Protect Chimpanzees as an Endangered Species!

In 1976, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) listed chimpanzees as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), however the agency enacted a special rule making captive chimpanzees exempt from most restrictions that apply to the treatment of a threatened species, allowing the commercial trade of chimpanzees in captivity and their use in biomedical research, the entertainment industry, and as “pets.”

In 1990, due to increased habitat loss and poaching, chimpanzees were up-listed from threatened to endangered under the ESA, but an unusual and controversial “split-listing” was created, which classified free-living chimpanzees as endangered, but captive chimpanzees in the U.S. as threatened. This cemented the practice of the commercial trade of chimpanzees within the U.S. and the species continued to be bred in captivity, sold to private owners, exploited in circuses and on television, and used in biomedical research.

Recently the FWS announced a rule to do away with the split-listing and stated, “The rule proposed today would correct this inconsistency after the Service determined that the ESA does not allow for captive-held animals to be assigned a separate legal status from their wild counterparts.” The FWS is accepting public comments on the proposal through August 12, 2013.

A growing understanding of the highly intelligent and social nature of chimpanzees has resulted in public outcry over the exploitation of chimpanzees and increasing pressure has been put on individuals and agencies that benefit from this exploitation. If the proposed rule is incorporated as a regulation, it could potentially have a huge impact on the current use of chimpanzees in invasive biomedical research.

However, even if the rule is enacted there still can be exemptions, and it does not mean the end of chimpanzees in research. 

TAKE ACTION and speak up for captive chimpanzees today. Help with their protection under the ESA – sign this petition and submit your comments directly by going to http://www.regulations.gov, enter the docket ID # FWS-R9-ES-2010-0086 and then click on “Comment Now!”

**Join the Take Action list for Eyes on Apes, a program of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest to get more updates on advocacy issues for great apes.** 

Dear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Thank you for proposing a rule to classify captive chimpanzees as an endangered species with their wild counterparts! I support this proposal as it will help protect captive chimpanzees who are currently not protected under the same regulations as wild chimpanzees.

I also insist on the protection of all chimpanzees in biomedical testing and encourage the FWS to forego exemptions to the proposed rule.

The portrayl of chimpanzees in entertainment and their use in invasive biomedical research seriously hinders conservation efforts, because their prevalence in these industries leads the public to believe that they are not an endangered species. Please help all chimpanzees by applying the protections they deserve to both captive and wild individuals. 

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback. I look forward to the FWS final decision on this matter! 

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