ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The National Institutes of Health has decided to move nearly two dozen retired research chimpanzees from a New Mexico facility to a sanctuary in Louisiana, a decision celebrated Friday by animal advocates who have been fighting for years to obtain the animals. moved.

NIH officials confirmed in an email that the transfer of the 23 chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico would take place in the coming months.

Staffing issues, including the planned retirement of the chimpanzees’ keepers, prompted the decision to relocate the chimpanzees, the agency said. Animals have not been used as test subjects since 2015, when the NIH removed chimpanzees — humans’ closest relatives — from invasive research.

More than 200 people had already been transferred to the federally supported sanctuary, but the NIH said it was decided in 2019 that some were too frail to be transferred due to their health conditions. They remained on base under the care of contracted veterinarians and caregivers.

The contractor informed the NIH that a significant number of employees are expected to retire by July 2025.

“Recruitment and training of new staff has proven difficult due to the specialized nature of the work and the remote location of the APF,” the NIH statement said. “Given this uncertainty, the NIH has determined that the best course of action for the welfare of all of these chimpanzees is to relocate them to the Chimp Haven Federal Sanctuary.

Agency spokeswoman Amanda Fine said relocating chimpanzees is a complex and time-consuming process and that Chimp Haven will work with the NIH and the Alamogordo facility to ensure the health and safety of each animal. during movement.

The Humane Society of the United States is among the groups that have sent letters and petitioned the NIH over the years to relocate Alamogordo’s remaining chimpanzees.

The Humane Society of the United States, Animal Protection New Mexico, the Humane Society Legislative Fund and three individual plaintiffs sued the NIH in 2021. A federal judge issued a decision the following yearfinding that the NIH could not legally deny chimpanzees retirement to a sanctuary because of their chronic health problems.

“We believe that the extraordinary pressure that was placed on the NIH to move them to Chimp Haven – including the engagement of thousands of our supporters who demanded that the chimpanzees be moved and our winning lawsuit – played a major role in the decision to finally move them to a sanctuary,” the group said.

The chimpanzees – aged 34 to 62 – could have years ahead of them to enjoy life at the sanctuary, advocates said. The sanctuary has welcomed hundreds of chimpanzees since the first two animals arrived in 2005. Of those, 214 were sent from NIH-supported facilities following the agency’s 2015 decision.

Chimp Haven President and CEO Rana Smith said in a statement released Friday that the sanctuary is ready to welcome the first arrivals from New Mexico in early 2025. With Chimp Haven close to capacity, Smith said that he will have to build additional living spaces to accommodate the groups.

The expansion is expected to cost at least $4 million, which will have to be raised from private donors.

“There are many details to be determined in the coming weeks, but for now we celebrate this wonderful news for the APF chimpanzees,” Smith said. “They are on their way to a well-deserved retirement at the sanctuary, and we can’t wait to welcome them home.” »