ALAMOGORDO PRIMATE FACILITY

The Alamogordo Primate Facility (APF) is located on Holloman Airforce Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. In 1953 the Holloman Aeromedical Field Laboratory's Space Biology Branch imported more than 60 chimpanzees from Africa to use in biodynamic and aeronautical research. On January 31, 1961, HAM, a trained three-and-a-half-year-old chimpanzee, became the first “chimp-o-naut” and successfully travelled in space. In 1965 the Air Force stopped using chimpanzees and the chimpanzee were transferred to a toxicology facility that was later known as the Coulston Foundation. After Coulston was repeatedly cited for violating the federal Animal Welfare Act, the Air Force took custody of 288 chimpanzees in 2000. As of October 2011, 176 federally supported chimpanzees were in semi-retirement at APF. The NIH working group reports that there are 169 chimpanzees at APF as of January 2013.

Summer 2015 UPDATE:  There are 154 chimpanzees at APF.

Summer 2017 UPDATE:  There are 126 chimpanzees at APF.

Summer 2018 UPDATE:  There are 49 chimpanzees at APF.

Fall 2019 UPDATE: There are 42 chimpanzees at APF.

Fall 2024 UPDATE:  There are 24 chimpanzees at APF.