A few weeks ago we posted about the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s proposed rule to “up-list” captive chimpanzees to endangered like their wild counterparts. They are accepting comments for just one more month until August 12, 2013. We encourage you to show your support for this proposed rule, and please also suggest that if enacted, this rule would prevent chimpanzees from being used in research any further (in other words, ask the FWS to forego any exemptions to the rule). With the recent NIH announcement to retire 300 of their chimps, things are definitely moving in the right direction for chimps and the tides are changing.
(As a side—did you see the New York Times today? CSNW, Jody, and Jennifer are all featured in a front page article! There’s a video online, too. Learn more here).
We interviewed Dr. Debra Durham to talk a little bit more about these changing tides. She shared a little bit about the PTSD research she did (which included looking at Negra as a case study) and why in her mind it’s important that the FWS move forward with the proposed rule. At the end, there’s a link to a petition we started, which I encourage you to sign and share with friends. To leave your comments directly to FWS, go to this website: www.regulations.gov and enter the docket number FWS-R9-ES-2010-0086. Then click on “Comment Now!” to leave your feedback.
Remember, share this with your friends—the more voices that speak up for chimpanzees in need, the more change we can create.
Yes, stop using chimpanzees for medical research!!!