The United States fits in neither of those categories-it is a party to international laws aimed at conserving chimpanzees, but within its borders chimps are simple property, subject to regulations that minimally guard their welfare. Some countries have banned all use of chimpanzees in medical research, while others barely enforce laws banning chimpanzee poaching. A geographically distinct population of chimpanzees exists in the United States, and these chimps are legally bred for use in the biomedical and entertainment industries. Once abundant throughout their African ranges, chimps are now endangered due to poaching, habitat destruction, and the bushmeat trade. This, in turn, can best be accomplished by changing public perception of chimpanzees from curious mischief-makers to sentient beings that are fully capable of joy, grief and fear-and thus fully entitled to legal protection.Ĭhimpanzees, one of the four species of great apes, are the closest genetic relatives to human beings. Any hope for recovering wild populations and alleviating the suffering of chimpanzees used in medicine and entertainment depends fully on re-evaluating and changing the above-mentioned laws so that chimpanzee welfare is the primary concern. It is clear that chimpanzees are in a dire predicament-international laws are insufficient to help recover wild chimpanzee populations, and federal laws leave so many holes that chimpanzees in the U.S. Notably, the ESA does not apply to the chimpanzees bred in the United States, and the AWA allows exceptions for exhibitors, dealers and researchers. They are covered under federal laws like the Animal Welfare Act and the Endangered Species Act have been enacted to protect animal welfare, but the gaps in protection are wide, especially when it comes to chimpanzees. In the United States, chimpanzees are bred for use in research and entertainment. Regulations under the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species are meant to protect wild chimps, but have not done much to protect the species. Further complicating the problem is the loss of habitat that threatens many species around the world-this is also a serious concern but does not do as much immediate and large-scale damage as the bushmeat trade.
Their populations have been decimated by hunting and poaching associated with the bushmeat trade in African countries-adult chimpanzees are slaughtered for sale as food and the babies are taken to be sold as pets. While from an early age we learn the anthropomorphic characteristics attributed to chimps (or, those human qualities associated with animals), most people’s understanding of the actual nature of life as a chimpanzee is extremely limited.Ĭhimpanzees are in danger of extinction in the wild. The image of chimpanzees as curious mischief-makers is as familiar to American culture as the wily fox or the wise old owl. Brief Summary of Laws Concerning Chimpanzees
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