Sanctuary clears scientist accused of endangering apes

Perry Beeman, The Des Moines Register

DES MOINES, Iowa -- An ape sanctuary in Iowa has reinstated a scientist who had been accused of endangering primates at the facility.

The Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary — once called Great Ape Trust — announced Tuesday that an internal investigation had cleared Sue Savage-Rumbaugh of charges by 11 former employees that she endangered seven bonobos at the facility in Des Moines. One of the bonobos, Panbanisha, died of pneumonia earlier this month.

The board reported that the accusations could not be corroborated, and many present and former employees gave conflicting information about the events mentioned by the ex-staffers. Savage-Rumbaugh was suspended in September pending an investigation, but kept working at the sanctuary, supervised by the staff veterinarian under an agreement with the board.

"In summary, the committee discovered that the bonobos are well-cared for and was unable to substantiate the allegations against Dr. Savage-Rumbaugh, in part because they encountered significant counter-evidence against the claims," a committee of the board reported Tuesday.

Through their lawyer, the former colleagues who made the allegations called for an independent, third-party investigation and asked the board to release full reports on its investigation and the necropsy of Panbanisha.

The sanctuary "should come forward with all information it has regarding the death of Panbanisha, and the current health of the remaining bonobos," said anthropologist Janni Pedersen, who did her dissertation research at the facility

The sanctuary board has named Julie Gilmore, previously the facility's veterinarian, as director.

Gilmore said the focus now will be to raise enough cash to keep the facility open and to arrange for visitor facilities, possibly by remodeling the now-vacant orangutan quarters.

"It's really been shrouded in a veil," Gilmore said of the sanctuary. "We want to change that. We are really trying to work hard to get the public in there to learn about what we do and see for themselves the apes are in good health."

A U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection this week found the apes and the facilities in good condition, said Gilmore. She added that the six bonobos have recovered from the respiratory illness that claimed Panbanisha.

Gilmore said the sanctuary could host visitors as often as three days a week. Previously, Savage-Rumbaugh has discussed a sliding scale of admission fees, such as charging premium prices to visitor who want to view bonobos in a forest setting.

Al Setka, former spokesman at the center, said it is ironic that Savage-Rumbaugh — who previously resisted opening the facility to frequent public visits — now supports them.

Savage-Rumbaugh had applied for the director's position, but withdrew from consideration this week. She will resume her previous duties as a scientist.

"She's incredibly talented on science and research," Gilmore said. "This frees up time."

Neither Savage-Rumbaugh nor her lawyer returned telephone calls.

Gilmore said the board voted to keep the bonobos in Des Moines for now and to launch new fundraising efforts. The board has not signed an agreement with another facility to take the bonobos, should financial conditions worsen, she added.

Gilmore declined to disclose how much cash the sanctuary has on hand. However, a grant application the sanctuary filed with Prairie Meadows shows a "conservative" projected cash balance of $115,000 at the end of November, with hopes of climbing close to $450,000 by spring.

The sanctuary has applied for an $850,000 grant from the racetrack and casino. The documents detail Savage-Rumbaugh's plans to establish a sustainable village centered on an art program involving humans and bonobos at the site, and an artists colony.

The application notes the program would be run by a "nationally known artist," Russ Rubert of Springfield, Mo. The application doesn't disclose that Rubert is Savage-Rumbaugh's brother.

Several of Savage-Rumbaugh's other relatives have worked or volunteered at the sanctuary.