Liliana Pacheco Ricote oversees health checks for 60 chimpanzees at a Liberian sanctuary that were used in hepatitis B vaccine experiments.
Liliana Pacheco Ricote, the director of the Humane World for Animals’ Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge, reported that a group of chimpanzees used in laboratory hepatitis B vaccine experiments has received health checks at their new home in central Liberia. These 60 chimpanzees were part of a larger group of more than 400 that were used by American researchers in experiments conducted from the 1970s until the early 2000s.
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Many of these chimpanzees were captured in the wild as infants and underwent invasive research. The sanctuary assumed permanent responsibility for these 60 chimpanzees in 2015. The animals now live on mangrove forest-covered islands. The health checks, performed under anesthetic, included dental examinations, X-rays, and blood tests to assess long-term health and detect early signs of disease. Belen Perez Hernando, the sanctuary’s veterinarian, stated that the health checks are a year-long process to tailor care plans as the chimpanzees age. Dr. Mark Ofua, a veterinarian and West Africa representative for the Wild Africa conservation group, noted that animals used in research are rarely the intended beneficiaries and often suffer from confinement and social disruption.