Captive Primate Safety Act

Last updated

The Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 8164; S.4206) is proposed United States legislation that modifies the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to treat nonhuman primates as prohibited wildlife species, allowing exemptions for zoos and research facilities. The bill would eliminate the use of primates in the domestic pet trade at a federal level. A December 2023 review found that the "U.S. ranked third out of 171 countries in the ease of purchasing a pet primate online, behind Indonesia and Vietnam." [1] [2] The bill, if passed, would raise U.S. standards to resemble those of the European Union, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, and other countries where pet primates are strictly regulated. [3] [4]

In April 2024, the Captive Private Safety Act was introduced in Congress by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and U.S. Senator Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). [5] In September 2024, Blumenthal held a press conference with Friends of Animals to promote the Act in the wake of the HBO series Chimp Crazy, [6] which highlights disturbing examples of primate "pets".

The Captive Primate Safety Act was first introduced in 2005 and has been passed by the House of Representatives multiple times but, as of 2024, has not made it past both houses for a vote.

The legislation is endorsed by Animal Welfare Institute, Friends of Animals, Born Free USA, Humane Society of the United States, Animal Legal Defense Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Four Paws USA, Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, American Society of Primatologists, Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association, and National Sheriffs Association, among others. [7]

History

The Captive Primate Safety Act was first introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Rep. Eddie Johnson on March 16, 2005. [8] The bill was reintroduced by Rep. Mark Kirk [9] in February 2009 following the widely publicized mauling of Charla Nash by a pet chimpanzee Travis. [10] Rep. Rob Bishop argued against the bill during the floor debate, noting it would cost $4 million annually and do nothing directly to prevent chimpanzee attacks on humans; he also noted such attacks are relatively rare. [11] Twenty states and the District of Columbia already had laws banning primates as pets. [12] On 23 February 2009 the House voted 323 to 95 in favor of the bill. Several Republicans who opposed to the bill said that animal control was a "states issue, not a federal issue." [13] Early versions of the bill exempted monkey helpers. [11]

CongressShort titleBill number(s)Date introducedSponsor(s)# of cosponsorsLatest status
109th Congress Captive Primate Safety Act H.R. 1329 March 16, 2005 Eddie Bernice Johnson

(D-TX)

47Died in committee
Captive Primate Safety Act of 2005 S. 1509 July 27, 2005 Jim Jeffords

(I-VT)

6Passed Senate (unanimous consent)
110th Congress Captive Primate Safety Act H.R. 2964 July 10, 2007 Eddie Bernice Johnson

(D-TX)

25Passed House
S. 1498 May 24, 2007 Barbara Boxer

(D-CA)

5Died in committee
111th Congress H.R. 80 January 6, 2009 Earl Blumenauer

(D-OR)

27Passed House
S. 462 February 24, 2009 Barbara Boxer

(D-CA)

8Died in committee
112th Congress H.R. 4306 March 29, 2012 Mike Fitzpatrick

(R-PA)

9Died in committee
S. 1324 July 5, 2011 Barbara Boxer

(D-CA)

6Died in committee
113th Congress H.R. 2856 July 30, 2013 Mike Fitzpatrick

(R-PA)

152Died in committee
S. 1463 August 1, 2013 Barbara Boxer

(D-CA)

25Died in committee
114th Congress H.R. 2920 June 25, 2015 Mike Fitzpatrick

(R-PA)

75Died in committee
116th Congress H.R. 1776 March 14, 2019 Earl Blumenauer

(D-OR)

66Died in committee
S. 2562 September 26, 2019 Richard Blumenthal

(D-CT)

12Died in committee
117th Congress H.R. 3135 May 12, 2021 Earl Blumenauer

(D-OR)

67Referred to committee
S. 1588 May 12, 2021 Richard Blumenthal

(D-CT)

11Referred to committee
118th Congress H.R. 8164 April 30, 2024 Earl Blumenauer  (D-OR-3)42Referred to committee
S.4206 April 30, 2024 Richard Blumenthal

(D-CT)

6Referred to committee

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimpanzee</span> Species of great apes

The chimpanzee, also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the bonobo was more commonly known as the pygmy chimpanzee, this species was often called the common chimpanzee or the robust chimpanzee. The chimpanzee and the bonobo are the only species in the genus Pan. Evidence from fossils and DNA sequencing shows that Pan is a sister taxon to the human lineage and is thus humans' closest living relative. The chimpanzee is covered in coarse black hair, but has a bare face, fingers, toes, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet. It is larger and more robust than the bonobo, weighing 40–70 kg (88–154 lb) for males and 27–50 kg (60–110 lb) for females and standing 150 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great ape personhood</span> Extending personhood to nonhuman great apes

Great ape personhood is a movement to extend personhood and some legal protections to the non-human members of the great ape family: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Ape Project</span> International organization

The Great Ape Project (GAP), founded in 1993, is an international organization of primatologists, anthropologists, ethicists, and others who advocate a United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Great Apes that would confer basic legal rights on non-human great apes: bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Blumenauer</span> American politician (born 1948)

Earl Francis Blumenauer is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Oregon's 3rd congressional district since 1996. The district includes most of Portland east of the Willamette River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Blumenthal</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1946)

Richard Blumenthal is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of the Senate, with a net worth over $100 million. He was Attorney General of Connecticut from 1991 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet monkey</span> Monkey kept as a pet

A pet monkey is a monkey kept as a pet. Monkeys are beloved for their entertainment value, resemblance to humans, and human-like abilities, but the practice of keeping monkeys as pets is criticized by primatologists and zoologists due to issues surrounding conservation, the animals' welfare, and public health and safety.

