LONDON: All chimpanzees will be designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced.
The move follows a petition filed in 2010 by Jane Goodall, the Humane Society of the United States and other groups to eliminate a longstanding distinction between the legal status of captive chimpanzees, which were previously listed as “threatened,” and their wild counterparts, which have been deemed “endangered” for decades.
The petition was part of a long-running campaign by animal-rights activists to increase the protections for the animals that are among humans’ closest genetic cousins. Given their range of emotions and their level of understanding, chimps have long been afforded special protections that other animals — even monkeys — don’t get.
With the new designations, chimpanzees in captivity in the United States will receive the same protections as wild chimps under the Endangered Species Act. Biomedical research, interstate trade, and export and import of captive chimpanzees will now require permits issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The new rules will become official Tuesday and will go into effect Sept. 14.
