NIH Chimpanzee Management Program: Consolidation Should Achieve Cost Savings, but a Clear Implementation Plan Is Needed
Released: 2016-04-14T00:00:00

Letter

Background

Overview of Chimpanzees’ Use in Federal Research Studies

Due to their genetic proximity to humans, chimpanzees have historically been used in invasive biomedical research projects that study the immune responses in chimpanzees chronically infected with hepatitis virus, HIV, malaria, or with other medical conditions. However, new methods and technologies developed by the biomedical research community have provided alternatives to the use of chimpanzees in several areas of research, and, as a result, the use of chimpanzees in invasive biomedical research declined. In December 2011, the IOM issued a report that concluded that the use of chimpanzees in most biomedical research of human diseases was unnecessary because other experimental models have been developed and some studies can now be done using humans. Subsequently, NIH issued an interim policy suspending support of new research projects using chimpanzees while the agency considered the IOM report. NIH announced, in June 2013, that the majority of its owned chimpanzees would be permanently retired from invasive biomedical research and moved to the federal sanctuary as space became available, and that approximately 50 chimpanzees from among those it owned or supported, would be maintained for such research studies. However, after the June 2015 announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add captive chimpanzees to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, NIH announced, in November 2015, that it no longer planned to maintain any chimpanzees for invasive biomedical research. On February 2, 2016, NIH announced that it would limit its future support for research on chimpanzees consistent with the restrictions imposed on the federal chimpanzee retirement sanctuary.

Caring for Chimpanzees

NIH currently owns or supports chimpanzees at four facilities. These facilities are:

Alamogordo Primate Facility (Alamogordo), which is located on the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, is operated by a for-profit contractor (Charles River Laboratories), and houses chimpanzees that are primarily descendants of the original research population associated with the U.S. space program. This facility houses only chimpanzees—no other types of primates—and, based on current agreements in place, may not accept any new chimpanzees into its facility.

Chimp Haven, the federal chimpanzee retirement sanctuary in Louisiana, is a privately owned facility operated by a not-for-profit entity that provides lifetime care for retired chimpanzees. Under its contract with HHS, the entity receives federal funds for its operations but must also meet matching fund requirements. Chimpanzees that are housed at this facility are considered retired from invasive biomedical research.

Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Keeling) is a primate facility in Bastrop, Texas, that houses multiple other types of primates in addition to chimpanzees and is part of an academic facility that serves as both a center for biomedical research and as a center for veterinarian training.

Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC), which is a primate facility in San Antonio, Texas, houses multiple other types of primates in addition to chimpanzees and is part of a biomedical research facility—the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. It is the only facility among the four that, in addition to NIH-owned chimpanzees, houses NIH-supported chimpanzees. (For more information on the four facilities, see appendixes II through V at the end of this report.)

NIH requires the four facilities housing chimpanzees owned or supported by NIH to comply with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Eighth Edition. Specifically, the NIH guidance requires the facilities to follow a framework for housing chimpanzees that offers environmental enrichment and animal well-being. For example, facilities are required to follow NIH recommendations on the physical characteristics of space within the facilities, such as allowing chimpanzees the opportunity to rotate into larger enclosures on a regular basis and providing access to natural materials and the outdoors to enhance their environmental complexity. Some examples of environmental complexity could include access to the outdoors, grass, mulch, and natural materials that provide climbing opportunities.

The CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 authorized appropriations for NIH to continue supporting chimpanzees in research facilities and at Chimp Haven. In addition, NIH indicated in a federal register notice that, although housing chimpanzees in larger groups has the potential to offer greater social complexity and more environmental stimuli than housing them in smaller groups, each facility has well-positioned, knowledgeable staff (i.e., veterinarians and primate behaviorists) who are able to determine a chimpanzee’s suitability for group or single housing.

Since 1995, when NIH stopped breeding its captive chimpanzees, the number of NIH-owned and NIH-supported chimpanzees has been decreasing, and the proportion of NIH-owned and NIH-supported chimpanzees that are considered geriatric has increased. Captive chimpanzees have an estimated life expectancy of about 40 years and are considered geriatric at 35 years of age and older, with some captive chimpanzees living more than 50 years.

