Woman recently mauled by chimp one of the reasons that the Captive Primate Safety Act is necessary

March 8, 1:10 PMDC Pet Care ExaminerErin Paquette

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The gruesome details of the attack on Charla Nash (the woman who was mauled by Travis, the pet chimp of 70year-old Sandra Herold), isn’t the first time that a primate has seriously injured a human; in March, 2005, St. James Davis was viciously attacked by two chimpanzees, causing a slow and painful recovery filled with dozens of surgeries.

In light of such violence, the Captive Primate Safety Act seems timelier than ever, with over 4,000 signatures currently recorded on Care2.com. The Captive Primate Safety Act would make it more difficult to have primates as pets, hopefully reducing the amount of primate-related attacks on humans.

According to the Humane Society, there are currently over 15,000 primates who are owned privately, with little regulation by trained handlers or government officials. While some states—such as California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Utah, and Vermont—do not allow people to own primates as pets, there are many that slip through the cracks.

Additionally, many people see primates as “mini-humans,” and forget to care for them in the way that primates need. While primates may have intelligence and reasoning patterns that are similar to humans, the bottom line is that they are not human, and need to be cared for properly.

Passed by the House, the Act is currently awaiting approval by the senate. To add your signature to the act, visit Care2.com, or the Humane Society website. You can also contact your local Senator and urge them to vote yes for the Captive Primate Safety Act.

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Do you think that primate attacks are the fault of the primates, or those who 'own' them? Leave a comment below.

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