Letter: Let members of Congress know chimps are getting raw deal

Primatologist Jane Goodall and 11 former and current astronauts, including former Gemini and Apollo mission member Buzz Aldrin, have urged the Air Force to retire the chimpanzees to a sanctuary rather than allow them to continue to be used in experiments.

Rather then heed this advice, the Air Force has condemned the chimpanzees to a lab that routinely injects primates with drugs, chemicals and infectious diseases. This is the same lab that recently agreed to perform excruciatingly painful and potentially crippling spinal experiments on chimpanzees, humankind's closest genetic cousins.

The Air Force's betrayal of these space veterans is a shameful chapter in the history of our nation. It is also a direct violation of the intent of Congress, which mandated in 1996 that the chimpanzees be provided with "adequate care" for the rest of their lives.

To oppose this travesty, contact your congressional representative and senators.

Cindy Minghelli

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