Although the population is decreasing, as of January 15, 2016, NIH owned or supported 561 chimpanzees and expects that it will continue to own or support some portion of this population for twenty years or more. See table 1 for information on the total number of NIH-owned or NIH- supported chimpanzees by facility, which changes over time as chimpanzees die or are transferred to other facilities.

NIH Funding for the Care of Its Chimpanzees

NIH provides funding to all four facilities for the cost of care for the chimpanzees it owns or supports. Based on provisions in the CHIMP Act applicable to the federal sanctuary, Chimp Haven must match a portion of the federal funds received under its contract for operating expenses (such as expenses associated with the care of chimpanzees, including expenses for veterinary and other staff, food, medicine, enrichment activities, transportation, and associated overhead). Specifically, Chimp Haven is required to match 1 dollar for every 3 dollars (or 25 percent) in federal funds provided for operating expenses in cash or in kind. The other three facilities have no matching funds requirements. NIH fully funds the cost of the care for the chimpanzees that it owns at these facilities. For the chimpanzees it supports but does not own—which are located only at SNPRC—NIH contributes to the cost of their care. The CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 authorized appropriations to NIH through fiscal year 2018 for the care, maintenance, and transportation of chimpanzees that NIH owns or supports. (See table 2.)

NIH-Owned and NIH- Supported Chimpanzees Are No Longer Used for Invasive Biomedical Research, but Most Have Not Yet Retired to the Federal Sanctuary

No NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees are eligible for use in invasive biomedical research. As a result of NIH’s recent decision to no longer maintain a colony of chimpanzees for future invasive research, none of the 561 chimpanzees it owned or supported as of January 15, 2016, were considered eligible for such research, and three of the facilities reported that they had not used chimpanzees in invasive research during the period of our review, consistent with NIH’s efforts to phase out invasive biomedical research projects. However, all 561 chimpanzees were eligible for non-invasive research, even if retired to the federal retirement sanctuary, Chimp Haven. Non-invasive research studies include observational and behavioral studies and studies that involve the use of blood or tissue samples that are obtained during the course of regular medical care. Two of the four facilities—Chimp Haven and Keeling—reported that they were currently conducting non-invasive research with NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees. In addition, SNPRC officials reported that they previously provided tissue samples taken during the course of regular medical care to researchers for such research, but no longer do so. While Alamogordo officials reported that no research was currently underway involving chimpanzees at their facility, they reported that non-invasive research had taken place at their facility in recent years.

NIH officials said that all of the chimpanzees it owns or supports may eventually be retired to Chimp Haven, though the timeframes are not yet determined. While NIH no longer allows invasive biomedical research on any of its owned or supported chimpanzees, according to NIH officials, chimpanzees are not considered to be officially retired until physically located at Chimp Haven. As a result, as of January 15, 2016, the 179 chimpanzees housed at Chimp Haven were considered to be retired, and NIH considered the remaining NIH-owned chimpanzees housed at the other facilities to be eligible for retirement to Chimp Haven as space becomes available there. Of the 301 NIH-owned chimpanzees that were eligible for retirement, 144 were housed at Alamogordo, 138 were housed at Keeling, and 19 were housed at SNPRC. SNPRC also houses another 81 chimpanzees supported by NIH, and they potentially could be retired to Chimp Haven if SNPRC opts to transfer ownership. See figure 1.

