Happy Endings

10 September 2011 Have your say

This extraordinary video captures the joyous moment when 10 chimps were freed after 30 years without seeing sunlight — many of those years spent in the confines of a medical research laboratory where they were used as test subjects.

These animals will now live out their lives at the Gut Aiderbichl Sanctuary in Austria. But sadly happy endings such as this are still rare.

Every year millions of animals are forced to spend their lives confined to laboratories, often undergoing invasive, painful and even lethal tests.

Oftentimes animal experimentation fails to yield results with any relevance to humans. The chimps in this video spent years as HIV test subjects — many were infected with the HIV virus and injected with numerous vaccines. Yet none of them actually developed AIDS — a common and fruitless outcome with AIDS research in chimps and one of the reasons many scientists now acknowledge that chimpanzees are unsuitable for AIDS studies. [1]

Animal experimentation is increasingly recognised as unreliable and inhumane, with many scientists looking to safer, non-animal alternatives. But there is still a long way to go. In Australia, medical testing on animals is still prevalent, affecting millions of animals including primates, dogs, cats, rabbits, and mice annually. Australia is also home to three government-funded primate breeding facilities — specifically for research. And while the Australian Government continues to permit the importation of primates for research, animal testing in Australia also supports the international trade in primates for research, which undercover investigations have revealed to underpin the brutal practice of capturing infant primates from the wild (despite laws against such acts). [2]

You can help

1. Ask the Australian Government to impose an immediate ban on the importation of primates for research. Please send a polite message to:
   

   The Hon. Tony Burke MP Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population & Communities PO Box 6022 House of Representatives Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 Email:

   The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP Minister for Health & Ageing House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 E-mail:

2. Make sure your donations aren't funding animal testing. Click here to find out which medical charities DON'T fund tests on animals.
3. Fight animal tests every day by pledging to choose cosmetics and consumer products that are not tested on animals.

References
[1] http://www.mrmcmed.org/aids.html
[2] http://www.aahr.org.au/campaigns/ban-primates

Post a commentYour Say: 57 comments

Sally: oh to be young and fit Wednesday, 21 September 2011 at 5:16pm

to those who are young and fit, and are mad about this, please consider what you can do , protest outside these places,
get groups together, hold information stalls at universities,
dont get sad, get mad and do what you can.

hell if wasnt so dam sick, id go break in, save them and burn the buildings to the ground.  mad.....u bet.

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christina: freed chimps Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 8:50pm

I feel sad and happy all at the same time for those poor chimps. I can't stand how cruel man is to animals and people. We really need a better world.

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Maree: No to animal testing Tuesday, 20 September 2011 at 11:28am

How could we as a society have such contempt for such wonderful animals. We are such an uncaring blite in this wondrous animal kingdom. We need to stop animal testing, live cattle exports, puppy farms, caged hens and pigs and let animals live peacefully to co-esist with humanity!

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DH: Time to make a noise Saturday, 17 September 2011 at 4:13pm

Ok guys this is where we let Liberals also know that we mean business and that they cannot just sit on the sideline of this issue. AA has requested an apology from Back and for him to retract his statements regarding AA paying Indonesian workers.

What we need to do is all contact via email, letters and post all Liberal MPs/Senators  insisting on an apology for AA also. This is not only for AA but for the people of Australia and the animals, it will send a message that we will not accept being lied too or played around with in their political games. We expect honorable behavior from our politicians for our honorable campaign. This is a serious issue for us and they had better start being aware of that.

So come on guys time to start making a noise again.

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Trisha: Cruelty free cosmetics Friday, 16 September 2011 at 2:54am

Was buying at a major department store and the sales assistant was deleghted when I said I was only interested in those products bearing the cruelty free bunny logo. There were some new brands available and she said it was a direct response to customers requirements. One step at a time, people, let's keep voting for the animals with our pockets.

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Cor: "Ban Live Exports Immediately" petitiion to sign Thursday, 15 September 2011 at 10:14pm

Hi Everyone,

Adam Bandt the MP is running another online petition calling on the Federal Government to "Ban Live Exports Immediately". I think he is running the petition in order to keep up the pressure on the government (good on him!). The petition can be found and signed at the link:

adam-bandt.greensmps.org.au/demand-end-live-exports

Please pass on this message to anybody else you know who might also be interested in signing the petition.

Thanks.

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DH: About Time Thursday, 15 September 2011 at 2:51pm

This should be put on a current affair program high lighting the years of experimentation imposed on these beings so closely related to us. People continually need to be reminded of how sick and cruel many human beings are  and how many more of us  are just plain ambivalent.

I wept with shame and joy.

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redside: inhumane Austria Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 4:54pm

30 years!!!
Perhaps these people who call themselves scientists should be the ones locked up...then tested for compassion, morality, ethics and love of fellow sentient beings... my guess is the results would find these qualities deficient if not missing altogether.
What have they subjected these beautiful creatures too?
The human species does not deserve this planet.

