Chimp Portraits

Date of birth: 1970.

Pepper was born at a Merck, Sharp & Dohme laboratory and spent 7 years at the Buckshire Corporation before arriving at LEMSIP (Laboratory for Experimental Research and Surgery in Primates at NYU). She was sent to this lab when she became too big to control. Pepper spent a total of 27 years in research. She was subjected to 307 knockdowns, 36 punch liver biopsies, 1 open wedge liver biopsy, 6 cervical biopsies, 10 lymph node biopsies and 4 bone marrow biopsies. Plagued by fear and anxiety, she will still rather starve herself than face an unpleasant situation.

Date of birth: April 10,1989.

Binky was born at LEMSIP and had the unusual privilege of staying in his mother's cage for 3 months. In eight years, this young male known as "Ch-665" was knocked down 136 times-mostly for cage changes and tooth cleanings. He was used in 4 studies in 7 years and was generally considered a 'well-adjusted individual' even though by the time he was 3 years old he was already being treated for self-inflicted wounds.

Date of birth: November 30, 1982.

Before Rachel was deposited at LEMSIP she lived as a pet in Florida where she was treated as a human child, dressed in clothes and given bubble baths. When she was three years old, her 'nanny' brought her to the lab. She spent the next 11 years living in isolation as a research subject. During this time she was anesthetized 235 times, 147 of these by dart. She endured 39 punch liver biopsies as a subject of Hepatitis research and underwent surgery for the testing of new artificial sweeteners for NutraSweet. She fell into an extended period of depression and was treated repeatedly for rashes and sores on her neck and wrists inflicted on herself during anxiety attacks. She also suffers from the 'phantom hand' syndrome, which has caused her to bite all of her nails to the quick, rubbing them until there is nothing left.

Date of birth: 1968.

Sue Ellen spent her first 15 years with Billy Jo in entertainment. During this time she and her adopted chimpanzee brother Billy Jo were treated as human children, but she was also put to work in the circus. It was during this period that her teeth were knocked out with a crowbar. When they became unruly teenagers, Billy Jo and Sue Ellen were sold to New York University's primate research facility LEMSIP. During Sue Ellen's years in the lab she would endure unspeakable violations. She was expected to reproduce and provide babies for research. In her first year alone, "Ch-440" had 29 liver biopsies. In future years she would endure another 11 liver biopsies, 3 rectal biopsies and 4 lymph node biopsies. But mostly, Sue Ellen was involved in HIV studies where researchers inoculated her with HIV in every possible tissue or membrane, yet her HIV test results remain inconclusive.

Date of birth: 196-.

Tom was born in Africa. Taken from his family, he spent his first 30 years in the laboratory. Tom arrived at LEMSIP on August 13, 1982 from the Buckshire Corporation at about 15 years old. In his subsequent 15 years at LEMSIP, "Ch-411" was knocked down over 369 times. Tom was inoculated with HIV in 1984 and for the rest of his time at the lab he was used mostly for vaccine research. Completely uncooperative in the lab, he was even knocked down for cage changes. After enduring some 56 punch liver biopsies, 1 open liver wedge biopsy, 3 lymph node and 3 bone marrow biopsies, Tom gave up. Plagued constantly by intestinal parasites, he often had diarrhea and no appetite. When he had some strength, he banged constantly on his cage.

Date of birth: 1974.

Yoko began his life in the circus. When he was 7 years old he entered the LEMSIP Laboratory where he became "Ch-353". He was locked into a very small cage that hung from the ceiling, and was tattooed with his number on his chest so he could not be mistaken for the chimps on either side of him. That is how he was left to live out the rest of his life, which could last as long as 50 more years. From 1984 to 1991, Yoko endured at least one punch liver biopsy per month, over 140 liver biopsies in 16 years at the lab, along with many more invasive procedures before his release in 1997. There are no indications as to what these biopsies were for, no references to any studies. In a study to test a nasal spray, he was knocked down every 2 days for 2 months. Every day in this study, he had a fever. But since it might interfere with the results, he was never even given an aspirin. In 1995 he was inoculated with HIV. He endured another 3 lymph node biopsies but no longer participated in any studies.

Date of birth: 1968.

Billy Jo was purchased in by LEMSIP in 1983. For 15 years before, he lived with a man in New York State, entertaining with Sue Ellen. During this period his teeth were knocked out with a crowbar. When his owner could no longer afford to keep him, he was sent on to the laboratory. In 14 years at the lab, "Ch-447" was knocked down over 289 times - 65 by dart with 4 or 5 men surrounding his cage pummeling darts into his body to anaesthetize him for a routine blood draw. In the lab he would shake his cage back and forth trying desperately to prevent anyone from approaching. During one fit of anxiety, he bit off his index finger. In addition to several HIV inoculations, Billy endured 40 punch liver biopsies, 3 open wedge liver biopsies, 3 bone marrow biopsies and 2 lymph node biopsies with no tangible or practical results. He also chewed off both thumbs as he woke up alone from knockdowns.

Date of birth: Approx. 1974.