Costs to Care for and Transport Chimpanzees Varied over Time for a Variety of Reasons

NIH’s Per-Chimpanzee Per-Day Costs Varied over Time and among Facilities

Among the four facilities that currently house NIH-owned or NIH- supported chimpanzees, the average per-chimpanzee per-day costs incurred by NIH for their care have generally been lowest at Chimp Haven and highest at Alamogordo. The average per-chimpanzee per-day costs that NIH incurred for care provided to chimpanzees during the time period covering federal fiscal years 2013 through 2015 ranged from a low of $41 at Chimp Haven to a high of $61 at Alamogordo. During this same time period, the average per-chimpanzee per-day costs that NIH incurred for the care of chimpanzees at Keeling and SNPRC (including the combined costs associated with both the NIH-owned and NIH-supported chimpanzees at SNPRC) varied from year to year, but were similar to each other—$47 and $49, respectively. In the first quarter of federal fiscal year 2016, the per-chimpanzee per-day costs for care incurred by NIH continued to be lowest at Chimp Haven ($42), and were similar at Keeling, Alamogordo, and SNPRC ($52, $53, and $54, respectively). See table 3.

Factors associated with the characteristics of each facility likely contributed to the variation in the costs. For example, the generally lower costs incurred by NIH for chimpanzee care at Chimp Haven compared to the other three facilities were likely attributable to the requirement that Chimp Haven match 1 dollar for every 3 dollars in federal funding for operating expenses—a 25 percent matching requirement that Chimp Haven met throughout the time period we analyzed. Because of these matching requirements, while the actual average cost of care per- chimpanzee per-day on average at Chimp Haven during the time period we analyzed was about $55, the share of those costs incurred by NIH was about $41 per-chimpanzee per-day. In contrast to Chimp Haven, NIH fully funded the reported costs or grant awards for chimpanzee care at the other three facilities. In addition, costs may have been lower at the two large primate research facilities, Keeling and SNPRC, compared to Alamogordo because they were likely able to realize economies of scale associated with the sharing of staff and resources with their larger primate programs—officials from both facilities reported that they shared staff and resources in this way. Alamogordo, which only houses chimpanzees, does not have the ability to share resources in this way. However, Alamogordo had notably reduced costs between federal fiscal years 2014 and 2015. Alamogordo officials reported that they were able to do this by taking a number of cost-cutting measures. For example, they reduced staff and associated overhead, made changes to payroll, accounting, and information technology functions, and switched from brand name to generic drugs whenever possible. Through these efforts, costs per- chimpanzee per-day were reduced by more than $6.00.

At SNPRC costs incurred by NIH varied widely for the NIH-owned compared to the NIH-supported chimpanzees. Of the 100 chimpanzees at SNPRC as of the end of the first quarter of federal fiscal year 2016, NIH owned only 19, and funding for the care of these chimpanzees was provided through a cooperative agreement, which could only be used to fund the care of its NIH-owned chimpanzees. The other 81 chimpanzees were owned by SNPRC, not NIH, but NIH provided some financial support for those chimpanzees through a different grant—a grant which provided funding for SNPRC’s larger primate program and out of which a portion was used to support some of the care of chimpanzees. Based on an analysis of these two different funding sources, we found that the per- chimpanzee per-day costs incurred by NIH were significantly higher for the NIH-owned chimpanzees at this facility compared to those that were supported by NIH. For example, the average cost per-chimpanzee per- day during the time period covering federal fiscal years 2013 through 2015 was $78 for the NIH-owned chimpanzees and $42 for the NIH- supported chimpanzees. According to SNPRC officials, NIH-incurred costs for the NIH-supported chimpanzees are lower at their facility because the grant covering these chimpanzees is designed to be supplemented by other research funds. Differences in costs per- chimpanzee per-day for NIH-owned compared to NIH-supported chimpanzees continued in the first quarter of federal fiscal year 2016, where they were $81 and $47, respectively. (See table 4.)

NIH Has Incurred Costs Associated with Transporting Chimpanzees

Since the beginning of federal fiscal year 2013, NIH has incurred costs associated with transporting 121 chimpanzees, all from other facilities to Chimp Haven. According to officials from Chimp Haven, the costs for transporting chimpanzees from one facility to another varied depending on factors such as the number of chimpanzees being transported (typically ranging from between 4 and 8 chimpanzees) and the distance of the transport. Consistent with statutory matching requirements for transports made to Chimp Haven, NIH paid for 75 percent of the cost of transportation and Chimp Haven covered the remaining 25 percent. The total cost to transport the 121 chimpanzees was $66,346, for an average of about $548 per transported chimpanzee. Of that, NIH paid $49,760, for an average of about $411 per transported chimpanzee.

