Most Chimps to Be Retired from Government Research

310 to be removed from medical research over the next few years

The government is about to retire most of the chimpanzees who've spent their lives in U.S. research labs.

The National Institutes of Health said Wednesday that it will retire about 310 chimps from medical research over the next few years, saying humans' closest relatives "deserve special respect."

The agency will keep only 50 other chimps essentially on retainer — available if needed for crucial medical studies that could be performed no other way.