Chimps Freed; Will Make You Cry

The video in this post has been circulating around since yesterday and I've resisted posting it. I don't always like making people cry, but now I'm going to succumb to the temptation.

The United States is one of only two countries that still does biomedical medical research on laboratory chimpanzees. They spend their lives in cages, never able to breath fresh air, feel the mud under their feet or the sun on their shoulders. Not a good life.

Two chimpanzees react after being released from laboratory
cages and brought to an outdoor sanctuary in Louisiana. 

There's been a fortunate movement lately to abandon or at least curtail research on chimpanzees. Some are being freed. Some of those have not seen nature since they were captured 50 years ago. Many others were born in captivity and have never felt the pull and joy of nature.

For the record, I'd be suicidal if I was denied exposure to nature, so I feel for these chimps.

In the video below, we see what happens when the chimpanzees are released. (100 of them recently were released here) The awe on their faces, after being confined in cages all their lives,  when they see the wide open spaces and the sky stretching as far as the eye can see is breathtaking.

The chimps in the video were released into Chimp Haven Sanctuary in Keithville, Louisiana. I really hope these chimps have long, beautiful lives embraced by nature for a long, long time.

Warning: This is a full Kleenex alert. Don't watch without them.