NIH’s Goal to Consolidate Chimpanzee Population to Chimp Haven Should Result in Savings, but the Lack of Long-Term Planning Could Diminish Potential Savings

NIH’s Goal to Consolidate Chimpanzees to Chimp Haven Should Result in Cost Savings

Because the costs incurred by NIH to care for its owned or supported chimpanzees have generally been lowest at Chimp Haven compared to the costs at the other three facilities that house them, NIH’s goal to transfer its chimpanzees to Chimp Haven should result in cost savings for NIH. Further, economies of scale can be achieved by increasing the number of chimpanzees at Chimp Haven and thereby presenting opportunities for cost savings. According to Chimp Haven officials, economies of scale can be achieved when some fixed costs—such as the costs for the upkeep of the facilities that house chimpanzees, staffing experts to care for the chimpanzees, and other costs related to the care and enrichment of the animals—can be applied to large numbers of chimpanzees. In addition, the chimpanzee housing at Chimp Haven— which includes large corral habitats and open-air habitats that require less maintenance than caged facilities and can accommodate larger chimpanzee social groups than the housing available at the other facilities—can facilitate cost efficiencies. As a result, once Chimp Haven is at full capacity, which would currently allow it to house up to 229 NIH- owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees, the costs incurred by NIH to care for chimpanzees there will likely be lower than costs incurred in recent years.

NIH officials reported that, in the short-term, they plan to transfer to Chimp Haven all 19 NIH-owned chimpanzees from SNPRC. After these chimpanzees are transferred, 363 NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees would continue to be housed outside of Chimp Haven. The transfer of these 19 chimpanzees in particular should result in cost savings to NIH in the short-term because during the timeframe of our analysis—federal fiscal year 2013 through the first quarter of federal fiscal year 2016—the costs incurred by NIH to care for the NIH-owned chimpanzees at SNPRC were consistently the highest compared to the costs incurred for any other NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees and were nearly twice as high as the costs incurred by NIH for the care of chimpanzees at Chimp Haven. Based on the most recent per- chimpanzee per-day costs, on an annualized basis, NIH should save about $270,000 within one year as a result of the transfer of these 19 chimpanzees to Chimp Haven. NIH will incur some costs associated with transporting these 19 chimpanzees to Chimp Haven; however, the savings associated with the lower costs per-chimpanzee per-day will outweigh these transportation costs over time. For example, if the costs NIH incurs for transporting these chimpanzees is similar to the costs it incurred for recent transports ($411 per chimpanzee), then total NIH- incurred costs for the transport of the 19 chimpanzees would be about $8,000. Even if the costs for transferring these 19 chimpanzees should exceed the average of recent transfers, the transfer costs would be less than the estimated annualized savings of $270,000.

NIH officials reported that the relocation of chimpanzees to Chimp Haven will occur when space becomes available and within a timeframe that allows for the optimal transition of each individual chimpanzee. NIH’s general framework for longer-term plans will prioritize the transfer of NIH- owned chimpanzees ahead of the transfer of NIH-supported chimpanzees. Of the 363 chimpanzees that would continue to be housed outside of Chimp Haven after the transfer of the 19 chimpanzees from SNPRC, there would be 282 NIH-owned chimpanzees, all housed at Keeling and Alamogordo, and 81 NIH-supported chimpanzees, all housed at SNPRC. Given this, longer-term plans would focus first on transfers of those 282 chimpanzees and later on the 81 NIH-supported chimpanzees that continue to be housed at SNPRC. NIH officials reported that among the 282, it plans to first focus on transferring the 138 chimpanzees currently housed at Keeling and then focus on transferring the 144 at Alamogordo. Transferring chimpanzees from either of these two facilities to Chimp Haven should result in some reductions in NIH’s costs because the costs incurred by NIH are higher at these two facilities compared to Chimp Haven.

