This World Lab Animal Day, we mark a moment decades in the making-
The Alamogordo Primate Facility at Holloman Air Force Base is finally empty of chimpanzees.
Founded in 1997, Save the Chimps began with a landmark lawsuit led by co-founder Dr. Carole Noon, against the United States Air Force. The case secured custody of 21 chimpanzees who had been used in space research at Holloman Air Force Base. This pivotal victory launched our mission to provide lifelong sanctuary to chimpanzees in need.
In 2002, we rescued 266 chimpanzees from the notorious Coulston Foundation—a biomedical research lab with a long record of animal welfare violations. The Coulston Foundation was also located in Alamogordo, NM, and many of those residents had histories at the Alamogordo Primate Facility.
Among those rescued in 2002 was Debbie, who has now spent more than two decades living peacefully on a spacious island at our sanctuary in Florida. Her son, Guido, however, was still under the ownership of Alamogordo Primate Facility.
For years, hundreds of chimpanzees continued to live at Alamogordo Primate Facility on Holloman Air Force Base under the jurisdiction of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH announced an end to federally supported research on chimpanzees in 2015— a path toward sanctuary for the remaining chimpanzees opened. Some chimpanzees, including Guido, were deemed by the NIH too old to move, citing concerns for their health. Advocates strongly disagreed, arguing that every chimpanzee—regardless of age—deserves to live out their life in sanctuary.
Today, that vision has finally become reality. Every chimpanzee from the Alamogordo Primate Facility has been moved to sanctuary. Among them is Debbie’s son, Guido, now 42 years old, who has been welcomed to his new home at Chimp Haven. After a lifetime in the lab, he is finally experiencing what it means to live with peace, dignity, and choice.
While Save the Chimps was not the destination for these final residents, we celebrate this historic victory alongside Chimp Haven and every person who tirelessly advocated to make it possible. The era of holding chimpanzees in labs under the guise of science is finally coming to an end—and that is something worth celebrating.