

by Daniel Howden

Before the king's burial, his subjects take their time to clean his body. It is not a ritual that should be lightly interfered with and, as the mighty, fallen monarch receives his last ablutions, medical personnel are keeping a respectuful distance.
Titus, the most studied and photographed ape in history, has died.
The king was a gorilla called Titus. Although he had been deposed by his son, death seemed to have restored him to his full glory. The mighty silverback was once the dominant head of a tight-knit group of the great apes whose kingdom was on the eastern slopes of the Karisoke volcano in Rwanda's border lands, and a vital figure in the battle for the survival of the species.
Rosette Rugamba, head of tourism and national parks in Rwanda, said: "The other gorillas are mourning. They are cleaning him. You have to be very careful. You can't just remove the body." The Rwanda national parks office said the 450lb, 35-year-old gorilla had "succumbed to old age" after a short illness.
Officials described Titus as "possibly the most remarkable gorilla ever known", referring to his rise to dominance of he largest known group of gorillas in the world. And Sir David Attenborough, the naturalist who was famously upstaged by Titus when the gorilla, then five, climbed on his back, said yesterday he was sorry that Titus should have died when he was still "quite young". He added: "He was a charming little animal. Certainly, it was very memorable and I haven't been allowed to forget it."
Titus was given his name by the great US primatologist Dian Fossey, who came to the Mikeno chain of volcanoes in the 1970s to conduct a census of the great apes. Over two decades in Rwanda, she followed a group led by a male she had named "Uncle Bert" after a relative.
In 1974, Fossey gave one of Bert's offspring the name Titus. Ten years later, the primatologist was murdered in her Rwandan forest cabin, possibly because of her work opposing the exploitation of the animals. She was buried at the Karisoke Research Centre, which continues that work. In the years that followed, Titus became possibly the most photographed and studied gorilla in history.
One of the first of a generation of apes whose lives have been documented since birth, Titus left a remarkable record that has demonstrated how far human understanding of gorilla behaviour has come. For Titus, fame first came with his part in the film of Fossey's life, Gorillas In The Mist and latterly as the star of a recent BBC documentary The Gorilla King.
Ian Redmond, who worked with Fossey and later with Sigourney Weaver, who played her in the biopic, remembered his first meeting with the ape when the latter film was released last year. "Titus is special to me because he's the first gorilla I ever saw," he said. "As I approached this thicket, I saw this little black furry thing which was Titus being chased by his brother. It was like joining a family picnic - it was quite something."
But upon his birth in August 1974, Titus was initially thought to be an underdeveloped baby with little chance of survival. The environment gave little cause for optimism. His uncle Digit, who was Fossey's favourite gorilla, was killed by poachers in 1978, and had his head and hands hacked off; gorillas were often killed for the ornamental value of their skulls and paws. The same poachers later returned to slaughter Titus's father, Bert.
When Titus met Attenborough at the age of five, he was effectively an orphan, in a group with no silverback. But he survived. And later, after several years in a bachelor group, Titus eventually ascended to lead a mixed clan known as the "Beetsme" group, named for a former dominant male. Titus is thought to have sired more offspring than any other gorilla recorded. He is also credited with guiding his group out of danger during Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
Titus led the Beetsme group for 15 years. But gradually - in a tale of filial ambition worthy of Shakespeare - Titus's son, Kuryama, usurped him at the head of the group. Eventually, Titus accepted it. But he retained his affectionate entourage, who continued to groom him as he followed in his son's wake.
Now tourists will pay $500 for permits to see the great apes, Kuryama's leadership is likely to be a different era. Before Fossey's arrival in the region, though, the gorilla population was on course for extinction. The population of mountain gorillas is still endangered, but it has now stabilised. It was the battle for their survival that may have eventually claimed Fossey's life. Her murder has never been solved, but nor has her legacy expired, a legacy Titus lived out, and which, it is hoped, his tenuously surviving clan will continue to prove.
Although officials have refused to confirm the arrangements, it is likely that Titus will also be laid to rest at Karisoke, near the woman who gave him his name.

World Peace Day from Jane Goodall

Today is Roots &am p; Shoots International Day of Peace.

On this day last year almost 200 Giant Peace Doves flew on six continents, in 35 countries in more than 100 cities around the world. This year there are Roots & Shoots International Day of Peace celebrations planned in cities across the globe, including a variety of events in the United States and Canada.

Find Roots & Shoots International Day of Peace events in your area.

If you can’t attend a Peace Day event, consider one of the following ways to get involved:

Plan a project or celebration to promote peace initiatives.

· Gather a group of family and friends and write down personal pledges to do your part to make the world more peaceful this year. Save the pledges and plan to meet next year to talk about your progress and renew your pledges.
· Organize and lead a nature appreciation walk to educate your community, friends and family about local flora and fauna.
· Visit our website at www.rootsandshoots.org to find out about other projects that promote peace.
· Plan your own Peace Day event—a parade, a school gathering or a dramatic or musical performance.

Share your projects and Peace Day plans with the world.

· Invite your classmates, friends and family to take part in your project or Peace Day celebration. Post news about your project or celebration in a public location at your school or meeting place. Write to your local newspapers and television stations and tell them about your ongoing peace projects or your successful Peace Day event. Don’t forget to keep us in the loop, too, by emailing us at roots-shoots@janegoodall.org.

Make and fly a Giant Peace Dove

· For instructions in how to make one of these amazing recycled-art creations, please see the puppet instructions located on the Roots & Shoots website. Send photos of your Dove to peacedoves@janegoodall.org for inclusion in the 2009 Roots & Shoots International Day of Peace Book. Celebrate and report your successes!· Reflect and embrace your peace-building accomplishments. Submit a project report at www.rootsandshoots.org. Thank you so much for participating in Peace Day! Sincerely, Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

Celebrate and report your successes!

Reflect and embrace your peace-building accomplishments. Submit a project report at www.rootsandshoots.org.

Thank you so much for participating in Peace Day!

Sincerely,

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

12th anniversary/ 12ième anniversaire

September 11th marks the 12th year anniversary
of the first group of chimpanzees to arrive at fauna.

Binky, Rachel, Regis, Jethro, Chance, Annie and/et Petra

Le 11 septembre marque le 12ième anniversaire de l'arrivée du premier
groupe de chimpanzés à Fauna.

Project R&R e-Buzz

September/October 2009

Pepper, in sanctuary, enjoying a tomato. Photo © Fauna

Full effort is full victory.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you for volunteering!

Your efforts WILL help pass the Great Ape Protection Act (H.R. 1326) which has more than 60 cosponsors already! THANK YOU for keeping the momentum going by meeting the goals below - sure ways to let Representatives know that their constituents are behind the bill. We've got a big country to cover and we're counting on every volunteer to make sure all areas have a voice in our national campaign to END CHIMPANZEE RESEARCH!

September/October Goals

• Rev up the Reps: When the House of Representatives returns in early September, we are asking our GAPA volunteers to:
» Call your representative between September 14th - 18th and ask them to support H.R. 1326 by becoming a cosponsor or thank them if they are already on board. To view a current list of cosponsors click here.
» Ask at least three other of your Rep's constituents (e.g. friends, family, neighbors) in your area to do the same.
» Finally, please email us to let us know you have made your call. This way, we can make sure all regions are covered!
• PSA Push: Help us get the word out by getting our Public Service Announcement (PSA) aired. Radio broadcasts reach thousands and is an effective way to educate your community about the plight of chimpanzees in research. Submit our PSA copy to your favorite local and college radio stations. Let them know we have a prerecorded version if they prefer. Many stations have online forms or contact the station to find out what they need.

• World Animal Day Outreach: October 4th is World Animal Day. On or near this date, download our Tom ad, print it, and hang it in high-traffic areas, such as your local coffee shop, book store, etc. The ad will help drive folks to our website where they can learn about chimpanzees, legislation and how to get active.
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Related News

NEAVS Compassionate Living Raffle

Get your tickets today!

The raffle proceeds will support our work to end animal testing; encourage consumers to buy cruelty-free; and advance our federal policy work to compel the U.S. government to mandate validated alternative testing.
Tickets: $1 each or $10 per book of 10
Drawing date: October 2, 2009
Help us reach our 2009 fundraising goals: Order extra tickets to sell to friends and family! Thank you in advance for your help... and good luck!

»» Enter raffle ««

ENGRAVED:
Living happily cruelty-free! Grand Prize: iPod touch

Win one of the hottest products on the market! With the iPod touch you can listen to music, watch videos and download free applications (exclusive to iTunes users) – including our Compassionate Shopping Guide. The iPod touch makes it easy to shop for information on over 250 companies, quickly finding the Leaping Bunny* certification that guarantees they are 100% free of animal testing.

First Prize: Cruelty-Free Gift Basket

An assortment of health and beauty products including boutique soaps, lotion, and shampoo – all Leaping Bunny approved. The basket is topped off with delicious, vegan Endangered Species dark chocolates.

