Earl Blumenauer

09/19/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/19/2024 09:27

Blumenauer, Fitzpatrick, Neguse Demand End to Private Primate Ownership

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Joe Neguse (D-CO) urged the House Natural Resources Committee to advance the Captive Primate Safety Act (CPSA), bicameral legislation introduced by Blumenauer and Fitzpatrick to end the sale and private possession of non-humane primates. The demand for House Natural Resources Committee leaders to act comes as HBO's Chimp Crazy highlights the ongoing, immediate dangers posed by captive primate ownership.

"CPSA provides a commonsense and budget-neutral solution to the dangerous and cruel problem of private primate ownership in the U.S.," the lawmakers wrote. "Chimp Crazy exposes the inhumane and unsafe pet trade in primates which has destroyed lives - both human and nonhuman - across the country." they continued. "The Committee on Natural Resources is dedicated to working in a bipartisan and fiscally responsible manner to safeguard the health and safety of both humans and wild animals. The CPSA falls squarely within that mandate, and we urge you to schedule a hearing and markup for the bill before the end of the 118th Congress," the letter concluded.

Read the entire letter here.

For more than a decade, Blumenauer has championed congressional efforts to end the primate pet trade based on the belief that primates are highly intelligent and social animals whose needs are irreconcilable with captivity as pets. The Captive Primate Safety Act of 2009, CPSA passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support in the 110th and 111th Congresses and the bill received a hearing last session. More than 115 organizations have endorsed the CPSA.

Blumenauer and Fitzpatrick co-chair the bipartisan Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, which brings Members of Congress together in support of animal welfare.