Jerom, a chimpanzee, was taken away from his mother at a young age. Unfortunately, Jerom was part of an experiment and was infected with HIV at the age of two. Jerom spent his entire life at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, a federally funded laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, until his death at age 14. It was housed in the Chimpanzee Infectious Disease (CID) building, isolated from the other residential and research buildings on Yerkes' main property. The CID building where Jerom was held was described as a small windowless box, with concrete walls and no access to the outside. The reality for these chimpanzees was a gray, dark space with damp floors and walls (Weiss). Due to these living conditions, many chimpanzees suffered from depression and were constantly in fear. Unfair treatment of chimpanzees has been occurring for many years and is starting to pose a serious problem. The US government must eliminate medical testing on chimpanzees. It is no longer necessary and ultimately diminishes the chimpanzee's quality of life and often causes death. Background Behavioral studies on chimpanzees began in the United States in the 1920s. Robert M. Yerkes was the first psychologist to study the behavior of chimpanzees. When he began studying these animals, he focused only on the behavioral aspects of chimpanzees. At that time he was not interested in using them for medical experiments. Later, in the 1940s, scientists began using chimpanzees for medical experiments. The medical studies and trials lasted until 1973, when President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law. "The Endangered Species Act made it illegal to import... means of paper... kills more than 66,000 children every year" (Wadman). Conclusion The US government should ban biomedical testing on chimpanzees and relocate the animals to sanctuaries like Chimp Haven, where they will live relatively normal lives and no longer be subjected to experiments. Chimpanzees have contributed greatly to our understanding of disease and have helped doctors find cures in the past. However, with the advancement of technology, the need to experiment on chimpanzees is no longer necessary. For many years, chimpanzees have been forced to undergo dangerous, uncomfortable and invasive procedures and have had to deal with the fear and loneliness provided by research laboratories. These chimpanzees were not meant to be cared for or experimented on. The United States must declare chimpanzee testing unconstitutional before it is too late.