Igor

In early 1987, IPPL received a phone-call from the veterinarian at a New York laboratory, LEMSIP, the now-defunct Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates, asking us if we would accept an elderly gibbon who needed special care. His name was Igor. He had lived at a drug company laboratory before being sent to the New York lab where he lived for 21 years. At some time in his life Igor had developed a neurotic habit that nearly caused his death on several occasions. He "self-mutilated" whenever he saw another gibbon. Igor would become frantic and bite himself savagely for minutes on end. Once he almost died of blood loss.

Nobody could tell us the origin of this habit. Sadly, it led to this intelligent animal being kept alone for years in a cage covered by black plexiglass so that he couldn't see other gibbons.

We had to build housing for Igor away from the main gibbon compound, out of sight of other gibbons. We asked our members for help. Compassionate people responded generously. Within weeks Igor was out of the lab forever and installed in his new home. Despite this sad past, Igor really likes people. He loves to have his back scratched. He enjoys bird-watching and even has his own TV. He also enjoys the company of dogs. IPPL has two large white Great Pyrenees and one blind dog named Bullet.