This application is a competing renewal of the ?Chimpanzee Biomedical Research Resource? (CBRR), U42 OD011197 that has received continuous NIH support for 40 years. With this renewal application, we have changed the name of this cooperative agreement from the ?Chimpanzee Biomedical Research Resource? to the ?National Center for Chimpanzee Care? (NCCC) to more accurately reflect the mission of the program. The November 18, 2015 announcement from the office of the director of the NIH to eliminate biomedical research with NIH-owned or -supported chimpanzees has been anticipated for several years. The NCCC has not conducted research that would be regarded as ?biomedical? or ?invasive? with chimpanzees since 2012. The NCCC has refocused its efforts on developing non-invasive, behavioral research that has resulted in publication of 44 peer-reviewed journal articles, 27 abstracts, 13 book chapters, and 7 other publications since September 1, 2011. Studies done at the NCCC are accomplished with voluntary participation in research activities that also function as environmental enrichment. In addition to the continuing scientific contributions, the NCCC continues to raise the standard of care for captive chimpanzees through improvements in husbandry, veterinary medical care, and end-of-life care. We developed and published a Quality of Life Program which has subsequently been provided to other facilities housing chimpanzees (Lambeth et al., 2013). Our Quality of Life Program is a living document that is continually evolving (see appendix: Keeling Center Quality of Life Program for Chimpanzees). We continue to train caregivers from other chimpanzee housing facilities and sanctuaries so that they can benefit from the expertise of the NCCC. In the coming grant period, the NCCC will continue to make contributions to the scientific literature, continue to raise the standard of care for captive chimpanzees, and develop ways to improve care for the growing geriatric population of chimpanzees. Chimpanzees in the NCCC live in large outdoor habitats in established social groups. Many of these groups are composed of multi-generational families who have been housed together for many years. In summary, the NCCC will continue to develop ways to improve the quality of life and the standard of care for chimpanzees by conducting non-invasive, voluntary studies that 1) teach us about chimpanzees, 2) teach us how to appropriately care for chimpanzees, 3) provide `functionally appropriate captive environments' and 4) conduct research that helps improve our understanding of the behavior and biology of both chimpanzees and human beings.
The National Center for Chimpanzee Care (NCCC) provides a home for 139 chimpanzees that are owned by the NIH. Many of these chimpanzees were once used in biomedical research, but have only participated in non-invasive studies since 2012. The NCCC has a long history of providing outstanding housing environments and the highest standard of care for chimpanzees.
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