After three decades in captivity, a group of 38 chimpanzees who had been abused in painful hepatitis and HIV experiments in an Austrian laboratory were finally released to a sanctuary, where they can spend the rest of their lives in peaceful retirement. A television camera operator captured the awe-inspiring moment when the chimpanzees cautiously stepped out of their enclosures and into daylight for the first time in 30 years, embracing one another to celebrate their newfound freedom.

These chimpanzees have not been used in experiments for more than 10 years, but their future was in limbo when the Austrian safari park where they were living went bankrupt. It was believed that the group would be split up and sent to zoos around Europe. But animal advocates around the world, including PETA and our members and supporters, wrote to the drug company that sent the chimpanzees to the park and implored it to ensure that the chimpanzees would be sent to a sanctuary and not be separated from one another. Thanks to those of you who spoke out, the chimpanzees are now living together happily at an animal sanctuary where they can feel the grass under their feet and the wind on their faces for the first time in decades!

While it's wonderful that these chimpanzees now have a safe haven, chimpanzees in the U.S. continue to be locked up and abused in laboratories, as PETA spelled out in a column in today's issue of the influential D.C. newspaper The Hill. You can help give their story a happy ending, too, by asking your congressional representatives to support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (H.R. 1513/S. 810), which will permanently end invasive experiments on all great apes in the U.S. and retire hundreds of chimpanzees to sanctuaries. Can't wait to see those videos!

Written by Jeff Mackey

Last Labor Day weekend, Buddy and Copper were among the dogs sitting in barren, filthy cages at animal testing hellhole Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS). But this Labor Day weekend, the two friends are rolling in the grass, playing with other dogs, and being loved and petted at Kindness Ranch.

Courtesy Emile Hallez Williams

Kindness Ranch helps animals rescued from laboratories to heal from the torture that they've endured and finds them permanent homes. When recent visitor and PETA pal Dan Hanley met Buddy and Copper, he was inspired to write about them on his website, calling them "complete loves." Even after everything humans have put them through, these two dogs still have lots of love to give.

A PETA undercover investigation of PLRS found that dogs there spent years in cages, being force-fed experimental compounds and infested with worms. Besides the torment of the experiments themselves, laboratory workers screamed and cursed at the dogs, used pressure hoses to spray them with water and harsh chemicals, and dragged them when they would not walk. After PETA released the evidence from the investigation, PLRS shut its doors and surrendered Buddy, Copper, and nearly 250 other animals. Almost a year later, Buddy and Copper are learning to trust. Hanley said that Buddy wiggled right onto his lap, anxious for the love that he was denied for so long. Copper is a bit more reserved, and sudden movements and loud noises frighten him. He slowly makes his way toward new people, still scared but also longing for a kind word or gentle touch. After life in a cage, both dogs love to go for walks and feel soft grass beneath their paws.

By next Labor Day, Buddy's and Copper's lives will probably have changed again. By that time, they will both have homes and families to call their own.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Horrifying photos that were apparently shot inside primate importer and torture-device manufacturer Primate Products, Inc., have recently surfaced. These photos show the consequences of animal experimentation—monkeys whose scalps and skulls have been butchered and crudely stitched up and who suffered from other injuries that appear to be from fighting or self-mutilation. Monkeys often bite at their own limbs and tear out clumps of their own hair because of the trauma of being confined, deprived, and tormented while being used as living test tubes.

Bite Back Magazine has posted all of the images on its website.

PETA's friends at the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking an investigation into whether the photos show violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. We'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, please help cut off the supply of primates to laboratories.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

I’m just going to come out and say this: PETA is offering 1 million dollars (say it in your best Dr. Evil voice) to the first team of scientists that can develop a method to produce commercially viable quantities of in vitro (lab-grown) chicken meat.

The figure was reached by a team of math nerds working in PETA’s basements who have determined that 1 million is actually very close to the number of chickens killed every hour in the United States—so there’s a nice element of symbolism to the offer as well. But symbolism aside—we’re deadly serious about helping to fund developments in this new science, which has the potential to end the suffering of literally billions of animals if a commercially viable lab meat is made available. As PETA President Ingrid Newkirk puts it:

To qualify for the prize, scientists in the field must be able to produce a quantity of meat that is sufficient to market in at least 10 U.S. states at a price that is competitive with prevailing chicken prices.

There’s plenty more information on our contest page. Once you’ve had a look at it, let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from both vegetarians and meat-eaters—would you eat lab meat?

I've been reading a lot of stories in the press lately about these new scientific breakthroughs which could enable meat to be grown from animal cells in labs instead of being removed from real animals in factory farms. Best case scenario is that test tube meat could hit the market in about 10 years, though there needs to be a lot more funding for it than there is at the moment. In addition to being kind of a cool concept, lab meat would obviously be a lot more pleasant for animals, who could be pretty much removed from the whole equation. If it works, I think I could see myself rocking the occasional lab-meat sandwich somewhere down the line, maybe with a little lab barbeque sauce for flavor. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, but in the meantime I definitely hope they get their funding.

Related Links

New York Times
University of Maryland's Press Release