This just in...We are on our way to raising the funds to provide forever homes to seven monkeys being retired from the University of Georgia (UGA). UGA is committed to helping us provide for the monkeys' retirement, and would like to be a model for other universities to follow suit. They are giving $25,000 to help build the habitats.
So far, our supporters have also donated $28,870. Gail and Marc Sanders gave $5,000 and Bev Keene, a regular volunteer, donated $7,000. Our other generous supporters have donated a total of $4,870. NAVS, an educational organization dedicated to eliminating animal use in product testing and research, donated $10,000. Animal Warriors, a Florida organization whose members regularly volunteer to help build habitats, has given $2,000 and have a fundraiser planned next month to raise even more.
We still have a long way to go, though. Won't you help with a
donation to the Research Retirement Fund?
With the $53,870 raised so far, we have the funds to build habitats for Mickey, Xenon, Leo, Xavier, Nick, Chris, and Job. But we don't have a place to build them! The sanctuary is at capacity on the 12 acres we currently have, so we need to raise $150,000 to buy a 5-acre property next to the sanctuary. The new property will provide space for the seven monkeys from UGA, as well as other monkeys that will be released from research later -- including ten monkeys in the lab that Don King, Sloth, and the other "Iron Men" monkeys came from.
Every time we accept another monkey, we commit to approximately $1,600 per year for their care. With an average lifespan of more than 40 years, lifetime care for these seven capuchins will cost more than $235,000.
But once they are here at the sanctuary, they will never face being sent back to research or exploited in any way. That is worth every penny.
Please
contribute to getting these sweet boys out of research for good! UGA is putting together a video of the monkeys at the lab and sending out a press release, so watch
Facebook for updates.
We can do it with your help -- I know we can.