NIH Has Not Fully Developed or Communicated a Clear Long-Term Implementation Plan, Diminishing the Potential Savings That Could be Achieved through Consolidation Efforts

While NIH has informed the facilities of its plan to transfer 19 chimpanzees in the near future, it has not finalized or communicated details on the timing of this transfer, and it has not developed or communicated a clear long-term implementation plan for transporting the remaining chimpanzees that would continue to be housed outside of Chimp Haven. According to agency officials, it has not developed such a plan, in part because of uncertainties about the available space at Chimp Haven. However, as discussed below, information on space availability in the near and long term is available and could be used and updated as needed to help inform planning.

In the absence of this long-term plan, the four facilities that house NIH- owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees do not have the information they need to plan for the care of the NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees in a cost-effective way that also considers the timing of chimpanzee transfers as well as the welfare needs of the chimpanzee population. For example, staffing needs at each facility are influenced by the number of chimpanzees for which care is provided. If facility officials have an estimate of the number of chimpanzees that are expected to be transferred into or out of their facility within a given timeframe, they can then plan for appropriate increases or decreases in staffing levels.

In addition, absent a more clear long-term implementation plan, NIH may not have the information it needs to appropriately plan transfers and avoid costs associated with poor planning. For example, over the past several years, as directed by NIH, facilities have spent funds on preparations for transfers of chimpanzees that were ultimately canceled. Specifically, in 2012 SNPRC spent funds to prepare its facility to receive 110 chimpanzees from the New Iberia Research Center, but NIH officials later decided to cancel that transfer. Similarly, in 2015 Chimp Haven spent funds to arrange for the transport of 6 chimpanzees from Alamogordo, but NIH decided to cancel that transfer on the day the transfer was to take place. NIH incurred costs associated with both of these canceled transfers. Because NIH pays for the care of chimpanzees at these facilities and for costs associated with transfers, the effectiveness of the facilities’ and NIH’s planning will affect the costs incurred by NIH. Moreover, the absence of this plan is inconsistent with federal internal control standards that call for the effective internal and external communication of the quality information necessary to help an entity achieve its objectives.

Important considerations in developing a long-term plan to consolidate chimps at Chimp Haven include available space, costs, and chimpanzee welfare considerations. Information is available on these considerations from the four facilities and their staff.

Consideration of Available Space at Chimp Haven

NIH has information it can use to develop reasonable estimates for the number of chimpanzees that can be transferred to Chimp Haven within the next 5 years. Specifically, NIH officials told us that they are aware that Chimp Haven does not yet have the space available to accommodate all of NIH’s owned or supported chimpanzees (561 as of January 15, 2016). According to Chimp Haven officials, as of January 15, 2016, Chimp Haven had capacity to house up to 50 chimpanzees in addition to the 179 NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees it was housing at that time. This means that as of that date the number of NIH-owned or NIH- supported chimpanzees exceeded Chimp Haven’s capacity by 332 chimpanzees. See table 5.

Chimp Haven officials reported that, absent a facility expansion, they anticipate that space to take in more chimpanzees will become available only as Chimp Haven’s chimpanzee population declines due to deaths. These officials also reported that, based on anticipated mortality of NIH- owned and NIH-supported chimpanzees currently housed at other facilities, they expect that some will never be transferred to Chimp Haven because many of these chimpanzees are geriatric and may die before the transfers can be accommodated. Based on the expected rate of death among captive chimpanzees (five to ten percent each year), between about 127 and 230 chimpanzee deaths out of the 561 chimpanzees owned or supported by NIH as of January 15, 2016, could be anticipated within the next five years. Taking into account Chimp Haven’s current capacity to house NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees (229) and anticipated deaths among all NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees (127 to 230), estimates could be developed for the number of chimpanzees that could be accommodated there within the next five years and updated as actual information on space availability becomes known. For example, assuming no changes to Chimp Haven’s capacity and that all available space there could be used for NIH-owned or NIH- supported chimpanzees, within the next five years it could be anticipated that between 177 and 280 of the 382 chimpanzees that were housed at other facilities on January 15, 2016, would have either been transported to Chimp Haven or no longer need to be accommodated at Chimp Haven, and that between 102 and 205 chimpanzees would continue to be awaiting space at Chimp Haven.

