No retirement in sight for aging research chimpanzee

By Shelia M. Poole

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Looks like there's no retirement in sight for Wenka.

Wenka, like many working stiffs, will probably have to put in a few more years on the job. At 57, she is holding forth as the oldest research chimpanzee at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center.

But there's a grassroots effort brewing to help her into retirement. At noon Saturday, members and supporters of Georgia Animal Rights and Protection plan to protest in front of the North Decatur Road entrance of Emory, asking that Wenka be allowed to enjoy her sunset years outside a laboratory environment. They've started a "Free Wenka" campaign and are asking that the chimp be moved to one of the several animal sanctuaries in the United States .

"All we're asking is for chimpanzees like her, after all these years of service and torment, during the last years of their lives, be able to feel the grass at their feet and the sun above them," said Leah Garces, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit group, which works on behalf of animal rights and wildlife conservation.

That may not happen anytime soon.

"There is no set retirement age for chimpanzees," Yerkes Director Stuart Zola said in a statement. "Retirement depends in part upon the overall health status of the animal."

Currently Wenka is participating in a National Institute on Aging-funded grant to compare how humans, chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys age. That work, said Zola, is "helping humans, as well as animals, live longer, healthier lives."

"With America’s population living longer, it’s increasingly important that we be able to make earlier diagnoses of aging-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, in order to more effectively treat these diseases," said Zola. "Wenka is key to our ability to do this. "

Wenka is getting good care from behavioral management and veterinary staff and researchers, according to the statement. The research is behavioral-based and doesn't involve invasive procedures, said an Emory spokesman.

Chimpanzees have long been used in medical research because their DNA is very similar to humans and they're often used in research into aging, genetic and cognitive studies, social intelligence and brain imaging, according to the Yerkes website.

There has been growing criticism of the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research.

The Institute of Medicine, at the request of the National Institutes of Health, is studying whether it's necessary to continue to use chimps in behavioral and biomedical research. Earlier this year, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act was introduced to, in part, prohibit invasive research on chimpanzees and other great apes.

According to Garces, Wenka has spent her entire life in research labs. One goal of the protest, she said, is to draw attention to the plight of Wenka and other animals at the center. She said it doesn't matter whether the research is invasive or non-invasive because Wenka has spent decades in labs.

"The majority of citizens don't agree they should be used and certainly not to have this in their own back yards," she said. "These animals have been experimented on for decades and should be allowed to be retired to a sanctuary. "

One possible destination is the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, Ky., which is already home to seven former research chimps. But such efforts shouldn't be limited to older chimpanzees, said April Truitt, the rescue center's executive director.

"Ranking chimpanzees for retirement is like asking which one of your children you like the best," she said. "I say retire them all. They've paid their dues."