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Margaret Setter: Captive Chimpanzees living evidence of our inhumanity towards living beings. Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 3:58pm

These exquisite and moving scenes of primates discovering the outside world for the first time provide undeniable evidence of human kinship and and common  descent.  They have been subjected to malign experiments during their thirty years and more of living misery, yet they retain their capacity for simple pleasures like basking in sunshine, clambering up trees.  Others are not so fortunate, abandoned to a life of loneliness and pain.

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Rose Mallia: TIME TO EVOLVE AND STOP THE ABUSE Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 11:18am

We do not need to test on animals WHATSOEVER. To do so is the most vile and cruel deed man/woman could do. I would rather die than know animals have been experimented on for my benefit. I have no problem with scientists testing on willing humans which only stands to reason and common sense to test on humans for human diseases/conditions. TIME TO PROGRESS AS A SPECIES.

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Pauline McCabe: Freedom at last! Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 10:33am

I have M.S ,Have had a parcial mastectomy due to cancer my husband has crohns and arthritis and has had kidney cancer.
I would be devastated if any animal was harmed to find a cure for these or any disease it is not necessary scientists are clever enough to find cures within a lab testing on humans.
I really enjoyed watching the beautiful chimps hug each other and gradually gain courage to step further into the sunshine the joy on their faces has given me happiness.

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Andrea Hudson Samford: sad that this website has to exist Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 7:39am

But proud that i im sitting in a room of like minded people.

I will keep fighting for the injustice inflicted on animals of the world. I will not give up. We can make a difference. Let your voices be heard. These excuses for human beings do not have the power - we allow them to have the power.  Keep united, keep focused and let the world know...we will not tolertate cruelty to animals.

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Erin: We are all Earthlings. . . Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 6:10am

Somehow, a number of the 'Human' Race were given a Dr Evil injection - so they lack emotional connection and understanding toward fellow living beings. Those who fail to recognise kindness and equality of freedom toward other living beings, may indeed end up coming back in another life as a living being who is sacrificed in the same way they once enforced upon innocent creatures in this life. . .We can only do the best we can as individuals - educate ourselves on the products we use, the foods we ingest, the clothes we wear. One step at a time, we can change the world, and spread kindness and goodness.

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Marie Skender: All we need is love Tuesday, 13 September 2011 at 10:40pm

How arrogant is the human race in general. To assume our needs overide every other living creature is so shameful. To use our power to keep these amazing animals prisoner when we have so many other choices is beyond belief. Lets use our brains and our power for a harmonious world.

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Paula Campbell: Proud to be a human - NOT! Tuesday, 13 September 2011 at 10:12pm

Just watch the footage of the Chimps "parole" from their laboratory prison. It made me smile and cry at the same time. I tried to imagine what they must feel. It must have been so joyjul and overwhelming all at the same time. Personally I feel angry because they were imprisoned but they did nothing wrong.I felt enraged that the likes of peodophiles, terrorists & serial killers and other sick scum of society should be the ones who are locked up and tested on - not these innocent & precious sentient beings. Unfortunately, I'm am then  reminded the scum of society - have rights.

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Ann: ashamed to be human Tuesday, 13 September 2011 at 9:42pm

How shameful it is to be human, when such horrific injustices are still being inflicted on other species.  I still fail to understand how the people who work in such cruel occupations of any description that inflict harm and death to other beings can sleep at night and think that they are doing the right thing, when they clearly are not.

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elisa: horrible practice Tuesday, 13 September 2011 at 9:36pm

This cruelty needs to be stopped. These are intelligent animals that we are torturing for our own benefit. There are other ways to do medical research

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Marcella Curtis: Our ancestors Tuesday, 13 September 2011 at 8:00pm

We human beings descend from apes would we take someone's child or children lock them up for research, I don't think so. These animals did not ask to be born to live long suffering lives, and die in pain come on you inhuman humans speak up for those who can't speak for themselves. Marcella

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Jenni Wyrsta: First sunlight for chimps. Tuesday, 13 September 2011 at 9:36am

I'm bawling my eyes out watching these poor chimps experience fresh air and sunlight for the first time in 30 years. They should never have been treated like this, and never used for experiments. We must end this now and protect all animals in the wild, being guardians and keeping them safe. They need freedom.

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Francoise Dupen: Technology Monday, 12 September 2011 at 6:55pm

We now have such sophisticated technology including the ability to simulate  certain conditions by computers that there is absolutely no need to be testing on animals any longer. I am so glad these beautiful chimps had a happy ending. The hugs of happiness brought tears to my eyes too.  We have total dominion over animals and even in these supposedly enlightened times we continue to abuse the power we wield over them. It is heart breaking and disgusting all at the same time.

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See also:Help end experiments on primatesWIN a cruelty-free gift from Perfect Potion!Opinion: Cosmetic companies in cruelty cover-upOpinion: Fewer Animals in Laboratories Is Good for All of UsIndian govt bans use of live animals for education, researchFact Sheet: Animal Experimentation

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