Captive Chimpanzees Require “Endangered” Status 

NEAVS, along with other organizations, filed a petition spearheaded by HSUS with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) requesting that the agency “uplist” the status of captive chimpanzees from threatened to endangered. FWS agreed to review the request: “Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing all chimpanzees as endangered may be warranted.”

The Endangered Species Act protects wildlife and promotes conservation, but captive chimpanzees who are only listed as threatened are deprived of protections afforded their free-living kin, who are listed as endangered. Captive U.S. chimpanzees are used in entertainment, invasive research, and are kept as exotic pets.

The petition states, "It is clear that exploitation of this species for biomedical purposes has not positively benefitted chimpanzees in captivity or in the wild…and undermines chimpanzee conservation." The petition further argues that this unusual split listing is "scientifically unjustifiable."

The organizations behind the petition include the New England Anti-Vivisection Society, the Humane Society of the United States, the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, the Jane Goodall Institute, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, the Fund for Animals, and the Humane Society International.

FWS' decision to review the status of captive chimpanzees allows for public comment. Please, it is essential they hear from you!

FWS must receive all comments on or before October 31, 2011.

Submit your comments directly online:  Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions for submitting statements to DOCKET NO. [FWS-R9-ES-2010-0086]

You can submit your comments in your own words or borrow from the suggested language below.

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To The Fish and Wildlife Service:

RE: DOCKET NO. [FWS-R9-ES-2010-0086]

I fully support increasing protections for captive chimpanzees by granting them endangered status. This is a vital step to promote their conservation and protect them from continued exploitation in the United States. I am most grateful that the FWS has initiated this review under the Endangered Species Act.

Please take action to help increase protection of captive chimpanzees so that their exploitation doesn't continue. Federal action is necessary to demonstrate to the rest of the world that the U.S. is dedicated to the protection, care, and conservation of this species.

Sincerely,

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