The dwindling number of chimpanzees is caused by poaching, the destruction of habitats through slash and burn cultivation, and local hunting. At least 5 to 10 chimpanzees die in the process of capturing 1 alive, usually a young chimp for an overseas buyer, according to the Federal Register. To gain access to a young chimp, its mother is shot and its family poisoned, said Geza Teleki, chairman of the Committee for Conservation and Care of Chimpanzees, an organization of scientists.
Jane Goodall, the primatologist, was quoted in the Federal Register as saying, ''The continued removal of infants from wild populations even if this does not involve the killing of breeding females will, within a short period of time, bring wild chimpanzees to the verge of extinction in Africa. The resolution allows chimp blood and tissue samples for research purposes to be shipped to the United States.
National Institutes of Health research grants for medical research in African nations will not be affected by the resolution, said Robert Whitney, director of the office of animal care and use of the National Institutes of Health. Several years ago, The HSUS, Jane Goodall, and a number of others petitioned the federal government to correct what we argued was an unlawful regulation.
I participated in a press teleconference today with Service director Dan Ashe and Jane Goodall to announce this upgrade in legal status that will now give captive chimps new protections.
Any use of chimpanzees that would involve harming, harassing, or killing them will now require a permit demonstrating that such use will enhance species conservation, as required by the ESA.
The final listing was issued in direct response to a legal petition filed with the Service by The HSUS and a diverse coalition of organizations. As a result, these intelligent and emotionally aware primates have long been exploited by a number of industries in the United States known to cause them harm. They have been bought and sold as part of the interstate exotic pet trade.
They have been forced to perform in films and silly TV commercials and in circuses by the entertainment industry. They have been used as unwilling subjects in invasive biomedical research , a practice that was deemed largely unnecessary by a Institute of Medicine report. In the last 30 years, populations of wild chimpanzees have fallen by 66 percent primarily due to habitat loss and poaching, which is driven in part by the exploitation of captive chimpanzees in the United States.
In response to our petition, the Service announced in that sufficient evidence was presented to warrant an official review, and in issued the proposed rule , finalized today, to list all chimpanzees as endangered under the ESA.
Again, this was a campaign years in the making — like so many of our efforts — and we stayed the course and made a case that was hard to deny. The last few years have brought amazing progress toward ending invasive research on chimpanzees and now our sights are set on retiring those chimpanzees to sanctuary. Last summer, we celebrated the retirement of all federally owned chimpanzees from New Iberia Research Center to Chimp Haven , the national chimpanzee sanctuary in Louisiana.
These chimpanzees are now able to bask in the sun and form lasting bonds as part of large social groups. Witnessing their transition from lab to sanctuary is truly heartwarming and it reminds us why we work so hard to make a difference in the lives of animals. NYBC used these chimpanzees for profit for decades and then precipitously pulled funding for their care, despite a public promise to provide lifetime care for these animals in their retirement.
We are calling on NYBC to reinstate funding immediately and work with us and chimpanzee experts on a long-term, sustainable solution that is best for these chimpanzees.
We are thankful to the tens of thousands of people who have joined our effort by pressuring NYBC and donating to these deserving animals who have been through so much. There is still much to do to help chimpanzees in U. To its great credit, the National Institutes of Health announced its intention to retire more than additional federally-owned chimpanzees and we are working to see that through.
Our team is diligently working with stakeholders to address the remaining challenges to getting chimps out of labs for good. Black-Footed Ferret. Blue-Throated Macaw. Clouded Leopard. Cuban Crocodile. Ground Pangolin. Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Monk Seal. Panamanian Golden Frog.
We opened a comment period, which closed July 21, , to allow all interested parties to submit comments and information. On December 28, 53 FR , we published in the Federal Register a finding that the requested reclassification was warranted with respect to chimpanzees in the wild. This decision was based on the petition and subsequent supporting comments which dealt primarily with the status of the species in the wild and not with the viability of captive populations.
On February 24, 54 FR , we published in the Federal Register a proposed rule to implement such reclassification. We did not propose reclassification of captive chimpanzees. Following publication of the proposed rule, we opened a day comment period to allow all interested parties to submit comments and information. On March 12, , we published in the Federal Register 55 FR a final rule reclassifying the wild populations of the chimpanzees as endangered.
The captive chimpanzees remained classified as threatened, and those within the United States continued to be covered by the special rule allowing activities otherwise prohibited.
On the basis of information provided in the petition we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the entire species of chimpanzee as endangered may be warranted. Therefore, we will initiate a status review to determine if listing the species in its entirety is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial information regarding this species see Information Solicited.
A day finding is not a status assessment of the species and does not constitute a status review under the Act. Our final determination as to whether a petitioned action is warranted is not made until we have completed a thorough review of the status of the species, which is conducted following a substantial day finding.
0コメント