This is a list of countries banning non-human ape experimentation. The term non-human ape here refers to all members of the superfamily Hominoidea, excluding Homo sapiens. Banning in this case refers to the enactment of formal decrees prohibiting experimentation on non-human apes, though often with exceptions for extreme scenarios.

The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization founded in 1973 in Thailand by Shirley McGreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal testing on non-human primates</span> Experimentation using other primate animals

Experiments involving non-human primates (NHPs) include toxicity testing for medical and non-medical substances; studies of infectious disease, such as HIV and hepatitis; neurological studies; behavior and cognition; reproduction; genetics; and xenotransplantation. Around 65,000 NHPs are used every year in the United States, and around 7,000 across the European Union. Most are purpose-bred, while some are caught in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimp Haven</span> United States chimpanzee sanctuary

Chimp Haven is a non-profit sanctuary for more than 300 chimpanzees retired from laboratory research. The 200-acre (81 ha) sanctuary is located in Eddie D. Jones Nature Park in Keithville, Louisiana, approximately 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Shreveport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Defenders International</span>

Animal Defenders International (ADI), founded 1990, has offices in US, UK, Colombia, Peru and South Africa; it actuates education and public awareness campaigns to protect animals in captivity and wild animals and their environments. ADI 's campaigns focus on animals used in entertainment, sport, for clothing; illegal wildlife trade; and replacement of animals used in research and testing. ADI collaborates with governments on large-scale international rescues of wild animals following legislation to end animal circuses, illegal animal trafficking. ADI owns and operates the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa, home to nearly 40 ex-circus lions and tigers from Peru, Colombia and Guatemala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis (chimpanzee)</span> Chimpanzee known for attacking a person

Travis was a male chimpanzee who was raised by and lived with Sandra Herold in Stamford, Connecticut. On February 16, 2009, he attacked and mauled Herold's friend, Charla Nash, blinding her, severing several body parts, and lacerating her face, before he was shot and killed by responding Officer Frank Chiafari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Great Apes</span> United States chimpanzee sanctuary

The Center for Great Apes is an animal sanctuary for great apes located east of Wauchula, Florida. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1993, the sanctuary has about 70 orangutans and chimpanzees who were formally used in entertainment, scientific research, or the exotic pet trade. The sanctuary sits on 100 acres of land in rural Florida, southwest of Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exotic pet</span> A pet which is relatively rare or unusual to keep

An exotic pet is a pet which is relatively rare or unusual to keep, or is generally thought of as a wild species rather than as a domesticated pet. The definition varies by culture, location, and over time—as animals become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy, they may no longer be considered exotic.

Rise for Animals is a national, registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rights organization which aims to end nonhuman animal experimentation. It has been described as "one of the oldest and wealthiest anti-vivisection organizations in the United States".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013</span> Proposed legislation

The CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 is a bill that would modify the Public Health Service Act to allow the National Institutes of Health to spend a larger portion of their budget on funding the care of retired chimpanzees in chimp sanctuaries. The bill passed the Senate during the 113th United States Congress. Its title is a five-letter backronym that stands for "Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance, and Protection Act of 2013".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Fitzpatrick (American politician)</span> American politician (born 1973)

Brian Kevin Fitzpatrick is an American politician, attorney, and former FBI agent who has served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania since 2017. His district, which was numbered the 8th district during his first term and the 1st district since 2019, includes all of Bucks County, a mostly suburban county north of Philadelphia, as well as a sliver of Montgomery County.

International Primate Day, September 1, is an annual educational observance event organized since 2005 largely by British-based Animal Defenders International (ADI) and supported annually by various primate-oriented advocacy organizations, speaks for all higher and lower primates, typically endorsing humane agendas where primates are at risk, as in research institutions or species endangerment in precarious environmental situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project Chimps</span> Animal sanctuary in Morganton, Georgia, United States

Project Chimps is a privately funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal sanctuary for chimpanzees formerly used in research. It will eventually house 200 chimpanzees on an over 230 acre property in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Morganton, Georgia. Project Chimps is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.

Chimp Crazy is an American documentary series directed and produced by Eric Goode. It follows Tonia Haddix, whose love for a chimpanzee spins into a wild game with authorities and the animal rights group PETA.

References

  1. ↑ Seaboch, Melissa (March 1, 2024). "The pet primate trade in the U.S." Open Access Government. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  2. ↑ Vincent, Nijman (December 2023). "Global online trade in primates for pets". Environmental Development. 48– via Science Direct.
  3. ↑ "Wild Pets in the European Union" (PDF). ENDCAP. September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  4. ↑ Ahmadi, Ali Abbas (February 27, 2024). "Primates: New rules make it harder to keep them as pets". BBC News. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Blumenthal, Blumenauer, & Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Ban Private Possession of Primates". Richard Blumenthal. May 1, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  6. ↑ Sanchez, Sara (September 5, 2024). "Connecticut senator hoping 'Chimp Crazy' popularity will help pass primate legislation". Fox61. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Blumenthal, Blumenauer, & Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Ban Private Possession of Primates". Richard Blumenthal (US Senator, CT). May 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  8. ↑ "H.R.1329 - Captive Primate Safety Act". Congress.gov. September 7, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Ben Smith's Blog: The Primate Act of '09". Politico.Com. 23 February 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  10. ↑ "Topic Galleries". Courant.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
  11. 1 2 Peter Urban, House approves primate pet ban Archived 2009-07-28 at the Wayback Machine , Connecticut Post, February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  12. ↑ House tightens restrictions on chimps as pets Archived February 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , USA TODAY, February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  13. ↑ "House responds to chimpanzee attack". The Billings Gazette. February 25, 2009. p. 2. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.