In addition, Chimp Haven’s capacity to house more chimpanzees may increase during this time period. Specifically, in 2016, Chimp Haven plans to launch a capital campaign to raise funds to build four new habitats which—assuming the fundraising goals are met—would become operational sometime after 2017. After the construction of these four habitats, officials expect to accommodate between an additional 100 to 150 chimpanzees. NIH can monitor the progress on this planned expansion and adjust its plans for future chimpanzee transfers accordingly.

Consideration of Costs

Information about the costs incurred by NIH for the care of chimpanzees at Alamogordo, Keeling, and SNPRC and the potential longer-term costs associated with the care of chimpanzees at each of these facilities can also inform NIH’s longer-term planning regarding the transfer of chimpanzees to Chimp Haven. For example, based on NIH’s general plan to focus first on the transfer of NIH-owned rather than NIH-supported chimpanzees, and its plan to first transfer the 19 NIH-owned chimpanzees that are housed at SNPRC, NIH can consider the differences in the costs it has historically incurred to care for the chimpanzees at the two facilities that will continue to house NIH-owned chimpanzees—Alamogordo and Keeling. NIH can also consider information about the ability for each of the facilities to financially manage the care for the declining numbers of chimpanzees it houses. For example, as the chimpanzee populations decline, the facilities may incur higher per-chimpanzee per-day costs due to a loss of economies of scale. Keeling and SNPRC may be better able to manage the costs of a declining chimpanzee population because they can allocate resources across their larger primate programs in a way that Alamogordo cannot. According to Keeling and SNPRC officials, they can reduce costs associated with their chimpanzee programs as the facilities’ chimpanzee populations decline because they can reallocate staff, facilities, and other overhead to other parts of their larger primate programs. In contrast, while officials at Alamogordo reported that they took steps in recent years to reduce costs at their facility, their ability to reduce costs even further as its chimpanzee population continues to decline is limited. For example, according to facility officials, they can make some staff reductions over time as their chimpanzee population continues to decline. However, regardless of the number of chimpanzees housed there, they will always need at least two veterinarians on staff, even if this includes part-time staff, because one veterinarian is required to be on call at all times. In addition, Alamogordo officials reported that some costs associated with the maintenance of the facility are relatively fixed.

Consideration of Chimpanzee Welfare

Welfare considerations of the chimpanzees that are transported to Chimp Haven, including the transfer of existing intact social groups and of chimpanzees that would be expected to survive the relocation, might also influence NIH’s longer-term planning for the Chimpanzee Management Program. Officials from NIH and each of the facilities reported that the maintenance of chimpanzee social groups is important for their well- being, and all noted that transfers to Chimp Haven should be planned in ways that try to maintain these social groups. In addition, experts note that chimpanzees generally are better off in larger socials groups, and NIH’s guidelines on the standards of care for chimpanzees recommend the development of larger social groups. Based on these considerations, NIH’s longer-term plans may take into consideration prioritizing the transfer of chimpanzees that are well-suited for integration into these larger social groups Officials also reported that transporting any chimpanzee to a new facility and a new social environment causes stress on the chimpanzee, and that certain chimpanzees, such as those that are very old or very sick, may be less able to survive a transfer. Because there are costs incurred in transporting chimpanzees, in addition to animal welfare considerations, transferring chimpanzees that ultimately may not survive for long after the transfer could result in unnecessarily incurred costs. Therefore, identifying and transferring groups of chimpanzees that would most likely live for a number of years after their transitions could reduce transfer costs overall. For example, NIH might ultimately reduce costs by focusing first on transferring groups that include younger and healthier chimpanzees. Facility officials may be in a good position to help NIH identify ideal groups for transfer, as NIH already relies on facility staff to make appropriate decisions about creating chimpanzee social groups within their facilities. Moreover, facility officials told us that they consider their chimpanzees’ welfare when establishing these social groups, taking into account factors such as health status and age. For example, all four facilities segregate chimpanzees that are infected with either HIV or a form of hepatitis from all other chimpanzees, and some take steps to segregate older chimpanzees from younger chimpanzees. (See appendixes II – V for statistics on age and health status of chimpanzees at each facility.) In addition, some facility officials reported that they have taken steps to make sure certain long-standing social groups remain intact as they reconfigured their facilities to accommodate decreasing chimpanzee populations.

