A group of former research chimpanzees in New Mexico that were previously deemed too frail or sickly to be moved to a federal sanctuary will be going to that retirement home after all.
Officials with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said they reconsidered their decision to leave the chimps in place after learning that more than half of the caregivers there expect to leave their jobs and retire before July of 2025.
The latest NIH census says that 23 chimps are housed at the Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF), which is located at New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base.
This remote, desert location makes it difficult to recruit the specialized staff that would be needed to replace the workers who will be leaving, NIH officials say.
"We've decided that it makes the best sense for the animals to move them," says Tara Schwetz, the NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives.