[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 34 (Thursday, February 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       CAPTIVE PRIMATE SAFETY ACT

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                               speech of

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 23, 2009

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, as the lead Republican sponsor I am pleased to 
rise in support of the Captive Primate Safety Act. This legislation, 
supported by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the Humane 
Society of the United States, and the Jane Goodall Institute, among 
others, would protect public health and safety and enhance animal 
welfare by preventing people from keeping nonhuman primates as pets.
  On February 16, 2009, Travis, a 200-pound chimpanzee, attacked a 55-
year-old woman in Connecticut. Travis, a popular figure in his home 
town who appeared in television commercials and posed for photographs, 
inflicted such massive injuries on the victim that she now awaits a 
face transplant.
  This gruesome incident highlights the fact that keeping a primate for 
a pet is both dangerous to the owner and inhumane to the animal. Over 
the past decade, roughly 100 people have been injured by primates, many 
of whom are children. Acts of neglect have also occurred in my home 
state of Illinois. In October 2008, Chicago police seized a ring-tailed 
lemur that was reportedly found with no food, little water, and 
standing in his own waste.
  Although nonhuman primates are our closest living relatives, because 
they have unique needs and can be dangerous, they should not be kept as 
pets. With an estimated 15,000 primates in private hands, federal 
legislation is needed to reinforce this fact.
  This legislation would amend the Lacey Act by adding nonhuman 
primates to the list of ``prohibited wildlife species,'' declaring it 
illegal for any individual person to import, export, transport, sell, 
receive, acquire, or purchase any prohibited wildlife species. The bill 
exempts zoos, universities, and wildlife sanctuaries. Having passed in 
the 110th Congress overwhelmingly, I strongly encourage my colleagues 
to join me again in passing this needed and timely legislation.

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