Despite the stresses associated with transferring chimpanzees, Chimp Haven officials reported that the facility has successfully incorporated hundreds of chimpanzees over the years, including older chimpanzees, and they said they take steps to alleviate the stress of the moves on the chimpanzees. For example, chimpanzees are not moved during extreme cold or hot weather, chimpanzees are kept within existing social groups and only introduced into larger social groups when conditions are ideal, and Chimp Haven veterinarians consult with veterinarians from the facilities of origin to discuss any issues related to the care and treatment of ailments.

Conclusions

NIH needs to continue to identify ways to be cost effective in its management of a declining chimpanzee population. NIH has established the important goal of maintaining the welfare of its owned and supported chimpanzees in a cost-effective manner and has stated that, as part of its goal, it intends to transfer to Chimp Haven all of its owned then any supported chimpanzees (for which title has been transferred) as space there becomes available. However, it has not developed an implementation plan for achieving this goal that is sufficiently clear and transparent enough to support decision making and has not communicated its plans to the facilities that currently house those chimpanzees, inconsistent with federal internal control standards. While there are still uncertainties about the long-term space availability at Chimp Haven, NIH can use the information currently available related to space, chimpanzee welfare, and costs for care to develop a clear implementation plan for the transfer of its remaining chimpanzees to Chimp Haven, a plan it could update or revise as appropriate. Because knowledge about the anticipated transfers of chimpanzees into and out of the four facilities that currently house NIH-owned and NIH-supported chimpanzees will affect the ability for each of these facilities to manage their costs, and because those costs are paid for in full or in part by NIH, it is important for NIH to clearly communicate its plans with the facilities to ensure that the facilities can take actions that will maximize cost-effective planning for the care of these chimpanzees in the future.

Recommendation for Executive Action

To help NIH manage its Chimpanzee Management Program in a cost- effective manner, we recommend that the Secretary of Health and Human Services direct the Director of NIH to develop and communicate a clear implementation plan for meeting its long-term goal that is informed by both costs and chimpanzee welfare, and that should be updated as needed. For example, the plan could consider more precise estimates of the volume and timing of transfers to assist the facilities in managing their costs and could consider various aspects of the welfare of the chimpanzees being transferred, such as their ability to survive a transfer and remain or be placed in a compatible social group.

Agency Comments

In commenting on a draft of this report, HHS concurred with our recommendation and stated that NIH is in the process of developing an implementation plan based primarily on the well-being and safety of the chimpanzees and secondarily on costs. HHS also noted that whether or not the expansion of the federal sanctuary with private funds will occur remains a major factor affecting the date when all of the chimpanzees can be retired. HHS and the four facilities also provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate.

We are sending copies of this report to appropriate congressional committees; the Secretary of Health and Human Services; and other interested parties. We will also make copies available at no charge on GAO’s website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me at (202) 512-7114 or dickenj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are listed in appendix VI.

Appendix I: Chimpanzee Enclosures at Facilities That House NIH-Owned or NIH- Supported Chimpanzees

National Institutes of Health (NIH)-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees are housed in various types of environments based on the available space of each of the four facilities that house them. These include multi- acre habitats, corral habitats, primadomes, and other caged enclosures. All include outdoor space and allow 24-hour, 7-day a week access to indoor facilities for protection from harsh weather conditions. Chimpanzees are combined into social groups that vary in size. Currently, the size of social groups at facilities that house NIH-owned or NIH- supported chimpanzees ranges from between 2 and 23. Images of some of the housing environments are included below.

