The Effect of the Civil War

When the civil war reached Vilab in June 1990, 75 animals were housed at the laboratory and 90 had been retired on five of the six islands. For a period of several weeks the war prevented Vilab staff from visiting the islands to provide food. During this time many animals were poached or died of starvation. Not a single island-born baby survived. When it was possible to return to the islands, all the surviving animals except the group released in 1978 (now too wild to recapture) were returned to Vilab for safety. Vilab suffered no physical damage during this period. In December 1992 there was a total of 108 chimpanzees at Vilab. On January 31, 1993, soldiers arrived at Vilab and forced the staff at gunpoint from the compound. For the next four weeks, Vilab staff was able to visit the laboratory on only one occasion due to the continued fighting in the area. During that time the animals were not fed or provided water. Forty-seven animals at Vilab were shot, died of dehydration/starvation or disappeared. In the group that had been left on an island, only a single animal survived. National elections in 1997 returned the country to peace. 64 chimpanzees remain at Vilab. These include about 10 virgin animals which can be used for vaccine evaluation, and 26 animals which are chronically infected with HCV, and thus can be used for immunotherapy experiments. In April 2000, a group of 15 retired animals was released to one of the islands.

All facilities have been reconstructed and improved. Equipment lost due to looting (generator, vehicles, air conditioners, computers, microscopes) has been replaced. The laboratory is now in good operating condition. All chimpanzees are in good health and spirits.

Additional groups were released onto islands in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

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