The agency made the announcement in a final rule to classify all chimps as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Previously, it only recognized wild chimps as endangered, yet captive chimps were only listed as threatened under the act.
"Extending captive chimpanzees the protections afforded (to) their endangered cousins in the wild will ensure humane treatment and restrict commercial activities under the Endangered Species Act," the agency's director, Dan Ashe, said in a statement.
Under the final rule, certain activities will be prohibited without a permit, including import and export of chimps into and out of the United States, and any procedure that involves harming, harassing, killing and injuring the animals within the United States, and interstate and foreign commerce.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
