US: Chimps Too 'Endangered' for Research

Agency might give status to all chimps, both in captivity and wild
By Ruth Brown,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2013 2:20 PM CDT
US: Chimps Too 'Endangered' for Research
Chimpanzees sit in an enclosure at the Chimp Eden rehabilitation center, near Nelspruit, South Africa.   (AP Photo/Erin Conway-Smith, File)

A new proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to declare chimpanzees living in captivity as "endangered" rather than "threatened" is more than just semantics: It will help protect the primates from being the subjects of medical research. Since 1990, only wild chimps have classified by the US as an endangered species, while their captive counterparts have been available for science experiments, the Washington Post reports. "The rule proposed today would correct this inconsistency," says the agency in a press release.

The US is the only first-world country that still allows great apes to be used for research, according to the Post. Under the changes, research with chimps would still be allowed, but would require a permit, the New York Times reports. The change would also have implications for the import and export of chimpanzees and their movements across state lines. How it would affect chimps in the entertainment industry is still up for discussion, but the Humane Society says it will be pushing for restrictions. (More chimpanzees stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X