United States Declares Chimps 'Endangered'

A United States agency has declared all chimpanzees, both wild and captive, endangered. The move will curb the use of these animals in biomedical research, entertainment and the pet trade.

 US Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday in a final rule to classify all chimps as endangered under he Endangered Species Act.

Earlier only wild chimps were recognized as endangered and the captive chimps were listed as threatened under the act.

Under the final rule, certain activities will be prohibited without a permit, including import and export of chimps in and out of the US, and any procedure that involves harming, harassing, killing and injuring the animal, The New Indian Express noted.

"Extending captive chimpanzees the protections afforded their endangered cousins in the wild will ensure humane treatment and restrict commercial activities under the Endangered Species Act," said agency director Dan Ashe. "The decision responds to growing threats to the species and aligns the chimpanzee's status with existing legal requirements. Meanwhile, we will continue to work with range states to ensure the continued survival and recovery of chimpanzees in the wild."

Reportedly, US is home to about 1,700 captive chimps and over 700 of them are bred in labs for medical research.

According to estimates, around 172,000 to 300,000 chimps are living in African rainforests.