NEWS RELEASE BUAV CALLS FOR AN END TO MONKEY SLAUGHTER ON MAURITIUS

The BUAV is calling for an end to plans for the slaughter of thousands
of monkeys by Noveprim, one of the main primate dealers on Mauritius and
a company which is 47% owned by Covance UK, an animal testing facility
in the UK. The mass slaughter was revealed following a tip-off received
by the BUAV and reported in the UK Sunday Express Newspaper:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/271963/Horror-of-monkey-cull-on-tropical
-island


The BUAV was informed that the slaughter, which would take place monthly
until 2012, was due to a company down size.

BUAV's Chief Executive, Michelle Thew stated:

"The BUAV is appalled to learn of this monkey slaughter. It is totally
unacceptable that monkeys who have been exploited for years are now
simply discarded because they are of no further use to the company. We
call on the Prime Minister of Mauritius to stop this senseless slaughter
and instead allow these monkeys to be released into the wild so that
they can live out the rest of their lives freely. We urge the people of
Mauritius to speak out against this terrible cruelty."

Mauritius is the world's second largest exporter of long-tailed macaques
for the research industry, exporting up to 10,000 animals each year. In
September 2010, the BUAV released the findings of its investigation into
the monkey trade on Mauritius which contained shocking evidence of the
cruelty and suffering involved in the trapping and breeding of wild
monkeys for the international research industry, in particular the UK,
USA and Europe. In 2009 Noveprim reportedly supplied 60% of the total
number of primates imported by the European Union.

To find out more about the BUAV investigation on Mauritius:

http://www.buav.org/our-campaigns/primate-campaign/buav-primate-trade-invest
igations/trading-in-cruelty

Please support the BUAV campaign by contacting the Mauritius High
Commission/Embassy in your country to protest these killings:

http://www.maurinet.com/tourist_information/mauritian_embassies_foreign_coun
tries

In the UK write to:
Mauritius High Commission
londonmhc@btinternet.com

Also, send an email to the Mauritius Prime Minister at

http://www.buav.org/take-action#media-item-id-7

Saying goodbye to Tom's tree / Adieu à l’arbre de Tom

photo by / photo par Kim Belley

This past month an extremely hard decision had to be made about having what we all know now as "Tom's tree" taken down. It was sick and would have infected the rest of the tree. Another big risk was that it could have fallen from decay and possibly seriously injured one of the chimps, or fallen on the electric fence. Therefore it was taken down on August 11th. All our hearts sank when we heard the loud crash of Tom's tree when it came down, remembering Tom's first day on the islands and his amazing dash straight to the tree and his heroic climb up to the very top.

It has left a big whole in every ones heart and I am sure the Chimps will feel it as well..

C’est à contre-coeur que nous avons récemment pris la décision de faire abattre ce que nous appelions l’arbre de Tom. Une bonne portion de l’arbre étant malade, il risquait de contaminer la partie encore saine, et aussi de tomber sur quelqu’un et de causer des dégâts. Bien sûr, nous avons eu le coeur lourd en entendant le crac assourdissant qu’il a fait en tombant. Nous nous sommes tous rappelé le premier jour oû Tom a mis le pied sur l’île pour se diriger en courant vers son arbre et l’escalader jusqu’en haut.






Photos by / photo de : Laurence Levesque

As a tribute to Tom a carved wooden bench will be made in his honour. / Un banc sera sculpté à même le tronc de l’arbre de Tom.

Baby Snapping Turtle at Fauna/Tortues serpentines

More than 15 little turtles were spotted crossing the Fauna drive way from a garden area to the pond. Traffic was halted and all the little guys and girls were brought over closer to the water.

Here is a look at one of the babies and a photo of an adult taken in 2011.

Une quinzaine de bébés de tortue serpentine ont été aperçus traversant le chemin qui longe l’étang. Toute circulation a été bloquée, le temps de récupérer les petits et de les ramener en toute sécurité plus près de l’eau.

Voici l’un des bébés, ainsi qu’une tortue adulte.

Dearly Departed

Last week Mike, one of our animal care workers came in one morning to find that our sweet turkey Agnes has passed away. Agnes was a very old turkey who spent her life happily living with all the pot-bellied pigs, as well as, all our rooster and chickens. She had been feeling under the weather lately and we had expected that she might leave us soon, but it is never any easier for us, even if it is inevitable.

