Animal captivity has been controversial due to ethical concerns. Primates are a common contender for animal testing based on their similarity to humans. Due to human causes, these primates have had to seek rehabilitation. At Central Washington University (CWU) in overtime there have been two different chimpanzee facilities. First there was the Chimpanzee and Humans Communication Institute (CHCI), which for years has engaged primates specifically for research and educational purposes. Over time the institute ended and in 2008 the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW) was hosted by chimpanzees. By analyzing and piecing together the details of CWU's chimpanzee facilities, we can determine whether animal captivity is ethical. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Chimpanzee and Humans Communication Institute (CHCI) was located on the CWU campus. The primates acquired by the institute were “cross-bred from humans” (Tweed 42). They conducted research on American Sign Language among humans and chimpanzees. They got this communication skill from “their human caregivers.” They studied their behavior and would research how these primates interact with each other. In 1981 they housed five chimpanzees who were used as research subjects. The CHCI was “designed to facilitate captive care and research with chimpanzees in a non-invasive, thoughtful, and humane manner” (Tweed 41). Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold described the CHCI as a union of “husbandry, science and a humane approach.” The CHCI institute has shown positive qualities. First, a positive attribute was that students were given “access to primates on the CHCI campus” this “allowed students to learn both care techniques and research skills without having to leave the area ”. Therefore humans have learned more about primates and how to properly research them. Another positive attribute was that the dietary, social, and object use needs of these primates were sufficiently met. The chimpanzees were fed three meals a day and were provided with objects and social enrichment (Fuentes et al. 224). “The chimpanzee facility consists of an outdoor enclosure, two indoor gyms, and a night enclosure…The enclosures are furnished with a variety of structural enrichment items” (ibid, 224). This primate institution would create scientific discoveries and knowledge about chimpanzees. Although there were positive attributes for the chimpanzees at CHCI, there were also negative attributes. A negative attribute of the CHCI was that the largest number of primates contained in this institution were five chimpanzees (Matarese 2013, 3). “In captivity, it is important that these primate species are housed with conspecifics and that the group size is representative of what it might be in the wild” (Tweed 8). These chimpanzees were also created to be subjects in behavioral research projects. For example, in a small group of CHCI chimpanzees they recorded conflict and post-conflict behavior. They collected data over 6 weeks to measure behavior patterns in the primates before and after the conflict. The main purpose of the CHCI was educational and research purposes. “The CHCI was built expressly with the intention of hosting educational programs as well as conducting important research” (Tweed 46). These negative impacts would soon worsen creating what would soon be the end for the CHCI. Although the CHCI was an important part of the CWU, it ultimately had to be discontinued in 2013(Tweed 2). When “Dar,” one of the CWU chimpanzees, died, it struck a demographic issue for the CHCI. This death “reduced the population to two.” This raises a problem, because in the wild they reside in a group of 100 or more chimpanzees. During the institute's heyday, completed in 1993, it housed five chimpanzees. Chimpanzees living in a small group is not a true representation of their natural habitat. When in a small group or alone, primates tend to show “self-injurious behavior and even signs of depression.” Dar's death affected a conflict in which the only option was the decision between acquiring more primates for the institute or transferring the primates (Matarrese 4). Unfortunately, providing new primates was too difficult, so the CWU had to send their primates to the Fauna Foundation Sanctuary in Canada. After this unfortunate result a new habitat for chimpanzees would be born. In 2008, the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW) became home to seven chimpanzees. CSNW is located in Cle Elum Washington. One of the goals of the CSNW “is to provide a high standard of care that facilitates an enriched and fulfilling life in captivity for these animals that they may not have had in their previous situations.” “Educational outreach” was another goal of this sanctuary. The goal was to provide a place where students or civilians could learn more about these primates from a distance. The primates housed at CSNW had an unfortunate past. At CSNW, “these seven chimpanzees have spent nearly three decades in biomedical research. They were owned by a biomedical research laboratory in Pennsylvania that rented the chimpanzees to other research facilities” where they were housed separately and vaccinated by scientists (Tweed 1). In this way we humans could make scientific progress in biomedical research. “These chimpanzees underwent daily rounds of blood