EUGENE, ORE. (CN) - Chimps Inc. and the International Primate Protection League seek a federal order allowing their sanctuaries to keep chimpanzees and gibbons "rescued" from Primarily Primates, whose alleged poor treatment of the animals has been the subject of previous litigation. The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit also want Primarily Primates to pay for the care they have given the animals.
Primarily Primates, a nonprofit group in Texas, was accused in 2006 of neglecting animals and misspending donations. The Texas Attorney General forced company founder Wally Swett to step down and repay some of the contested funds.
Chimps Inc. and International Primate Protection League claim more than 700 animals under Primarily Primates' control lived in life-threatening conditions, including "rivers of animal excrement" and "mounds of dead animals' bodies."
The plaintiffs say they have spent more than $100,000 caring for the animals and say Primarily Primates is demanding that they return them.
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