La semaine dernière, Mike un de nos préposés aux soins des animaux est arrivé un matin pour se rendre compte qu’Agnès, notre charmante dindonne, n’était plus des nôtres. Elle était très avancée en âge et menait depuis toujours une existence heureuse auprès des cochons vietnamiens, du coq et des poules. Malgré le fait qu’elle n’avait pas l’air dans son assiette dernièrement, à un point tel que nous craignions qu’elle ne nous quitte avant longtemps, ce n’est jamais facile de perdre un de nos résidents, même lorsque c’est inévitable.

And Willie one of our oldest pot-bellied pig, also passed away this past Saturday.. /

Willie, un de nos cochons vietnamiens nous a aussi quittés il y a quelques semaines.

They will all be missed by their human and non human friends at Fauna

Ils manqueront à tous leurs amis de la Fondation Fauna.

Darla & Newton

Newton & Darla foraging for peanuts under their new grass!!

Darla et Newton fouillent pour trouver des arachides sous la pelouse.

Newton

Darla..

Photos by/Photo par : Isabelle Alarie

Great Gifts for the Chimps/Des cadeaux pour les chimpanzee

Special Thank You to all who have donated gifts /Nos plus sincères remerciements à tous ceux et celles qui ont offert des cadeaux..

Martha&Chuck Sikaras, Michele Van Ryn, Lori Waters, Ms. K. Dawn Killen Courtney, Liz Thibault, Evelyn Anty Powich..

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Initiates Review of the Chimpanzee’s Status

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will initiate a status review
to determine whether reclassifying all captive chimpanzees from threatened
to endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is warranted.

Currently, wild chimpanzees are listed as endangered, and captive
chimpanzees are listed as threatened. Captive chimpanzees within the
United States are covered by a special rule allowing activities otherwise
prohibited by the ESA.

Following an initial review of a petition from The Humane Society of the
United States, the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums,
the Jane Goodall Institute, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Pan
African Sanctuary Alliance, the Fund for Animals, Humane Society
International, and the New England Anti-Vivisection Society requesting all
chimpanzees, whether found in the wild or in captivity, be listed as
endangered, the Service will undertake a more thorough review to determine
if the requested action is warranted.

The petition finding does not mean that the Service has decided it is
appropriate to list all chimpanzees as endangered under the ESA. Rather,
this finding is the first step in a process that triggers a more thorough
review of all the biological information available. The finding will
publish in the Federal Register on September 1, 2011.

To ensure this status review is comprehensive, the Service is soliciting
information from all interested parties regarding the status of this
species in the wild and in captivity, including threats to the species and
its habitat, information on management programs for chimpanzees, and
information relevant to whether any populations of this species may
qualify as distinct population segments.

Written comments and information concerning this proposal can be submitted
by one of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. [FWS–R9–ES–2010–0086];
or
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn:
[FWS–R9–ES–2010–0086]; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS
2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.

Comments must be received within 60 days, on or before October 31, 2011.
The Service will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This
generally means the agency will post any personal information provided
through the process. The Service is not able to accept email or faxes.

Following an analysis of the comments and any new information that may
become available during the comment period, the Service will move forward
as appropriate with the development of and publication of the status
review of this species.

The ESA provides a critical safety net for fish, wildlife and plants and
to date has prevented the extinction of hundreds of imperiled species, as
well as promoting the recovery of many others. The Service is actively
engaged with conservation partners and the public in the search for
improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species. To
learn more about the Endangered Species program’s Branch of Foreign
Species, visit:
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/international-activities.html.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others
to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader
and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our
scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources,
dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more
information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit
www.fws.gov. Connect with our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfws,
follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usfwshq, watch our YouTube Channel
at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq.

