In the wild, chimpanzees spend their days with their communities, exploring, and playing. Unfortunately, there is a portion of chimps who are captured or born in captivity, where they are subjected to life in a laboratory enduring painful and traumatic experiments. According to the Release & Restitution for Chimpanzees, the United States is the world's largest user of chimpanzees for biomedical research, with approximately 1,200 individual subjects currently in U.S. labs!
A group of animal activists are taking charge and recently transferred more than 100 chimps from labs to a safe-haven sanctuary. In the video, the caretakers captured the beautiful and heart-wrenching moment when a group of chimpanzees stepped outside for the very first time. They are all in awe and amazement over their new life. It is absolutely phenomenal to witness. (It's as beautiful as seeing these hens freed after years of enduring animal cruelty.)
Realizing there are no bars between them, the chimps suddenly notice they're able to touch one another. At the 1:30 mark, one chimp appears to hug his pal, wrapping his arm around him.
Sarah Kettinger, who is a caretaker at Chimp Haven, was amazed with the progress she's been able to see with the chimps as they adjust to their new lives.
"It's amazing to see how much they change at Chimp Haven from what they were in labs. They grow to trust us, they learn to climb trees and form a hierarchy in social groups," Kettinger wrote on YouTube.
"They are spoiled more than anyone [watching] realizes. They are loved by all of [the] staff, and they get the best vet care there is. We dedicate our lives to ensure these chimps have the life they never had in labs. These chimps are loved and cared for more than they would be anywhere else," she added.
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