Many have followed the plight of 186 chimpanzees on-hold from experimentation at Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) wanted to transfer them to a Texas research laboratory to resume invasive procedures, But on January 4, 2010, the Alamogordo chimps were granted a reprieve when NIH decided to freeze their transfer to Southwest Primate Research Center in Texas.

The chimps, some so old they’ve spent nearly their entire lives in labs, will stay in New Mexico pending an Institute of Medicine (IOM) evaluation to determine if they’re still needed for research. The assessment could take up to two years.

Thank NIH for making the ethical decision to spare the Alamogordo chimps from relocation to a Texas lab. Politely urge IOM to make their retirement permanent.