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IBM Issues Public Statement Severing Ties With New York Blood Center Over Chimp Abandonment

May 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment


The News

In a statement posted on its website, IBM announced that it has severed all ties with the NY Blood Center on account of the organization’s decision to abandon 66 chimpanzees with no food or water on islands in Liberia. IBM joins NYBC’s other long term corporate partners, MetLife and Citigroup, in demanding accountability from the organization.

IBM severs ties with NY Blood Center over chimp abandonment

The announcement, which states that IBM has suspended its blood drives, marks the end of a 54 year relationship between IBM and NYBC.

IBM has terminated its 54 year partnership with IBM on account of the abandoned chimps

IBM donated space to the New York Blood Center for blood drives.

IBM’s decision to sever ties with the NY Blood Center marks the end of a 54 relationship.

The news comes after a protest at IBM and months of discussions with animal welfare advocates who have been working to convince NYBC’s corporate parters to demand accountability from the organization.

The Care2 petition asking IBM to demand accountability from NYBC was signed by over 163,000 people.

The NY Blood Center abandoned 66 chimps on islands with no natural food or water and cut all funding for their care. Here, the chimps await the daily delivery of food and water. (Photo: Jenny Desmond for HSUS)

After NYBC abandoned the chimps, the animals went a week with no food or water.

After conducting research experiments on approximately 500 chimpanzees for 30 years and promising to provide the survivors with lifelong care, NYBC decided to abandon the 66 surviving chimps with no food or water on islands in Liberia, leaving them to die of starvation and thirst. Using money donated by the public, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has stepped in on an emergency basis to cover the monthly costs associated with feeding the chimps.

Among the many organizations that have spoken out against the New York Blood Center are Citigroup, MetLife and the Jane Goodall Institute

Dr. Jane Goodall, one of many leaders in the animal welfare community who have spoken out against NYBC’s decision to starve their chimps, wrote the following in a letter to the organization’s CEO, Christopher Hillyer, “I find it completely shocking and unacceptable that NYBC would abandon these chimpanzees and discontinue support for even their basic needs. Your company was responsible for acquiring these chimpanzees and thus has a moral obligation to continue to care for them for the remainder of their lives.”

The NY Blood Center made a promise to provide their chimpanzees with lifelong care.

In February, TheirTurn’s Donny Moss traveled to Liberia to visit and document the abandoned chimps; the Liberians who stepped in on a voluntary basis to save their lives; and Jenny and Jim Desmond, the American couple contracted by HSUS to oversee the care of the chimps.

Your Turn

Please thank IBM for taking a principled stand against the New York Blood Center by retweeting this tweet.

Please join the Facebook page, New York Blood Center: Do the Right Thing, to stay apprised of the campaign to hold NYBC accountable and to participate in online actions on behalf of the abandoned chimps.

Chimps abandoned by the New York Blood Center on islands in Liberia await their daily delivery of food and water.



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TheirTurn.net Comments

  1. katherine muller says:

    Thank you so very very much Donny Moss for all that you have done. And Thank you to IBM who have taken action on this very important issue. Going forward I will make sure -all- of my related purchases will be IBM .. as long as they continue to do the right thing. For all of the heartless, evil, senseless acts committed in the world, it is those who fight for the Rights for those who cannot speak for themselves that reflect the best in humanity .. and this restores my hope! Thank you … and lets keep it going! Thank you so much.

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  3. Joseph phares says:

    how can people people be so crewl to animals, completely heartless

  4. Linda Berd says:

    ABSOLUTELY THE MOST EGREGIOUS, UNFEELING, AND EVIL ACTION FROM NYBC BLOOD SUCKERS! THIS ORGANIZATION MUST TAKE ITS RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY. LOOK AT THE CONDITION OF THESE CHIMPS – THEY ARE VERY VERY THIN! OBVIOUSLY VERY HUNGRY. This is beyond anything I’ve ever seen in corporate money grubbing. There is a new paradigm:
    ALL LIVING BEINGS MUST BE TREATED HUMANELY AND WITH RESPECT.
    THIS ORGANIZATION MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. ALL BUSINESSES THINKING THEY ARE DOING “GOOD” BY ASSOCIATING W/NYBC ARE ONLY ENABLING SLOW, CEASELESS, TERRIFYING DEATH TO THESE CHIMPS THAT NYBC USED AND ABUSED FOR DECADES! THERE IS NO ESCAPING THEIR CULPABILITY. YOU MUST ABANDON NYBC AT ONCE. THEY MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE! Personally, I’d rather die than take their blood. We must take a stand.