Multi-Acre Habitats

Currently, multi-acre, open-air wooded habitats that house NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees range in size from three to five acres and have the capacity for larger groups of between 25 and 50 chimpanzees. They are surrounded by a combination of walls, fences, and moats to contain the chimpanzees within the habitat and provide access to indoor enclosures.

Corral Habitats

Smaller than multi-acre habitats, corral habitats are fenced open areas that include a variety of climbing structures. Corral habitats generally have capacity for about 10 or more chimpanzees.

Primadomes

Primadomes are geodesic domes that are typically around 34 feet in diameter. They are designed for smaller groups of chimpanzees compared to multi-acre or corral habitats (up to 8 chimpanzees) and allow them to climb in a fully enclosed caged environment that includes materials such as grass.

Other Caged Facilities

In addition to primadomes, other types of caged facilities of varying sizes are used to house NIH-owned or NIH-supported chimpanzees.

Appendix II: Characteristics of the Alamogordo Primate Facility

Overview: Alamogordo Primate Facility (Alamogordo) is a former research facility located at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The chimpanzees located at this facility are primarily descendants of chimpanzees that were part of the original research population associated with the space program. NIH funding for the care of chimpanzees at Alamogordo is made through a contract currently held by Charles River Laboratories and has no matching requirements.

Types of chimpanzee housing: Alamogordo has 10,792 square feet of indoor space and 20,348 square feet of outdoor space and has three types of structures for its chimpanzees: primadomes and two other types of caged enclosures all connected to indoor enclosures.

Facility-specific notes about housing: Alamogordo segregates its chimpanzees by sex and infection status. Its social group sizes range from 2 to 12 chimpanzees.

Appendix III: Characteristics of the Chimp Haven Federal Chimpanzee Retirement Sanctuary

Overview: Chimp Haven is the federal chimpanzee retirement sanctuary and is located in Louisiana. NIH funding for the care of chimpanzees at Chimp Haven is made through a contract with matching requirements—it must match 1 dollar for every 3 dollars for operating expenses.

Types of chimpanzee housing: Chimp Haven is built on 200 acres of outdoor space and has four types of chimpanzee housing, including: multi-acre outdoor habitats, enclosures, corral habitats, and two types of caged enclosures—all connected to indoor enclosures.

Facility-specific notes about housing: Chimp Haven segregates its chimpanzees by infection status. Its social group sizes range from 3 to 23 chimpanzees.

Appendix IV: Characteristics of the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research

Overview: Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research (Keeling) is part of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Bastrop, Texas. Its mission is to eliminate cancer and allied diseases. NIH funding for the care of chimpanzees owned and supported by NIH at Keeling is made through grants with no matching requirements.

Types of chimpanzee housing: Keeling has 16,309 square feet of indoor chimpanzee housing and 54,999 square feet of outdoor housing. Outdoor housing facilities include corral habitats and primadomes, which are all connected to indoor housing.

Facility-specific notes about housing: According to officials, Keeling’s chimpanzee management plan calls for separation of social groups according to infection status. Its social group sizes range from 2 to 10 chimpanzees.

Appendix V: Characteristics of the Southwest National Primate Research Center

Overview: Southwest National Primate Research Center (SNPRC) of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute is a research facility in San Antonio, Texas, that conducts basic and applied research in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Its research is focused on many human diseases including cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases such as hepatitis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). NIH funding for the care of chimpanzees owned and supported by NIH at SNPRC is made through grants with no matching requirements.

Types of chimpanzee housing: SNPRC has various types of caged housing units for chimpanzees including primadomes and other types of caged enclosures.

Facility-specific notes about housing: SNPRC segregates its chimpanzees by infection status. Its social group sizes currently range from 2 to 6 chimpanzees.

Appendix VI: Comments from the Department of Health and Human Services

Appendix VII: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

GAO Contact:

Staff Acknowledgements

In addition to the contact named above, individuals making key contributions to this report include Gerardine Brennan, Assistant Director; Lori Fritz; Matt Gever; Keith Haddock; Carolina Morgan; Laurie Pachter; and Jennifer Whitworth.