S. 1498 and H.R. 2964—The Captive Primate Safety Act
Sponsor(s):  Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA); Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
ASPCA Position: Support
Action Needed:  Send a letter to your U.S. senators and representative urging them to support the Captive Primate Safety Act.

Update, 06/18/08: The Captive Primate Safety Act passed the House of Representatives yesterday, June 17. Thank you to everyone who took action on this humane legislation.

The Captive Primate Safety Act would bar interstate commerce of nonhuman primates for the pet trade, including monkeys, apes, marmosets and lemurs. This vital legislation would protect the public and captive primates from the dangers that result when these exotic animals are sold as pets.

Nonhuman primates pose a number of dangers to the public. First, they carry viruses and diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including Ebola virus, Herpes B virus, monkeypox, simian immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis and yellow fever. Because of these health risks, it already is illegal to import nonhuman primates into the country for the pet trade. However, primates already in the United States may be moved in interstate commerce and sold as pets. The Captive Primate Safety Act will close this loophole in current law.

Second, primates typically do not make good pets because they often become aggressive as they get older and stronger. As infants, they may appear cooperative and easy to handle, but as they grow, they can easily overpower humans and may lash out unpredictably when frightened or frustrated. Biting and scratching are normal behaviors for these animals, and their large teeth can inflict serious injury.

In addition to the dangers nonhuman primates pose to the public, they often do not receive proper care when they are kept as pets. Captive primates require specific diets, companionship of other nonhuman primates and large enclosures that allow for climbing and swinging. Unfortunately, most pet owners do not meet these needs—and as a result, captive primates often live in inadequate conditions.

S. 1498 and H.R. 2964 send an important message to the public that primates should not be sold as pets. Please take action now by urging your U.S. senators and representative to support and cosponsor this important legislation.

Federal: Protect Public Health! Help Limit the Use of Antibiotics in Food Animals

H.R. 962/S. 549—The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act
Sponsor(s): Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)
ASPCA Position: Support
Action Needed: Write to your senators and representative and urge them to support and cosponsor this important legislation!

The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), H.R. 962/S. 549, would phase out, within two years of enactment, the common practice of feeding mass quantities of antibiotics important in human medicine to food animals.

Livestock and poultry producers misuse these life-saving drugs. They feed them to animals not to treat disease, but to accelerate growth and prevent diseases caused directly by the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions prevalent in the factory farming industry. Instead of improving conditions on factory farms, the agriculture industry uses antibiotics to compensate for inadequate care of the animals. An estimated 70 percent of antibiotics and related drugs produced in this country are used in animal agriculture for non-therapeutic purposes. It is important to note that the PAMTA will not affect the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals.

Passage of the PAMTA is critical if we want to keep antibiotics working for human health. The overuse of these drugs in both human medicine and animal agriculture contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans. These illnesses are especially costly and difficult to treat. In addition to averting the harmful effects of antibiotic overuse on human health, curtailing the use of antibiotics will encourage producers to raise animals using more sustainable and humane methods.

Take action now! Write to your senators and representative and urge them to support and cosponsor this important legislation.

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For Our Health, Please Support and Cosponsor H.R. 962/S. 549

Dear [Decision Maker],

As a concerned constituent, I am writing to urge you to support and cosponsor the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), H.R. 962/S. 549. Scientists agree that the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is contributing to the increase in antibiotic-resistant human diseases. As resistant infections increase, patients suffer through longer and more costly illnesses, and doctors face a dwindling arsenal of drugs to fight disease.
Doctors and patients are increasingly aware of the need to curb unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics. This is an important step in combating antibiotic resistance. At the same time, an estimated 70 percent of antibiotics and related drugs produced in the United States each year are routinely added to the feed and water of poultry, hogs and cattle--not to treat disease, but to promote faster growth and prevent disease outbreaks caused by overcrowded and unsanitary conditions on "factory farms." These non-therapeutic uses of important drugs often create ideal conditions for the development of dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Many of the drugs used in human medicine, such as penicillin, tetracyclines and sulfa drugs, are identical or similar to those used for animals.
The National Academy of Sciences (NA estimates that antibiotic-resistant bacteria cost U.S. society at least $4 billion to $5 billion each year in health care costs. Another NAS study has shown that the cost to consumers of banning antibiotics in animal agriculture would amount to increased meat prices of only a few dollars per year.
Under current law, the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) process for withdrawing drugs from the market can take years or even decades, and is costly to taxpayers. Fortunately, there is a solution. The PAMTA will give the FDA the tools it needs to withdraw approvals for the non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics in animal agriculture in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
Given the serious human health implications of antibiotic resistance, I respectfully urge you to support and cosponsor H.R. 962/S. 549 today.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

Federal: Urge Your Representative to Protect Big Cats and the Public! Support Haley's Act!

H.R. 1947/Haley’s Act—Prohibits Public From Direct Contact with Big Cats
Sponsor(s):  Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-K
ASPCA Position:  Support
Action Needed:  Email your representative today and urge him or her to support and cosponsor Haley’s Act.

Haley’s Act, named in honor of 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand, would prohibit direct contact between big cats and the public. Haley died in 2005 while having her picture taken with a formerly well-behaved, 550-pound Siberian tiger. Both Haley and the tiger lost their lives that day: Haley was killed by the tiger, and the tiger was shot repeatedly, and ultimately killed.

There are more than 10,000 big cats in captivity in the U.S., many of whom are in facilities licensed by the USDA. Anyone who exhibits big cats to the public—whether in a fenced-in backyard, roadside zoo, or otherwise—is required to be licensed by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act. However, the USDA currently lacks the authority to protect public safety by prohibiting direct contact with these animals. Haley’s Act would change that by authorizing the USDA to take public safety into account when issuing exhibitor licenses. Additionally, the bill would specifically prohibit direct contact between big cats and members of the public.

Haley’s Act would also increase the civil penalty for violating the Animal Welfare Act from $2,500 to $10,000!

Please help protect America’s big cats and the public. Write to your representatives today and urge them to support and cosponsor Haley’s Act, H.R. 1947.

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Please Save Lives by Supporting Haley's Act

Dear [Decision Maker],

As a concerned constituent, I am writing to urge you to support and cosponsor Haley's Act (H.R. 1947). Haley's Act is named for 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand, who was killed while having her picture taken with a 550-pound Siberian tiger. The bill would prohibit direct contact between big cats and the public. Both Haley and the tiger lost their lives that day. Haley was killed by the tiger, and the tiger was shot repeatedly, and ultimately killed.
There are more than 10,000 big cats in captivity in the U.S., many of whom are in facilities licensed by the USDA. Anyone who exhibits big cats to the public--whether in a fenced-in backyard, roadside zoo, or otherwise--is required to be licensed by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act. However, the USDA currently lacks the authority to protect public safety by prohibiting direct contact with these animals. Haley's Act would change that by authorizing the USDA to take public safety into account when issuing exhibitor licenses. Additionally, the bill would specifically prohibit direct contact between big cats and members of the public.
Haley's Act would also significantly increase the penalties for violating the Animal Welfare Act. Currently, fines for violation of the Animal Welfare Act are so low that many dealers, breeders and exhibitors simply consider them a cost of doing business. Increasing the penalties under this law will help ensure that those licensed under the Animal Welfare Act comply with the law.

Haley's Act would help protect big cats and the public from the disastrous results that can occur when big cats and the public are allowed to be in direct contact. It would also significantly increase penalties for violation of the Animal Welfare Act. Therefore, I respectfully urge you to support and cosponsor H.R. 1947. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]