Since I've flooded all your mail boxes already in the past week I have placed the files below for you to access.
PETA requests resignation
PETA letter to Dr. McGrath
Here is the Dispatch story concerning the death of Kermit.
When POET was involved with the transport of a lion from Ohio to a California sanctuary, our veterinarian, who was familiar with big cats, traveled with the lion until he was safely in the cage at his new home.
What does OSU do? They wave their hands good-bye as the truck pulls onto 315 South and hope for the best. Out of sight, out of mind.
Kermit the chimp dies during sanctuary move
The Lantern headline of March 1st says it all, Questions arise about future safety of OSU's chimpanzees. It only took 48 hours to find out they were not safe at all.
Reports are circulating that this was the chimps hellish ride to Texas -
The chimpanzees were indeed originally sedated at OSU in order to get them into their travel cages. They were sedated, moved into the cages, woken up, and the truck departed once all were awake and alert (this process took approx. 6 hrs.) at approx. 10 pm Monday night (2/27).
The drive took approx. 36 hrs. The truck arrived at PPI approx. noon on Weds. (3/1) and, except for the two youngest, all chimps remained on the truck until the following day.
At PPI, the chimpanzees were not all sedated at once. Kermit was sedated in his transport cage. Kermit was a very large chimpanzee (5'5", close to 300 lbs). His transport cage was so small that he could only lay in a fetal position. So once he was knocked out all he could do was slump into a slouching position. This should have been perfectly obvious to anyone looking at him in this hellish cage (which he had been in for 48+ hrs), yet once he'd been shot with the tranq, they all walked away to wait for him to go down.
When he was discovered dead, Dr. Vice immediately left the scene and the truck driver called SW Biomed to come sedate the rest of the chimps.
Dr. Yonushonis said he checked with USDA about Primarily Primates standing. Well, Primarily Primates is not registered with USDA, so no records would be available. USDA doesn't inspect non-registered facilities.
OSU Lantern 3/7/06 - Recounting dead OSU chimp's last day
Primarily Primates releases an Open Letter concerning their facility, Kermit, and OSU on March 15, 2006
"He had a heart attack" - Kermit's Pathology Report
OSU Lantern 3/28/06 - Chimp Center troubles continue;
materials stolen
OSU Lantern 3/29/06 - PETA files complaint with OSU over chimp treatment
In the background information OSU states there are "several grassroots efforts to reverse that decision and return the animals to campus." P.O.E.T. has never requested a return of the chimps to OSU but to transfer the animals to a more suitable sanctuary.
Primarily Primates 2nd Open Letter released March 31, 2006 - Wallace Swett of Primarily Primates Denounces PETA's Continuing Attacks on Primarily Primates
Animal People - April 2006 - Ex-Ohio State University laboratory chimp dies on arrival at the Primarily Primates sanctuary
4/22/06 - Bobby Dies In Texas
We can't wait to hear the OSU/Primarily Primates spin on this death. Let's see not overweight, not in transport, not under sedation ...
4/27/06 - Lantern - Second OSU chimp dies in Texas
William Yonushonis, director of OSU's lab-animal program, traveled to Texas during the weekend to make sure that the other chimps' conditions and the facility were acceptable.
"I found everything to be more than satisfactory," he said. "I found it to be excellent."
From a 3/7 Lantern article, Recounting dead OSU chimp's last day:
Dr. William Yonushonis, director of the University Animal Laboratory Resource, said he went down to Primarily Primates on the next available flight to San Antonio to monitor the situation of the other chimps, and found them to be in good shape physically and mentally.
The evaluation of Dr. Yonushonis doesn't appear to add up. We continue to await
the necropsy results on Bobby. In the meantime, we have learned that one of
the capuchin monkey's, Jane, had escaped on the first day of arrival at Primarily
Primates. Why wasn't this made known to the public?
Click on Save Kermit's Community to sign an online petition.
To: The Ohio State University & Primarily Primates, Inc.
On Tuesday, February 21st, 2006, The Ohio State University (OSU) officials announced they were closing the Chimpanzee Cognition Center run by Dr. Sally Boysen. OSU put the nine chimpanzees (Kermit, Darrell, Sarah, Sheba, Bobby, Keeli, Ivy, Harper, and Emma) and three capuchins (Jane, Rain and Ulysses) on a truck with no care staff or veterinarians, and sent them to an inadequate facility, Primarily Primates in San Antonio, TX.Upon arrival at Primarily Primates, a preventable tragedy occurred. Kermit, the co-alpha male of the community died on March 2nd under questionable circumstances. We believe the remaining OSU chimpanzees and the other primates at the facility are in danger. (For more information see www.kermitscommunity.com)
We the undersigned are gravely concerned for the welfare of the eight remaining chimpanzees of Kermit’s community, and respectfully request:
1. That Primarily Primates Inc. allows the chimpanzee’s primary caretakers from OSU immediate access to the chimpanzees, to help them adjust after the trauma of their transfer and the death of Kermit.
2. That the Board of Directors of Primarily Primates Inc. appoints an independent external advisory committee to oversee an investigation of Kermit’s death and to carefully monitor the conditions of the 8 remaining chimps;
3. That OSU appoints an independent external advisory committee to oversee an investigation into events that led to the transfer of the chimps to PPI and the death of Kermit;
4. That plans be made to move the chimps to a USDA approved sanctuary, or for Primarily Primates, Inc. to qualify for a USDA license as an approved sanctuary.
Contacts for OSU are:
President Karen Holbrook
205 Bricker Hall
190 N Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
614 292 2424
fax 614 292 1231
holbrook.79@osu.edu
Dr. Robert McGrath
OSU Vice President for Research
208 Bricker Hall
190 N Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
614 292 1582
fax 614 292 6602
mcgrath.66@osu.edu
Office of the Board of Trustees
210 Bricker Hall
190 N Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
fax 614 292 6359