By Anvi Atreja
Imagine never seeing the sun your whole life. Impossible to imagine right? But believe it or not, that is the story of a 28-year-old chimpanzee, Vanilla. Since she was born, Vanilla has been tested in a biomedical research laboratory in New York. In 1995, Vanilla and 30 chimps were sent to the Wildlife Waystation, an animal sanctuary in California. But when the sanctuary closed in 2019, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), moved all of the animals to numerous locations spread around the country. According to CDFW Regional Manager Ed Pert, “It was actually relatively easy to find homes for lions, tigers, bears, jaguars, and all sorts of primates, birds, and reptiles. Chimpanzees are a difficult species to rehome. After it became illegal to do medical research on chimpanzees in 2015, U.S. research facilities have been closing down or rehoming them. There hasn’t been enough space at good facilities to take them all in.”Vanilla was among the final seven chimps to be rehomed, Save the Chimps told USAToday. Vanilla and four other chimps (Shake, Magic, Jeff, and Ernesta) were taken to a Florida sanctuary. After quarantine, Vanilla and her family were introduced to larger family groups. Save the Chimps reports that they are now fully integrated. “Shake went out onto the island without hesitation, but Vanilla was a bit more apprehensive when the door opened to this new world. She sat in the doorway until Dwight, the alpha male, encouraged her to join him.”
Sources:
-Cheddar News
-USA Today
-Google Search Engine