News/Lawmaker News

Lawmakers Push Chimp Ban Bill After Mauling

Federal legislation banning the domestic ownership of monkeys is an “urgently needed,” two lawmakers, joined by the Humane Society, insisted Tuesday.

Following the highly-publicized mauling of a Connecticut woman by her pet chimpanzee, Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) called on Congress to pass the Captive Primate Safety Act, which would prohibit interstate commerce in primates for use as pets, and make it a crime for individuals to transport primates across state lines.