A group of West African chimpanzees that participated in hepatitis B vaccine experiments have undergone extensive health examinations at the Humane World for Animals’ Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge in central Liberia. According to sanctuary director Liliana Pacheco Ricote, the evaluations included dental work, X-rays, pedicures, and comprehensive assessments of cardiovascular and nervous system function.
The chimpanzees were subjects in research conducted by American scientists from the 1970s until the early 2000s, with more than 400 animals involved in the studies over that period. Many were originally captured from the wild as infants. Humane World for Animals assumed permanent responsibility for 60 remaining chimpanzees when the research program concluded, with the animals now residing on mangrove forest-covered islands at the facility.
The comprehensive health checks, performed under anesthesia, are designed to detect any lingering health complications from the experiments and to create individualized care plans as the animals age. The chimpanzees, whose average age ranges from 30 to 35, received vaccinations, blood tests, and other preventive treatments. Sanctuary veterinarian Belen Perez Hernando characterized the assessments as essential components of care for animals that endured significant trauma.
West African chimpanzees are classified as critically endangered, with Liberia home to the second-largest population in the region after Guinea. The organization plans to continue conducting similar health evaluations on the remaining chimpanzees at the sanctuary. While the full impact of the research on the animals remains under assessment, sanctuary leadership emphasized the importance of providing these former research subjects with dignified living conditions and comprehensive medical support.
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