Signed in as:
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Signed in as:
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(Insert Date)
The Honorable (Insert Full Name)
Street Address
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Reference: Captive Primate Safety Act 2024
Dear Senator/Representative (Surname):
I am writing to you as a concerned constituent, advocate for ecological care and conservation and a pet owner. I strongly implore you to stop the proposed changes to the Lacey Act presented in the Captive Primate Safety Act (S.4206, H.R. 8164)
The changes presented in this act are detrimental to many primate owners who follow the law, the many businesses and organizations which are involved in the care of non-human primates – breeders, transporters, veterinarians, primate food producers, and various other organizations providing products and services to enrich the lives of primates in captivity. Should the worst happen, and this legislation passes, primate owners would be unable to cross state lines for any reason, including vet care or to take a primate to a sanctuary. This is inhumane. Many travel 3+ hours to get proper care.
It is a sweeping act covering animals that can, yes, be dangerous if not properly housed, trained, and cared for, all the way from the tiniest primate found on earth, monkeys such as the pygmy marmoset which averages 4.5 ounces to the apes such as 350-pound gorillas.
When you have laws already in place to make most of the international trade illegal and legislation is introduced to ban all ownership, it becomes obvious that the ultimate goal is not to protect anyone or anything, but to prevent any human from owning any animal. The truth is, such a ban will not impact illegal trafficking of primates; it impacts the owners who are doing their best to follow all laws and provide the utmost care they possibly can for their primates. Conversely, such laws will actually increase illegal trafficking and the cost of enforcement.
The truth that private ownership can be beneficial is made obvious when you look at the declining numbers of the various species, the declining sufficiency of habitat, the continuation of humans being the most danger to all species in the wild. For instance, the silky sifaka only has approximately 240 members left. There are none known to be in captivity and the numbers continue to decline with every reporting period since the inception of the IUCN; they also continue to be hunted locally and their habitats continue to decline due to encroaching agriculture and logging.
Furthermore, many organizations endorse/permit the continued use of these animals as research subjects for experiments to supposedly benefit mankind. Their living conditions are often much worse than what they have in many private homes, and they are subjected to much worse harm/abuse than could ever be dreamt of in most owners’ homes.
Part of the justification for the proposed legislation is the welfare of primates. How can it be in the best interests of the primates to continue to be utilized for research experiments, but it is not in their best interests to let them live with the love and comfort of many private owners. Allow me a moment to share the environment my primates live in: (Insert your description here)
Another justification for banning private ownership of primates is the safety of the public. Allow me to debunk this myth. Just as I can contract various illnesses from the humans around me, there is a remote possibility that legally bred captive primates will transmit an illness to humans. The best example of this is the scary Herpes B virus. In truth, since records began being kept there have been only 50 cases of Herpes B being transmitted to humans. Fifty in nearly 100 years, despite the tens of thousands of primates being used for research and thousands of primates kept in private homes. The World Health Organization states that zoonotic tuberculosis is most commonly found in cattle, in relation to the zoonotic exposure of humans; Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine website states that “Tuberculosis (TB) occurs frequently in man, domestic and wild animals, poultry and wild birds. It occurs in almost all vertebrates and in some cold-blooded animals.” Most if not all diagnoses of primates having COVID-19 can be traced to humans transmitting to the primates, not the primates transmitting the virus to humans.
There are estimated to be 15,000 primates in private ownership in the United States. Since June of 1990, PETA documents 496 incidents with primates – from escaping their enclosures in zoos/labs/private homes to scratches, bites, and attacks. Of the 496 incidents in their reports, 311 included injuries in the 34-year period; averaging 9 incidents per year or .06% incident rate. In comparison to 85 million dogs, with 4.5 million bites annually (5% incidence rate); 60.5 million cats with 400,000 bites, 1 in 3 requiring hospitalizations; 336,673,595 human population with 250,000 human bites reported annually - .07% incidence rate.
Did you know that 50% of the 500+ species of NHPs are endangered? Legislation is looking to ban any sort of breeding and there's truly no place for them to live in the wild, which is also the problem for many other species. The legislation that's sweeping the nation to ban NHP’s is going to effectively eradicate them and cause extinction of them. There is no recovery from that. Have the rule makers considered where all the NHP’s will go when their new owners are unable to meet new regulations and requirements? Humans are already irradicating them in the wild through hunting, deforestation for agriculture, logging and mining. In every instance humans are their greatest threat for extinction.
If your goal is to truly protect these amazing animals, as well as the public, the answer does not and cannot lie in more banning or more laws. The answer lies in education for proper care, enforcement of existing laws and stiffer penalties for breaking those laws. People are always going to own animals. Additional laws only affect the law abiding, it does not stop the illegal trading. As a matter of fact, the demand for pets that may have been deemed illegal, will increase the chances for a lucrative black market that will be run by those perfectly willing to break the law at the NHPs expense. Educate people concerning the animal they are interested in. Guide them through required permits, regulations, and requirements. Help them discern if that animal is legal, or not and where they can legally obtain them. Educate people on proper care. Educate people on the reality of owning/being owned by these amazing creatures.
I appreciate your valuable time in careful consideration of opposing this act. Please respond if possible to: [your name, address, email].
Sincerely,
Caretakers of Primates aka COP's
Copyright © 2024 Caretakers of Primates aka COP's - All Rights Reserved.
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