Editing Great Ape Project (section)

==Recent developments==
===United States===
A study commissioned by the [[National Institute of Health]] (NIH) and conducted by the [[Institute of Medicine]] (IOM) concluded in a report (see report brief<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Chimpanzees-in-Biomedical-and-Behavioral-Research-Assessing-the-Necessity/Report-Brief.aspx?page=1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805063909/http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Chimpanzees-in-Biomedical-and-Behavioral-Research-Assessing-the-Necessity/Report-Brief.aspx?page=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 5, 2012|title=Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity|publisher=Institute of Medicine|date=December 15, 2011|work=iom.edu|access-date=December 19, 2011}}</ref>) released on 15 December 2011 that "while the chimpanzee has been a valuable animal model in past research, most current use of chimpanzees for biomedical research is unnecessary".  The primary recommendation is that the use of chimpanzees in research be guided by a set of principles and criteria, in effect to greatly limit government-funded research using chimpanzees.  Falling short of calling for the out-right ban of using chimpanzees for research, the report acknowledged that new emerging, or re-emerging diseases may require the use of chimpanzees, echoing Professor Colin Blakemore's concern.

[[Francis Collins]], Director of NIH announced on the same day the report was released that he accepted the recommendations and will develop the implementation plan which includes the forming of an expert committee to review all submitted grant applications and projects already underway involving the use of chimpanzees. Furthermore, no new grant applications using chimpanzees will be reviewed until further notice.<ref name=nih>{{cite web|url= http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2011/od-15.htm|title=Statement by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins on the Institute of Medicine report addressing the scientific need for the use of chimpanzees in research|date=December 15, 2011|work=National Institutes of Health|access-date=December 19, 2011}}</ref>

On 21 September 2012, NIH announced that 110 chimpanzees owned by the government will be retired.  NIH owns about 500 chimpanzees for research, this move signifies the first step to wind down NIH's investment in chimpanzee research, according to Francis Collins.  Currently housed at the [[University of Louisiana at Lafayette|New Iberia Research Center]] in [[Louisiana]], 10 of the retired chimpanzees will go to the chimpanzee sanctuary [[Chimp Haven]] while the rest will go to [[Texas Biomedical Research Institute]] in [[San Antonio]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/21/161556143/government-officials-retire-chimpanzees-from-research?ft=1&f=1001|title=Government Officials Retire Chimpanzees From Research|author=Greenfieldboyce, Nell|publisher=[[NPR]]|date=21 September 2012|access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref>
However concerns over the chimpanzee's status in the Texas Biomedical Research Institute as "research ineligible" rather than "retired" prompted NIH to reconsider the plan and it announced on 17 October 2012 that as many chimpanzees as possible will be relocated to Chimp Haven by August 2013 and eventually all 110 will move there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/17/14125394-goodall-praises-nih-decision-to-remove-some-chimps-from-research-but-controversy-erupts-over-their-next-home?lite|title=Goodall praises NIH decision to remove some chimps from research, but controversy erupts over their next home|author=Lisa Myers and Diane Beasley|publisher=nbcnews.com|date=17 October 2012|access-date=22 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021215856/http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/17/14125394-goodall-praises-nih-decision-to-remove-some-chimps-from-research-but-controversy-erupts-over-their-next-home?lite|archive-date=21 October 2012}}</ref>

On 22 January 2013, a NIH task force released a report calling for the government to retire most of the chimpanzees the U.S. government support.  The panel concluded that the animals provide little benefit in biomedical discoveries except in a few disease cases which can be supported by a small population of 50 primates for future research.  Other approaches such as genetically altered mice should be developed and refined.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-22/u-s-panel-calls-for-limits-on-medical-use-of-chimpanzees.html|title=U.S. Panel Calls for Limits on Medical Use of Chimpanzees|author=Flinn, Ryan|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=23 January 2013|access-date=15 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dpcpsi.nih.gov/council/pdf/FNL_Report_WG_Chimpanzees.pdf|title=Council of Councils Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-Supported Research Report|author=Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Supported Research|publisher=NIH|date=22 January 2013}}</ref>

On 13 November 2013, the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] and the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] passed The Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act, approving the funding to expand the capacity of Chimp Haven and other chimpanzee sanctuaries, thus allowing the transfer of almost all of the apes owned by the federal government to live in a more natural and group environment than in the laboratory.  The transfer is expected to take five years when all but 50 chimpanzees, which will remain with the NIH, will be "retired".<ref>{{cite news|title=Federal government to transfer laboratory chimps to sanctuaries|author=Dizard, Wilson|url= http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/11/15/federal-governmenttofreecagedchimps.html|newspaper=Aljazeera America|date=15 November 2013|access-date=3 December 2013}}</ref>

===Germany===
The Great Ape Project achieved many of its goals in its early years: New Zealand completely banned invasive experiments on great apes in 1999, as did the Balearic Islands (an autonomous region of the monarchy of Spain) in 2007, deciding to implement certain fundamental rights for great apes in their code of law. However, the project entered a long period of political stagnation in Europe. All hopes that the achievements on the Balearic Islands would spark off further steps on the mainland of Spain and from there to other European countries proved to be futile. Efforts in Spain were largely curtailed due to the influence of the Catholic Church, obstructing the project's goals. In 2011, however, the project was given an official relaunch in Germany, supported by the Germany-based [[Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chronologie der wichtigsten Ereignisse |trans-title=Chronology of key events |url=https://www.giordano-bruno-stiftung.de/aktivitaeten/chronologie-wichtigsten-ereignisse |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=Giordano-Bruno-Stiftung |date=30 April 2011 |at=At section "2011: Grundrechte für Menschenaffen, Debatte über Bioethik und Proteste gegen den Papst" |language=de}}</ref>

Great Ape Project<ref>{{Cite web |title=Willkommen beim Great Ape Project |trans-title=Welcome to the Great Ape Project |url=https://www.greatapeproject.de/ |access-date=2023-03-17 |website=Great Ape Project |language=de}}</ref>{{Irrelevant citation|date=March 2023}} Germany filed an official law initiative in spring of 2014, to have the aforesaid fundamental rights for great apes implemented into the constitutional law of  the Federal Republic of Germany. The goal was (and still is) to have the animal welfare law extended to specifically grant the great apes the rights needed, to give them the chance, to have legal guardians representing their interests. In analogy to infants or of people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer disease, who cannot speak for themselves, legal guardians could file lawsuits against anyone violating the fundamental rights of the apes. Right now there are only animal protection laws, giving the animals no active legitimization.