Toddy was born in Africa. She was captured in the wild and sold to a family in Florida as a pet. But when she was still an infant, veterinarians discovered she had bullet fragments lodged in her brain which most likely occurred when her mother was shot so Toddy could be taken. As Toddy grew up, she was passed along from pet owner to a roadside zoo and then to a breeding farm. After several years living with a group of chimpanzees, she was separated due to health problems and kept alone in a small cage for 4 years. Her only companions were her caregiver at the breeder's farm and a stuffed toy gorilla that she carried with her at all times.

Date of birth: 1980.

Roger was born in a roadside zoo where he was pulled from his mother in his first year and sold to a family in Connecticut. When he was three the family sold him to circus trainers who traveled with Ringling Brothers Circus. He stayed in that situation until his handler died in 1993 at which time he was sold to another roadside zoo. There he was placed in the same cage with an adult male orangutan with only a chain link fence to separate them. At some point Roger was castrated. When he was eventually rescued there were considerable problems opening his cage since the lock and even the door had corroded shut. It had been at least three years since he was out of his cage.

Date of birth: 1978.

Toby spent all but the first eight months of his life at the Zoo St. Felicien in Northern Quebec. He lived with two other chimpanzees there: a male, Benji and an older female who passed away in 2000. When Benji, Toby’s sole companion, died in the summer of 2002, probably of heat stroke due to being locked outside every day without water, it was decided that Toby would move to the Fauna Foundation’s chimpanzee sanctuary where he could be with others of his own kind.

Date of birth: 1966.

Donna Rae arrived at the lab when she was 12 years old from the Animal Kingdom Talent Service, and was walked into her cage where she remained for 19 years. She apparently learned to play a guitar and ride a bicycle. Her kind nature got her a place in the breeding program but not forever. In her last 5 years at the lab Ch-304 was involved in several studies on HIV. Following one intervention the pain was so intense that it put her into a state of shock. During her years as a research chimp she would endure many days filled with pain from lymph node or bone marrow biopsies or sex skin wounds inflicted during knockdowns or the constant irritation that must have followed the perpetual vaginal washes. Continually mutilating herself, Donna always looked as though she had given up all hope.

Date of birth: July 1st, 1993.

Kenya was pulled from her birth mother soon after she was born due to poor maternal care. After living in a human household in north Florida, she came to the Center when she was 6-months-old and immediately began social interaction with other chimpanzees. She is very independent, exuberant and gleeful... and she usually interacts with both humans and chimpanzees in a positive way.

Date of birth: August 23rd, 1989.

Jethro was born in the laboratory but was never considered a good research subject. In his 8 years at the lab he participated in only 3 studies. "Ch-667" refused to eat or drink when he knew he was in a study. Yet, he was knocked down some 142 times and still had to undergo 3 punch liver biopsies before he was 7 years old. Most of the knockdowns were to keep his teeth clean. Jethro still shows signs of a tendency towards depression, and can still be found to slap himself and rock as he used to do in his 5x5x7' home.

Born by caesarian section to a Hepatitis B positive mother, Chance had a 50/50 chance of being born Hepatitis B positive. Fortunately she wasn't but it didn't save her from years in isolation. For her first 5 years Ch-442 lived completely alone with no chimpanzee companions and little human contact. In 14 years, Chance participated in 4 studies; her last 6 years in the lab she wasn't used at all. Too neurotic and aggressive, Chance would bite her fingers, pull her hair out and slap herself continually. In the month following her last study, Chance was treated for severe diarrhea, dehydration and weight loss. Using her again may have resulted in her death.

Date of birth: August 15th, 1991.

Grub, born in Los Angeles at an animal trainer's compound, was pulled from his mother and sold to a Florida tourist attraction when he was only a few months old. His first few years were spent in the company of an infant orangutan.

Date of birth: December 19th, 1994.

Noelle was born at a breeding center in Miami. Her birth mother was hand-reared as a pet and was inexperienced in caring for infants, so Noelle was taken from her mother and was raised in a human family her first year.

Petra was not quite 2 years old when she had her first surgical procedure-an amputation due to a finger caught in a cage. In 9 nine years Ch-560 was used in only 2 studies. The first gave her a fever for a week that was left untreated. Shortly thereafter she was found to be chewing the paint off the wall, suffering from diarrhea and lack of appetite. Despite her involvement in only 2 studies, she endured 185 knockdowns and 7 punch liver biopsies. Maybe this is why she spent her days circling her cage like a hamster in an exercise wheel, aggressively plucking most of her chest and arms bare of hair and rocking nervously in a constant state of stress and agitation.

Regis was only 2 when he was treated for his first stress-related event - he chewed his finger nail completely off. The following year he was treated for depression and anorexia (he weighed less than 20 pounds at 3 years of age). He had still not participated in any study. During the 3 studies Ch-645 was involved in, he was lethargic, withdrawn and depressed. He refused to eat and drink. When he is particularly stressed he suffers from anxiety attacks during which he nearly stops breathing so badly that he begins gagging and convulsing. It took over an hour for this very stressed, very anxious chimpanzee to leave his transport cage and enter his sanctuary home.