Help abandoned chimpanzees in Liberia

It has been well over a year since the New York Blood Center (NYBC) abandoned more than 60 chimpanzees on a set of islands off the coast of Liberia and left them for dead.

After making millions by doing invasive experiments on our closest living relatives, NYBC decided the chimpanzees were no longer needed for research and testing — and the animals were left in danger of dehydration or starvation.

As The New York Times reported, NYBC withdrew all funding and oversight for these chimpanzees, despite previously committing to a lifetime of care. Since then, The Humane Society of the United States and others stepped in to provide care for the chimpanzees.

Now, the NYBC is still refusing to accept responsibility. The organization's leadership is only willing to cover a tiny percentage of the costs, even though they took advantage of these animals for decades and have the entire responsibility for solving the problem they created.

NYBC, an organization with hundreds of millions in assets and annual income, made a commitment to these chimpanzees, and cannot be allowed to simply walk away. The financial burden should not fall on the government of Liberia and other nonprofit organizations. Please send a message to NYBC President and CEO Christopher Hillyer and tell him to reinstate funding for these chimpanzees immediately.