    1. Ursula Beckmann says:

      If everyone who signed the petition and /or commented on this site send just ONE DOLLAR it would put $ 163.000 in the till, not a shabby start. Tell me where to send mine.

  5. DAN LEON says:

    how sick and evil humans can be =leave the poor animals alone and free in the wild !!

  6. Carrie DesRoche says:

    Shame on your NYC blood centre.
    Maybe we should round up who ever made this decision and drop them of on a remote island with no food or water and see how they survive!

  7. Zizi says:

    Our deepest gratitude to Donny Moss/Their Turn, for staying with this and working tirelessly to expose the injustices committed by NY Blood Bank; they have shown themselves to be the heartless, morally bankrupt money-grubbers that they are, and will rue the day!

  8. Michelle Rittenhouse says:

    I Agree that Alison and her team from Monkey World would be the best option to ask for help with these chimps as they are aware and know how to care and help these poor abandoned chimps!

  9. Miss says:

    NYBC rRecognises its responsibilities to these animals and has made a public commitment to look after them. It needs to stand by that.

    Also, this has nothing to do with the UK?

    1. Sharon Ryan says:

      IBM shame on whoever decided to just discard these beautiful animals who feel happiness love fear and pain the least they could do is make the rest of their life being cared for but you are disgusting evil heartless humans send them to monkey world in the UK they would have a good life there

  10. CG says:

    Experimented on and abused to then be discarded to go through the further torture of starvation!

    Can’t the financial support IBM provide for NYBC be given to the HSUS to fund the welfare or relocation of the chimps?

    It would only boost opinions for IBM ‘stepping up’ and most importantly the chimps would be safeguarded.

  11. Jeanne says:

    Well these chimps deserve so much more than being abandoned to an island with no natural food and water! Left to starve to death?!?! After these chimps probably lived in inhumane conditions in a tiny cage, being experimented on they deserve so much more than this! I don’t know what the conditions were when they were being held but it could not have been good if this is how they are being treated now. 500 down to 66? Horrible. It’s not like they live in homes, wear clothes, etc. They could fend for themselves but were deliberately left on these islands where there was no food or water for them! This should be illegal, if it is not already.They deserve more, and I hope they get more. They should be WELL compensated for their service!

  12. Yas says:

    Most important: are the chimps well taken care of now?

    1. Donny Moss says:

      The chimps are receiving the best care possible under the circumstances, which is that they are living on islands that cannot be accessed by humans for safety reasons. Jenny and Jim Desmond, an American couple with experience caring for great apes, moved to Liberia to oversee their care.

  13. V baker says:

    Shocked and appalled at this behaviour from the uk! Xxx as a nation of animal lovers in the uk is there anyway monkey world in uk could get involved? Xx Alison and her team do amazing work for chimps all over the world and what they don’t know isn’t worth knowing xxx I’m sure a well worded email to them could only be a good thing xxx

    1. Marianne Christensen says:

      I was thinking about the same thing as you. Alison and her team from Monkey World be perfect to ask to help with the poor chimps.

      1. Marianne Christensen says:

        I ment of course: *Would* be perfect to ask…

      2. Donny Moss says:

        The chimps are in great hands under the care of Jenny and Jim Desmond. The outstanding issue is funding, as the NY Blood Center created this population of captive chimps is shifting the financial burden for their care to organizations that had nothing to do with the research and do not have the resources to provide for their lifelong care. NYBC, on the other hand, earned hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties off of the chimp research.

  14. Shame on you savage human beings.

Comments are closed.