S. 462 would amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit the importation, exportation, transportation, and sale, receipt, acquisition, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce, of any live animal of any prohibited wildlife species.
Detailed Summary
Captive Primate Safety Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to add nonhuman primates to the definition of "prohibited wildlife species" for purposes of the prohibition against the sale or purchase of such species in interstate or foreign commerce.
Makes it unlawful for a person to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase a live animal of any prohibited wildlife species in interstate or foreign commerce (i.e., for pet trade purposes). Sets forth exceptions to such prohibition, including, under certain conditions, for: (1) transporting a nonhuman primate to or from a veterinarian; (2) transporting a nonhuman primate to a legally designated caregiver as a result of the death of the preceding owner; and (3) transporting a single primate of the genus Cebus that was obtained from and trained by a charitable organization to assist a permanently disabled individual with a severe mobility impairment.
Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act. Extends the authorization of appropriations to carry out such prohibition for FY2010-FY2014.
Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for FY2010 for use in hiring additional law enforcement personnel of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to enforce the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 2/24/2009: Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
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October 20, 2009, 9:07am (report abuse)It would be better to spend all the VA money on monkeys rather than the whining veterans. All veterans want is more, more, more.
Up the monkey!
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October 20, 2009, 11:47am (report abuse)Veterans Suck!
Up The Monkeys!
Corky
(logged in user) November 18, 2009, 12:59am (report abuse)Veterans are whiners and already get much more than they really deserve.
Spend your time and effort on getting monkeys fair treatment and screw the veterans.
Avery
November 18, 2009, 10:27am (report abuse)This bill clearly states that animals can be transported across state lines if they are in need of medical care or are assistance animals. Although not stated, many primates are captive caught and by keeping primates as pets the American people are supporting the inhumane treatment of endangered animals abroad. We should no longer consider it appropriate to keep primates as pets, we cannot assure that all animals available for sale are not wild caught, or that they were properly cared for by the breeder. Nobody can perfectly mimic the environment which a primate is intended to live in, therefore nobody can provide as good a life for a primate as they would have lived in the wild. Primates also carry a variety of diseases which can be crippling or deadly. We shouldn't oppose this bill purely because we like having non-human primates as pets, the practice of keeping them is inhumane and unsafe.
Avery
November 18, 2009, 10:35am (report abuse)Also to those who say that this is a step towards making all pets illegal, most pets are considered domestics (cats, dogs, horses, goats, etc) and so have different needs than exotic animals. No lawmaker is considering making domestics illegal, exotic animals are more dangerous than domestic animals and have needs which cannot be entirely filled in a human environment.
Lorna
November 18, 2009, 12:50pm (report abuse)I am completely against any wild animal being kept as a pet.They make completely inappropriate pets, it is against their natural instincts to be kept apart from others of their own kind and in such an unnatural environment.
What happens to all these animals when they get too old to be controlled?Where will they go then? It's all very well keeping them when they are tiny, cute babies, but once they reach adulthood and have the strength to seriously injure someone?What then?Keep them in a cage for the rest of their lives?! Send them to a rescue centre so they can deal with the result??
I have worked at a primate rehabilitation centre for 4 years and seen the result of the pet trade. Most of the animals are unable to live normally with others of their own species because of their past.
With the forests and other habitats these animals come from in such bad condition,surely the money spent on purchasing an animal would be better spent protecting this land for future wild generations.
Hellen B
November 18, 2009, 12:59pm (report abuse)I agree with the S. 462, wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets and treated as goods. The commerce of exotic animals is wrong, it shouldn't exist, people that really love and care about these animals would rather see them in their habitats, not inside a pathetic human house.