The University of Southwestern Louisiana New Iberia Research Center proposes to develop and expand a chimpanzee breeder colony as a resource for production of this threatened, species with a consignment of twenty-six adult females, six male breeders, sixteen females and two males native born adolescents as well as six juvenile females and two males included or staged inclusion into breeder program. This program will be located in a semi-outdoor colony facility renovated for this specific purpose with sufficient technical and professional staff to maximize the reproduction potential of the group. Appropriate research into the problems of breeding and rearing native born progeny will be undertaken in conjunction with this resource. In order to perpetuate the availability of chimpanzees as an unique biomodel for human disease research. This program will be designed for phased expansion with the ultimate objective of being self sustaining in both population and revenue support.
