You might also like
MEXICO: All chimpanzees are now protected under the Endangered Species Act.Under the new ruling, chimps will be protected from capture or sale. It will also become illegal to import or export the animals without a proper permit. These authorizations will only be issued for scientific purposes or when the movement of the animals benefits the species as a whole.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the new legal protections for the primates, which will be published on June 16, 2015. The new ruling will include wild animals as well as those living in captivity. Previously, chimps living in artificial habitats were classified as threatened under federal guidelines. This change will place further restrictions on commercial use of chimpanzees and will mandate the animals are treated in a humane fashion by human caretakers.
“It’s wonderful news that all chimpanzees now have the endangered status that these highly intelligent and imperiled primates need to survive. Protecting captive chimps as endangered is the morally correct thing to do, and it will also help safeguard the species in the wild,” said Tara Easter from the Center for Biological Diversity.
