Primarily Primates
| Primarily Primates | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| 29°41′21.15″N 98°40′59.02″W / 29.6892083°N 98.6830611°W | |
| Date opened | 1978 |
| Location | Bexar County, Texas United States |
| Land area | 30 hectares (74 acres) |
| No. of animals | 347 |
| Website | primarilyprimates.org |
Primarily Primates (PPI) is a non-profit organization in
Background
Animals at the shelter include primates formerly used in
The Texas attorney general took control of the sanctuary in October 2006 after allegations that the facility was "unfit," and that public donations had been misspent while the animals lived in substandard accommodation.[4] An Austin probate court put the sanctuary into temporary receivership and appointed a primate expert, Lee Theisen-Watt, to evaluate the animals' condition and supervise their care. The attorney general asked the court permanently to remove Wally Swett and his associates, and require them to repay some of the funds that were allegedly misspent.[4] In April 2007, a settlement was reached appointing a new board of directors, which placed Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals, a Connecticut-based animal-rights group that funded Primarily Primates as its president of the board. At the conclusion of the Receivership, spokesman Kelly for the attorney-general's office said in a statement that "[t]he troubling conditions at Primarily Primates have been remedied."[5]
Temporary receivership
The controversy began when a former volunteer of the sanctuary set up undercover footage showing sick animals and primates confined in small cages.[6] The material was handed to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which filed a lawsuit against Primarily Primates in March 2006. The courts dismissed the lawsuit, but the controversy continued. Both sides made serious allegations against the other, with PETA maintaining a highly critical website called Primarily Primates: Hell On Earth For Animals.
The Texas
New management
On May 1, 2007, the temporary receivership concluded and a new management team arrived. Chimp Haven, a sanctuary to which a number of chimpanzees were relocated during the receivership, chose not to return the chimpanzees to PPI.[7]
Settlement
On April 27, 2007, the state of Texas entered into a settlement agreement which concluded the term of Court Appointed Receiver, Lee Theisen-Watt, and approved a board of directors that is headed by Eric Turton and Priscilla Feral. The settlement also dismissed all charges against Primarily Primates. Swett was required to leave the property and is prohibited from serving either on the board or as an employee.[8]
In May 2007, Texas courts handed management of the facility to Friends of Animals, with a new board of directors headed by Priscilla Feral and employed Stephen Tello as executive director, who had previously been involved in running the facility for 20 years.[9] In addition to Tello, the new board consists of Priscilla Feral of Friends of Animals, which funded Primarily Primates'; and Lou Griffin, a primatologist with laboratory experience of non-human primates.[5] A primate veterinarian, Dr. Michele Martino, also joined the board, but resigned soon after. In a press release, Feral stated: "My promise to donors, advocates, and the public is that this sanctuary will be tidy, well-run, communicative, and a place advocates can be proud to support."[10]
A spokesman for the Texas attorney general's office, Tom Kelley, stated "The troubling conditions at Primarily Primates have been remedied." (By the Court Appointed Receivership) Which allowed for the Office of the Attorney General to settle with the Defendants, requiring they maintain the new standards. He confirmed that Wally Swett will be permanently barred from the facility as part of the settlement.[5]
References
- ^ Primarily Primates Newsletter Summer 2011 A Match Made In Heaven: the story of Jordan the Lemur
- ^ Britches.org info Archived 2014-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Primarily Primates Newsletter Winter 2010-11 Archived 2011-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Spotlight on willie and Harry
- ^ a b Tumiel, Cindy. "Primarily Primates battle heads to mediation" Archived 2007-02-19 at the Wayback Machine, San Antonio Express-News, February 7, 2007.
- ^ a b c Witt, Howard. Sanctuary case dropped: Former operators to get facility back, Chicago Tribune, April 27, 2007; accessed January 20, 2008.
- ^ Smith, Jordan. Legendary "Humanzee" Oliver, his friends, and the bitter fight over animal welfare at a Texas refuge, The Austin Chronicle, December 15, 2006
- ^ Tumiel, Cindy. Primarily Primates works to reclaim inhabitants[permanent dead link], San Antonio Express-News, January 3, 2008.
- ^ Settlement looming for Primarily Primates Archived 2009-02-17 at the Wayback Machine by Cindy Tumiel San Antonio Express-News April 25, 2007, 10:30 PM CDT
- ^ Foy, Nicola. New Management Eager to Revitalize Primate Refuge[permanent dead link], San Antonio Express-News, May 26, 2007.
- ^ Settlement for Primarily Primates Means Refuge Can Move On Archived 2007-08-10 at the Wayback Machine Press release dated 04/27/07, Friends of Animals.
External links
- Primarily Primates website
- Article on Air Force Chimps
- Widner, Cindy. "A Better Place", The Austin Chronicle, August 5, 2005.