draws, injections, liver biopsies and other procedures.” They too were raised and mothers were “forced to bear children… taken away… at birth.” They were eventually retired and released to CSNW, where the rehabilitation of these primates is a substantial goal. “Primates became the subjects of choice in the 1950s, when it became urgent for research to develop a vaccine against polio.” Primates have become the ideal test subject “due to their similarity to humans.” These chimpanzees are released into the sanctuary. These chimpanzees “still require intensive care and monitoring before, during and after release to ensure that they do not carry and spread diseases that they may have acquired in captivity, or because they are more susceptible to disease as a result of their experience in captivity.” They also struggle with persistent behavioral problems that occur as a result of the treatment they have been subjected to. These labs cause negative behavioral problems and affect the well-being of primates (Zhang 1). When a young primate is removed from its parents, it can already begin to develop problems at a young age. This circumstance causes "total isolation" in the newborn, who is left alone in the cage, without any contact with the mother and other primates. This isolation causes “abnormal postures and movements…motivational disturbances, such as excessive fear or excitement…poor integration of motor patterns, such as inappropriate sexual behavior…deficiencies in social communication, such as the inability to withdraw after being threatened by an aggressive animal". Therefore, laboratories that remove these primates from their mothers can create substantial isolation and consequences resulting from isolation. Although these primates now showed problemspreviously numerical, their new home conditions are very different. The CSNW is run by CWU staff and student volunteers or interns who help in the sanctuary (Tweed 107). The biggest task of this sanctuary is to manage the “quality of life” of the chimpanzees and have the staff intensively monitor these primates. They are also provided with essentials, such as their “nutritional, physical, mental and environmental needs”. These chimpanzees are also housed so that they can interact socially with each other. Health workers also “take walks with them when they want…to go and…not intrude on their social activities”.with each other.” It is also important that they provide a space where these primates have an indoor and outdoor enclosure. Animal welfare is an important aspect of a sanctuary, because it “guides and is directly linked to funding, relationships with donors, staff and volunteers, and the daily operations of the sanctuary.” Overall, this CSNW is well managed and has positive attributes as well. First, a positive aspect of the CSNW is that they “engage in educational outreach activities without compromising the well-being of residents” (Tweed iii). This provides greater knowledge of the welfare or humane treatment of chimpanzees. Students also benefit from the sanctuary by getting the benefit of learning about primates from afar. As stated previously, these chimpanzees are housed in an indoor enclosure and an outdoor habitat. This sanctuary, as previously stated, also prevents the spread of disease by keeping primates in the Pacific Northwest. This is because they care about the well-being of animals that could contract the disease, and the health of primates in biomedical laboratories. Another positive aspect is that human caregivers can also interact with chimpanzees for stimulation and engagement purposes. Tweed says the sanctuary can be called “a place of refuge and protection.” The primates' "nutritional, physical, mental and environmental needs" are also met. These chimpanzees “have more space, more agency and have had time to overcome some of the traumas of their past.” These Primates also dealt with matters concerning the CSNW. Unfortunately, the CSNW also has flaws. CSNW is home to seven chimpanzees. As mentioned above, chimpanzees typically live in a social group of more than 100 primates. “Animals in captivity…do not experience a range of social interactions as they would in the wild” (Tweed 9). Another negative aspect of the CSNW is that they are subjected to research on these primates, which was not originally intended, however the research is strictly observational. While the research may be imperfect, the research these primates undergo at CSNW is “non-invasive.” One example of this research involves evaluating “the effects of groups of visitors on individual chimpanzees.” Through what has been said about the CHCI, and the CSNW, we can determine whether it was ethical to confine these primates. When we compare CHCI and CSNW, we can determine that they are slightly similar but have a huge different factor. These similarities include housing a small amount of chimpanzees, providing indoor and outdoor space for the chimpanzees, educational activity, and both sought to provide the chimpanzees with their needs. Although these structures have similarities, the different goals of each structure create curiosity as to whether one of these structures is more ethically structured than the other. The CHCI was driven by student opportunities and scientific research. Meanwhile, the CSNW has been pushed to rehabilitate and create a habitat for these primates5368383/.