實驗用非洲黑猩猩遭美國研究機構拋棄

After about 30 years of using a colony of chimpanzees in Liberia for biomedical research, which ended 10 years ago, the New York Blood Center has now withdrawn all funding for them, prompting animal welfare groups to urge the center to reconsider its decision.

在利用利比里亞的一羣黑猩猩進行了大約30年的生物醫學研究後，紐約血液中心(New York Blood Center)撤消了對它們的所有資助，促使多家動物福利團體要求該中心重新考慮其決定。該研究項目已於10年前終止。

For now, the Humane Society of the United States is supporting the chimps, which are owned by the government of Liberia, and is starting a campaign to raise funds for them.

美國人道協會(Humane Society of the United States)暫時在爲這羣歸利比里亞政府所有的黑猩猩提供資金，並在發起爲它們籌集資金的活動。

“The New York Blood Center is abandoning 66 chimpanzees and leaving their fate to chance,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the society. The cost of caring for and feeding the chimps is about $30,000 a month.

“紐約血液中心遺棄了這66只黑猩猩，讓它們聽天由命，”該協會會長韋恩·帕賽爾(Wayne Pacelle)說。照料和飼養這些黑猩猩的費用爲每月3萬美元（約合18.6萬元人民幣）左右。

Brian Hare, an anthropologist and primatologist at Duke University who is also known for his studies of dog intelligence, started a petition on to urge people to contact the New York Blood Center.

杜克大學(Duke University)人類學家、靈長目動物學家布賴恩·黑爾(Brian Hare)在網站上發起了請願活動，敦促民衆聯繫紐約血液中心。黑爾還因有關犬類智能的研究而聞名。

Mr. Hare said in an email, “I have studied great apes for 20 years in all contexts across the globe — labs, zoos, sanctuaries, the wild” and others. “Never, ever have I seen anything even remotely as disgusting as this.”

黑爾在郵件中表示，“我研究類人猿已有20年的時間，見識過全球各地的各種環境——實驗室、動物園、自然保護區、野外”等等地方。“但從未遇到過這麼令人厭惡的事情。”

Victoria O’Neill, a spokeswoman for the blood center, said officials there would not grant interviews regarding the issue because “there is arbitration going on, brought by the Liberian government.”

紐約血液中心的發言人維多利亞·奧尼爾(Victoria O’Neill)表示，中心的官員不會就這一問題接受採訪，因爲“利比里亞政府提請了仲裁，目前正在處理中。”

A brief statement from the center said it had withdrawn support after “a long period of unproductive discussions with the Liberian government about their responsibilities in this regard, during which time we incurred millions of dollars of costs.”

該中心發表簡短聲明稱，在決定撤消資助之前，“與利比里亞政府就他們在此事上的責任進行了長期的無效討論，在此期間，我們承擔了數百萬美元的費用。”

Ms. O’Neill said the center “never had any obligation for care for the chimps, contractual or otherwise.”

奧尼爾表示，該中心“從來都沒有照料這些黑猩猩的任何責任，無論是合同義務，還是其他協議。”

The news site Front Page Africa first reported on the uncertain fate of the chimps last week.

新聞網站“非洲頭版”(Front Page Africa)上週首先對這羣黑猩猩未知的命運進行了報道。

Fatorma K. Bolay, director of the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research in Charlesville, which cares for the chimpanzees — who live uncaged on six mangrove islands — said that the institute cannot afford to pay for their food and care.

在查爾斯維爾的利比里亞生物醫學研究所(Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research)擔任所長的法蒂瑪·K·博萊(Fatorma K. Bolay)表示，該機構負擔不起這羣黑猩猩的食物和照料費用。目前這個研究所正在照料這批自由居住在六座紅樹林島上的黑猩猩。

He said the humane society has been paying for food and repairs since March 6, when funding from the blood center stopped, but that caretakers are working for free.

博萊博士稱，在血液中心停止提供資助後，人道協會從3月6日開始承擔食物及修理所需的費用，但護理員都是在免費工作。

“Why would they walk away from the animals?” Dr. Bolay said about the blood center’s funding withdrawal. “We have to find a solution to take care of these animals.”

“他們爲何要拋棄這些動物？”提到血液中心的撤資決定時，博萊問道。“我們需要想出辦法來照料它們。”

The history of the research center, called Vilab II, dates back to 1974, when the blood center contracted with the institute to do research primarily on the hepatitis virus, which survives in blood and posed a threat to the safety of the supply of donated blood. Around this time, the United States banned importation of chimpanzees caught in the wild.

