Signatures Needed To Urge Congress To Pass The Captive Primate Safety Act Which Would Ban Primate Ownership In The U.S.

Monkeys and other primates, like lemurs and lorises, might not be the most common pets found in households across the United States, but the trade is widespread and it is causing suffering not only to the animals, but to humans as well.

According to the Animal Welfare Institute, it is conservatively estimated that there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 primates being kept as household pets across the nation.

While there is a patchwork of state laws and regulations across the nation that deal with primates as pets, people can still easily purchase them online, at auctions and from out-of-state dealers. That is why animal advocates believe federal legislation is necessary to close the gaps.

Sadly, for primates involved in the pet trade, infants are torn from their mothers. They are then mutilated to make them less dangerous and are kept in conditions that either don’t meet their needs or are blatantly abusive. They are often discarded as they grow older and more active, as well as due to the costs associated with keeping them; and there are few places for them to go.

Not only is the pet trade hurting primates, it is also putting the health and safety of humans at risk. According to Born Free USA, since 1990, approximately 300 people, including dozens of children, have been injured by primates, while many more incidents go unreported.

Now there is a chance to protect both the primates and humans from this inhumane trade.

As previously reported by WAN, in March of this year, Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Brian Fitzpatrick reintroduced the Captive Primate Safety Act; which would amend the Lacey Act to include primates on the list of animals who can’t be bought or moved across state lines as pets.

Please sign this Care2 petition to urge Congress to pass the Captive Primate Safety Act to protect all primates in the United States. SIGN HERE!

You can help all animals by choosing compassion on your plate. #GoVeg