*NEAVS is proud to be a founding member of the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, which administers the Leaping Bunny program.
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Fall reminder: If you are a federal employee, please sign up this fall to support NEAVS/Project R&R through the annual Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): Release Chimpanzees, CFC # 11655. We thank all of our CFC donors for their ongoing generosity!

Volunteers in Action

A big “thank you!” this month goes to:

» Laura H., Chicago, IL - is running her second marathon to raise awareness of the Great Ape Protection Act and the plight of chimpanzees. Please help spread the word and show her your support by visiting her fundraising page and making a donation. We're rooting for you, Laura!!

» Ashlie J., Pepperell, MA - chose the Great Ape Protection Act as her topic in her college persuasive speech class. She was overwhelmed by the positive feedback - classmates signed postcards and took information to pass on to family and friends! Ashlie has been inspired by reading how other volunteers are working hard across the country :) and now plans to table at her local farmers market to help spread the word in her community.

» Barbara S., Selbyville, DE - placed our colorful and informative bookmarks at her local library, a fantastic way to get folks to understand the issue and get active. If you would like to follow Barbara's lead, email us and we'll send you bookmarks to distribute at your local library and bookstores too!
» Vicki R., San Diego, CA - has distributed over 100 legislative postcards to date in her area and is now handing out postcards and bookmarks at bookstores as well! The more postcards legislators receive from their constituents, the more inspired they will be to support the bill. As mentioned above, September is a key time to get representatives onboard! Email us for your postcards today.

» Our volunteers at the Taking Action for Animals conference in Washington, DC, on July 25-26: Kristine B., Bree V., Mary S., Amy M., Alexandra W., and Ellie G.S. did a great job staffing our NEAVS/Project R&R table and collecting signatures for legislator postcards from hundreds of conference attendees from across the country.

» Michele M., Stratford, CT - is actively distributing GAPA pins. The pin's image of Tom - our chimpanzee ambassador - is engaging and poignant, and helps create interest and dialogue. If you would like pins to distribute, email us and we'll send you a packet for your area.
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Finally, thank you to Nancy M. and Lisa B., who will be volunteering again to run our Project R&R table at the NY Capital Region Vegetarian Expo, September 19th in Saratoga Springs, NY! If you are planning on attending, please stop by the NEAVS/Project R&R table and say hello - we'll have postcards, pins and other campaign items.

"A healthy lifestyle is the first good order of healthy medicine"

Dr. Theo Capaldo, NEAVS president, will be one of the many nationally recognized speakers presenting at the Expo. The annual event promotes the benefits of green, sustainable living, animal advocacy, and healthy lifestyles. Visit www.nyvegetarianexpo.org for more information.

We want to share YOUR volunteer activities and stories with others. Let's keep everyone active and involved.

Please email us and let us know how your outreach is going!


Don't forget: you can order as many Legislator and It's Time (to contact the labs on behalf of the Elders) postcards as needed! (Your donation to help with printing and postage is appreciated.) We also have bookmarks, buttons, and other items that help spread the word.
Keep an eye out for Project R&R eAlerts, which will give you up-to-the-minute information on the Great Ape Protection Act, H.R. 1326.

Thank you for all your good work!

- Watch for our next eBuzz in early November -

Jane's new book

We thought you’d want to know that Dr. Jane Goodall’s new book is on the shelves!

Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink is that rare thing—a good news environmental book. It offers success stories about the often superhuman efforts of conservationists determined to save species from disappearing. Read this book and you may find yourself inspired by the fascinating people and projects related by Jane and her co-authors Thane Maynard and Gail Hudson.

Jane interweaves her own experiences with animals in the book—she’s witnessed many species recovery projects during her world travels—with the compelling research of premier scientists. The book describes amazing species both obscure and familiar, like:

• The pygmy hog — the world’s tiniest pig, no more than 1 foot high
• The American burying beetle — an insect species in which mother and father care for their young together
• The bactrian camel — a wild species reduced to 4 fragmented populations in China and Mongolia
• The always popular giant panda

Most importantly, Hope for Animals and Their World is a passionate call to action, at a time when animals and their habitats are facing rapidly growing threats. It's an inspirational message regarding the future of human coexistence with other animals.

“Goodall is no Pollyanna about species reclamation—she acknowledges that there have been more losses than gains,” says Publishers Weekly, “but these accounts of conservation success are inspirational.”

Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink is available now. Click here to get your copy.

Thank you so much for being a part of the Jane Goodall Institute's online community.

Sincerely,

PS: Please also visit the Hope for Animals and Their World website.