Vilab II研究中心的歷史可以追溯到1974年。當時紐約血液中心與該所簽訂合同，主要開展有關肝炎病毒的研究。這一病毒存活在血液中，對捐獻血液的供應安全造成威脅。就在那個時間點前後，美國開始禁止引進在野外捕捉的黑猩猩。

By 2005, the blood center had stopped research on the chimps and started trying to make arrangements for their long-term care. A 2014 Vice documentary, Island of the Apes, chronicled the history of the lab and the islands on which the chimps now live.

到2005年，血液中心停止了有關這羣黑猩猩的研究，開始嘗試安排長期照料它們的事宜。Vice媒體公司2014年推出的紀錄片《黑猩猩之島》(Island of the Apes)記錄了這座實驗室及黑猩猩目前所居住的島嶼的發展歷史。

A decade ago, the blood center appeared to be committed to caring for the chimps in retirement. Alfred M. Prince, director of the Vilab II project for the blood center, wrote an article in the American Society of Primatologists Bulletin in December 2005, seeking a foundation to take over care of the chimps. Dr. Prince wrote that the blood center “recognizes its responsibility to provide an endowment to fund the Sanctuary for the lifetime care of the chimpanzees.”

10年前，紐約血液中心似乎做出了照料這羣不再參加研究項目的黑猩猩的承諾。血液中心的Vilab II項目負責人艾爾弗雷德·M·普林斯(Alfred M Prince)於2005年12月在《美國靈長目動物學家協會通報》(American Society of Primatologists Bulletin)發表文章，尋找基金會來接管照料黑猩猩的工作。普林斯寫道，血液中心“承認有責任提供資金來維持爲黑猩猩提供終身照料的保護區。”

But Ms. O’Neill said in an email that this was Dr. Prince’s opinion and was “not authorized or approved” by the blood center. She added that the center “did not ever establish any endowment for animal care, chimpanzees included.”

不過，奧尼爾在郵件中表示，這是普林斯個人的觀點，“未經”血液中心的“授權或認可”。她還表示，中心“從未設立照料動物的專項資金，黑猩猩也不例外”。

In 2007, the blood center withdrew its staff from the institute in Liberia, but continued to support the chimpanzees. In January, Dr. Bolay said the blood center informed the institute that March 5 would be the last day of support. Previous negotiations about the chimps’ future had broken down, Dr. Bolay said.

2007年，紐約血液中心撤出了派駐利比里亞這座研究所的工作人員，但繼續爲黑猩猩提供資金。博萊在今年1月表示，血液中心告知研究所，3月5日將是他們提供資助的最後一天。博萊稱，之前有關這羣黑猩猩未來命運的談判以破裂告終。

The humane society hired Agnes Souchal, general manager of the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon, to assess the state of the chimpanzees. She said in an interview that there is little to no natural food on the islands and the animals were completely dependent on their caretakers, who were feeding them every other day.

美國人道協會聘請了喀麥隆薩那加-楊黑猩猩援救中心(Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center)的總管昂內斯·蘇莎爾(Agnes Souchal)來評估這羣黑猩猩的狀態。她接受採訪時表示，島上幾乎沒有天然食物，黑猩猩完全依靠護理員養活，每隔一天得到他們的一輪餵食。

The feeding schedule had not changed, but there was more food in the past, she said.

她說，飼餵安排沒有變，但過去會喂更多的食物。

She said she found chimpanzees “without water.” There is no fresh water on the islands and the water system had broken down. Since Ms. Souchal’s visit, it has been fixed with funds from the United States and international humane societies.

她表示，自己發現黑猩猩“沒有水喝”。島上沒有淡水，而供水系統出現了故障。在蘇莎爾訪問這些島嶼後，幾家美國及國際人道團體提供了資金，修復了供水系統。

Kathleen Conlee, vice president for animal research at the Humane Society of the United States, said the group is starting a crowdfunding effort on the site GoFundMe to raise about $150,000. “Our long-term goal is to provide these chimpanzees with true sanctuary,” she said. She said at least 16 other animal welfare groups are also calling on the center to reinstate funding.

美國人道協會動物研究部門的副主管凱瑟琳·康利(Kathleen Conlee)表示，該組織打算在GoFundMe網站上進行衆籌，希望能募集到15萬美元。“我們的長期目標是爲這些黑猩猩提供真正的保護區，”她說。她表示，至少還有其他16家動物福利組織也在呼籲血液中心恢復提供資金。

Ms. Conlee said, “You cannot just use chimps like this and just abandon them and get away with it.”

康利說，“不能這樣利用黑猩猩，然後拋棄它們，還不用承擔任何後果。”