At least Dubya will have a home after his term:
Gov't to Fund Home for Aging Chimps
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP)
The federal government has agreed to pay $8 million to help build a rest home in Louisiana for aging chimpanzees once used for scientific and medical research.
The facility, to be built in the Eddie D. Jones Nature Park, is expected to be complete by 2004. Besides former research animals, the haven will be for chimps no longer used as pets or in the entertainment business.
"This will provide a cost-effective program for the humane treatment of chimpanzees that have been used by our government for beneficial research," Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La., said in a news release.
Congress passed legislation last year that dedicates up to $30 million for ongoing care of chimpanzees.
Chimp Haven Inc., a nonprofit group founded in 1995 to develop a haven for the chimps, has been raising the necessary matching funds for construction.
The facility will house 300 chimps. The total project cost is $14 million.