Federal Register /Vol. 76, No. 170 /Thursday, September 1, 2011 / Proposed Rules 54423
regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW., CY–A257, Washington, DC20554. These documents will also be available via ECFS. Documents will beavailable electronically in ASCII, Microsoft Word, and/or Adobe Acrobat.Accessibility Information. To request information in accessible formats(computer diskettes, large print, audio recording, and Braille), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418–0530 (voice), (202) 418–0432 (TTY). This document can also be downloaded in Word and Portable Document Format (PDF) at: http://www.fcc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Aaron Goldschmidt, WirelessTelecommunications Bureau, (202) 418–7146, or e-mail Aaron.Goldschmidt@fcc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FCC
has established a Web site, http://www.fcc.gov/pea, which contains
information and downloadable documents relating to the PEA process,
including the Draft PEA. The Web site also allows individuals to contact the
Commission. Audio/video coverage of the September 20 public meeting will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC’s Web page at http://www.fcc.gov/live. The
FCC’s Web cast is free to the public. Those who watch the live video stream of the event may e-mail event-related questions to PEAquestions@fcc.gov. Depending on the volume of questions
and time constraints, FCC representatives will respond to as many questions as possible during the workshop.
Federal Communications Commission.Matthew Nodine, Chief of Staff, Wireless Telecommunications
Bureau.[FR Doc. 2011–22437 Filed 8–31–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6712–01–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 [Docket No. FWS–R9–ES–2010–0086; MO
92210–1111F113 B6] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on a
Petition To List All Chimpanzees (Pantroglodytes) as Endangered AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.ACTION: Notice of petition finding and initiation of status review. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce a 90-dayfinding on a petition to list all chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing all chimpanzees as
endangered may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if listing the entire species as endangered is warranted. To ensure that this status
review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petition, which will address whether
the petitioned action is warranted, as provided in section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act. DATES: To allow us adequate time to conduct this review, we request that we receive information on or before October 31, 2011. ADDRESSES: You may submit information by one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://
www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket
No. FWS–R9–ES–2010–0086 and then
follow the instructions for submitting
comments.
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R9–IA–2008–0123; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.We will post all information received on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us (see the Information Solicited section below for more details).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Janine Van Norman, Chief, Branch of Foreign Species, Endangered Species Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203; telephone 703–358–2171; facsimile
703–358–1735. If you use a telecommunications devicefor the deaf (TDD), please call the Federal Information Relay Service(FIRS) at 800–877–8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Information Solicited Under the Act, when we make a finding that a petition presents substantial information indicating that listing a species may be warranted, we are required to promptly review the status of the species. To ensure that our status review of the chimpanzee is complete and based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we need certain information. We request scientific and commercial information from the public, concerned governmental
agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested parties on the status of the chimpanzee throughout its range, including but not limited to:
(1) Information on taxonomy, distribution, habitat selection, diet, and population abundance and trends of this
species.
(2) Information on the effects of habitat loss and changing land uses on the distribution and abundance of this species and its principal food sources over the short and long term.
(3) Information on whether changing climatic conditions are affecting the species, its habitat, or its prey base.
(4) Information on the effects of other potential threat factors, including live capture and collection, domestic and international trade, predation by other animals, and diseases of this species.
(5) Information on management programs for chimpanzee conservation, including mitigation measures related to conservation programs, and any other private or governmental conservation programs that benefit this species.
(6) Information relevant to whether any populations of this species may qualify as distinct population segments.
(7) Information on captive breeding and domestic trade of this species in the United States.
(8) Genetics and taxonomy.
(9) The factors that are the basis for making a listing determination for a species under section 4(a) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), which are:
(a) The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range;
VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:04 Aug 31, 2011 Jkt 223001 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\01SEP1.SGM 01SEP1 emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with PROPOSALS
54424 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 170 / Thursday, September 1, 2011 / Proposed Rules
(b) Over utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
(c) Disease or predation;
(d) The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or
(e) Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence. Please include sufficient information with your submission (such as scientific journal articles or other publications) to allow us to verify any scientific or
commercial information you include. We will base our status review on the best scientific and commercial information available, including all information we receive during the public comment period. Please note that
comments merely stating support for or opposition to the action under consideration without providing supporting information, although noted,

To see full bill click the on the following link: http://www.faunafoundation.org/files-images/90-dayfindingonchimpanzees(9.1.11).pdf

U.S. Agency to Consider, Again, If Captive Chimpanzees Deserve Endangered Status

Much of the petition focuses on the "sanctioned exploitation" of captive chimpanzees by the entertainment industry, as well as on the existing U.S. laws and regulations that allow people to keep the primates as pets. But these categories only account for about 260 animals; nearly half the captive chimp population consists of animals in biomedical research laboratories, which the petition claims are "often inhumanely treated." The petition does not address current U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that monitor these laboratories, but insists that an uplisting by FWS will improve their lot. "It is clear that exploitation of this species for biomedical purposes has not positively benefitted chimpanzees in captivity or in the wild; in addition to resulting in mistreatment of individual chimpanzees, such use actively undermines chimpanzee conservation," the petition states.

The last time FWS examined this issue, chimpanzees were a cornerstone of AIDS vaccine research and NIH had an active breeding program. No less than the NIH director then, James Wyngaarden, wrote to the agency to protest the reclassification, arguing that it could "significantly compromise our current ability to make selective use of chimpanzees in research to fight human disease." A chimpanzee researcher at what is now called Yerkes National Primate Research Center at the time went further in his warnings. "When the pandemic of AIDS becomes a truly frightening thing, humans will not stand by and watch their own species reduced while they protect animals that could help test vaccines and drugs," said Frederick King said in a 1998 issue of Science. Researchers further worried that endangered status for captive chimps could create massive red tape for their studies.

