Government Makes Move to Grant 'Endangered' Status to Captive Chimps, Too

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday it wants to classify both wild - and captive - chimpanzees as endangered species.

Currently, the Endangered Species Act regards wild chimpanzees as endangered but lists captive chimpanzees as threatened.

The move is a play to "correct the inconsistency" in the law which does not allow for captive-held animals to be classified the same as their wild counterparts, the USFWS said in a statement.

A 2010 petition by the Humane Society of the United States and a number of conservation organizations -- including the Jane Goodall Institute -- prompted a formal review of the status of chimpanzees under the Endangered Species Act, the USFWS said.

The 2010 petition asserted that the "exploitation of chimpanzees in the United States' entertainment and pet industries is seen around the world and misleads the public into believing chimpanzees are well protected in the wild and make good pets, further fueling the demand for chimpanzees."

Petitioners were also concerned about the status of chimps held in captive as part of biomedical research.

Dan Ashe, the director of the federal agency, said he hoped the move would renew public interest in "one of the world's most iconic species."

"We all know the important work that British primatologist Jane Goodall has done to understand chimpanzees in the wild and raise worldwide awareness about their plight," Ashe said. "Our hope is that this proposal will ignite renewed public interest in the status of chimpanzees in the wild."

In a statement, Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace, said she was pleased to hear about the proposal.

"This is exceptional news for all chimpanzees and for all the petitioners, especially the Humane Society of the United States, who have worked so hard on this issue," Goodall wrote.

"This decision gives me hope that we truly have begun to understand that our attitudes toward treatment of our closest living relatives must change. I congratulate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for this very important decision."

Wednesday, June 12, the proposal will enter a 60-day period open to public comment.