Washington, D.C. — Born Free USA, a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation, applauds U.S. Representatives Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) for introducing H.R. 3294/S. 1898, the Sanctuary Regulatory Fairness Act. This narrowly-crafted, humane legislation seeks to correct an outdated and burdensome regulation governing the importation of nonhuman primates, which currently prevents certified sanctuaries in the U.S. from saving captive animals at risk in other countries.[teaserbreak]
According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA and the Born Free Foundation, “Many primates around the world languish in zoos, are forced to perform in shows, or are held in captivity as pets and then discarded when they are no longer ‘useful.’ They are physically and psychologically traumatized, and unable to be rehabilitated back into the wild. Without intervention, they are likely to be placed in worse conditions or even put to death. If a U.S. sanctuary can rescue even one of these abused animals, then this legal change will be worthwhile.”
Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations allow the importation of primates for “bona fide scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes,” which excludes sanctuaries and prevents needy captive primates overseas from being rescued by U.S. organizations.
This bill will require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to include certified animal sanctuaries within the categories for which primates may be imported in the CDC regulations. Only high-quality sanctuaries that meet certain stringent standards for animal welfare and public safety can participate under this new rule, like the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary, which is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS).
“Many reputable U.S. sanctuaries have the capacity to provide humane, lifetime care for primates rescued from captivity abroad, and this legislation ensures that sanctuaries are given this opportunity,” Congresswoman Ellmers said. “Providing compassionate care for deprived primates is important, and I am proud to have spearheaded common-sense legislation that removes unnecessary regulatory red tape.”
The 186-acre Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in Dilley, Texas is home to more than 600 primates, rescued from deplorable circumstances. Sanctuary Director Tim Ajax adds, “The conditions we have found many of these animals in is truly disturbing and heartbreaking—isolated and crammed into small cages in dark basements, covered in their own feces. We are happy to be able to provide some of these victims with a large open place to live out their lives in relative freedom, with proper food and care, social interaction with other primates, and grass and trees for the first time in their lives.”
The Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary has been asked to take in primates from similarly abusive captive circumstances abroad, but has been unable to do so due to current regulations. For instance, this year, a rescue center in Uruguay requested that Born Free import and provide permanent care for several baboons abandoned by a zoo that could no longer care for them. In addition, a woman from Honduras sought U.S. refuge for a spider monkey kept tied up outside an unused holiday resort, and a man in Tanzania pled for a U.S. sanctuary to rehome a confiscated pet baboon.
Ajax states, “Despite being fully equipped to accept and care for these primates for the rest of their lives, we were forced to deny these heartbreaking requests. We want to help every needy captive primate we can, and right now, that opportunity is denied to us and other reputable U.S. primate sanctuaries.”
“Passage of the Sanctuary Regulatory Fairness Act is the right decision,” Roberts emphasizes. “These animals are suffering every day and deserve a second chance at life in a sanctuary.”
Born Free USA is a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic “pets,” trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of “compassionate conservation”—the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son Will Travers. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at www.bornfreeusa.org, www.twitter.com/bornfreeusa, and www.facebook.com/bornfreeusa.
Media Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, 203/270-8929, therodicompany@gmail.com