Today, no one conducts AIDS vaccine experiments with chimpanzees, and the breeding program was stopped more than 15 years ago. Legislation now before Congress, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which HSUS and several other petitioners have helped craft, calls for an end to all invasive biomedical research with chimpanzees. An Institute of Medicine committee, at NIH's behest, also is currently studying the use of chimpanzees in biomedical and behavioral research.

Science Insider contacted NIH Director Francis Collins for comment today, but there was no immediate response. Barbara Alving, who heads the division of NIH that oversees the 500 or so chimpanzees that it owns, was traveling and unavailable for comment, as was the head of Yerkes. Several other researchers who study captive chimpanzees did not respond to interview requests. Only one scientist, who conducts noninvasive studies on chimps, would comment, but insisted on not being named. "It's entirely unclear what this implies from a policy making standpoint," the scientist said. "On the one hand it might make chimpanzees less useful for scientific research, even noninvasive studies that no one would have any quarrels with. But then again, if the chimpanzees NIH holds are deemed endangered, Fish and Wildlife could require breeding of the animals."

Alexandra Thornton, an executive vice president with the Jane Goodall Institute-a co-petitioner-says she doubts FWS would make such a move. "One could equally say they could be prevented from breeding because it would create more endangered species," says Thornton, who is also a lawyer.

But the practical implications of uplisting the status of captive chimpanzees remains murky even to proponents of the change. In the past, conservationists wanted to list captive chimpanzee as endangered in part to prevent laboratories in the United States from importing captive chimpanzees in Africa. They also wanted to better monitor captive chimpanzees, which endangered status would allow. The petition does not mention either of these issues.

The central argument in the petition revolves around chimpanzees used in the entertainment industry, which it says "misleads the public into believing that chimpanzees are well protected in the wild, thereby reinforcing negative conservation attitudes and inhibiting efforts to raise awareness of the species' plight." Thornton of the Jane Goodall Institute adds that there is a "hypocrisy" conservationists must confront: They ask Africans not to slaughter chimpanzees for food or poach them for pets but the United States continues to allow them to be commercialized. "At a minimum, we'd like to see a level of scrutiny that just isn't happening right now," she says, stressing that wild populations have declined substantially. "We don't have a lot of time left."

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/08/us-agency-to-consider-again.html

Federal officials to weigh new protections for captive chimpanzees

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/federal-officials-to-weigh-new-protections-for-captive-chimpanzees/2011/08/31/gIQAmbbosJ_story.html

Ted S. Warren/AP Photo - This April 29, 2009 photo shows "Jamie," a chimpanzee who was owned as a pet and then sold to a medical research facility, at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Cle Elum, Wash.

By Juliet Eilperin, Published: August 31

The federal government will examine whether captive chimpanzees should be reclassified as “endangered,” officials said Wednesday, a move that could eventually prevent the animals from being used in medical experiments or for entertainment.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — responding to a petition filed by groups including the Humane Society of the United States and the Jane Goodall Institute — announced it had found enough information to justify a review of whether captive chimpanzees need a more protective listing under the Endangered Species Act.

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Wild chimps are listed as endangered. Captive ones — about 2,000 in the United States — are listed as threatened; this allows them to be used for purposes that otherwise would be prohibited.

“We’re concerned about the exploitation of chimpanzees in the U.S.,” said Kathleen Conlee, senior director for animal research issues at the Humane Society. “We do applaud [Fish and Wildlife] for taking this initial step of reviewing chimpanzees’ status.”

Gary Frazer, Fish and Wildlife’s assistant director for endangered species, said he expects the review to take a year to complete.

“The petition provided substantial information that further review is warranted,” Frazer said.

Treatment of chimpanzees in the United States has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months. Last month, the Institute of Medicine held hearings about the ethics of experimenting on chimps, a practice in the United States and Gabon.

From 2007 until last year, the number of biomedical chimp studies conducted in the United States declined, from 53 to 32, because prominent pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Genentech stopped using the animals in experiments.

The petitioners also questioned whether using chimps in entertainment has convinced the public that they are not facing a serious threat. The global wild chimpanzee population has declined 60 percent in the past two decades and now stands between 175,000 and 300,000. In the early 1900s, there were a million chimpanzees in the wild.

Alexandra Thornton, executive vice president of strategic operations and public policy at the Jane Goodall Institute, said it’s hard for her group, which educates the public about conservation in general and chimpanzees in particular, “to do that when the public is constantly barraged with images of chimps in entertainment and can get them as pets.”

Reclassifying captive chimpanzees might not eliminate the domestic pet trade altogether but would bar chimp breeders from transporting the animals across state lines for sale.