Video footage shows former research chimpanzees going outdoors and touching grass for the first time. The chimpanzees had been used by labs for decades and are now enjoying their new home at chimp haven. Harriet and Betty came to the sanctuary with eight other chimps on a long 14-hour journey by truck. The others can be seen climbing trees 30-feet tall and interacting with the other chimpanzees in the sanctuary.

Source: the dodo/Youtube

Ali Crumpacker, the executive director of Project Chimps, said, “When the federal government ended the use of chimpanzees in invasive medical research, nearly 700 chimps around the US needed a forever home. Those in government-funded studies could go to Chimp Haven, a sanctuary designated for government research chimps.

Chimpanzees aren’t used in animal testing anymore, but other primates are. The National Institutes of Health ended funding for invasive chimpanzee research in 2015. You can donate to Project Chimps here to help them build their new sanctuary habitats. Each chimp costs $22,000 annually, and they can live for 65 years. You can also check out their amazing work on Facebook. 

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