WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2024
/CNW/ -- On October 7, 2024, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service ("USFWS" or "the Service") declined to
accept a petition filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) and other advocacy groups to list long-tailed
macaque ("LTM") monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) under the
Endangered Species Act ("ESA").
"NABR looks forward to working with USFWS
to ensure the integrity of its scientific processes."
The decision caps a review by USFWS in which the Service found
the petition did not present credible information to support
impacts to LTM populations or the species as a whole due to
potential threats, either separately or cumulatively, such that the
species may warrant listing.
Long-tailed macaques are used extensively throughout the world
in biomedical research given their close approximation to human
beings. Six of the 25 most used prescription drugs were developed
with the help of long-tailed macaques.1 Research with
long-tailed macaques has been crucial for advances in regenerative
medicine,2 immunology,3
cancer,4 vaccine
development,5 and
pharmacology.6 The National Institutes
for Health (NIH) recently published a review confirming the
importance of LTMs in conducting biomedical research.
The USFWS decision follows a recent decision by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s decision to
reconsider the "Endangered" designation of LTM in response to a
petition from the National Association for Biomedical Research
(NABR) challenging the listing decision by IUCN.7 The
IUCN directed authors that had conducted a status review (Hansen et
al. 2022) to reevaluate their assessment to address scientific
issues raised by NABR in its petition.
NABR's petition showed the 2022 review by Hansen et. al., which
the IUCN used as the basis for its decision to uplist the
long-tailed macaque's status, misrepresented existing scientific
data. A separate petition filed by Dr. Hank
Jenkins, which remains pending before the IUCN, asserts that
the Hansen et al. (2022) authors possess conflicts of interest that
require further investigation by the IUCN.
"NABR is pleased that the USFWS has declined to accept the
petition filed by PETA and other advocacy groups based upon its
consideration of the best available scientific information,"
said Matthew R. Bailey, president
of NABR. "Available scientific information clearly shows that
this species is not at risk and does not warrant a further status
review. NABR looks forward to working with USFWS to ensure the
integrity of its scientific processes."
The conservation status of long-tailed macaque and PETA's
involvement in government programs was recently the subject of a
U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee hearing in
September 2024. Witnesses at this
hearing testified that PETA and other animal advocacy groups had
improperly attempted to influence government investigations of
private parties and foreign governments for political reasons.
More information regarding the NABR petition is available online
at www.nabr.org.
About the National Association for Biomedical
Research
Founded in 1979, the National Association for
Biomedical Research (NABR) is the only 501(c)(6) nonprofit
association dedicated to sound public policy for the humane use of
animals in biomedical research, education, and testing. Members
include more than 340 universities, medical and veterinary schools,
teaching hospitals, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies,
patient groups, and academic and professional societies who rely on
humane and responsible animal research to advance global human and
animal health. Learn more about us at www.nabr.org.
1 FBR's Role of LTMs in Research Fact Sheet 01-2024
FINAL, available online at
https://fbr-cms-bucket.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/FBR_s_Role_of_LT_Ms_in_Research_Fact_Sheet_01_2024_FINAL_802d17fd7d.pdf?updated_at=2024-02-26T16:44:17.000Z
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8848615/#:~:text=Non%2Dhuman%20primates%20play%20a,organs%20affected%20by%20degenerative%20diseases.
regenerative medicine
3
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-018-0005-7 immunology
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9808758/#:~:text=Furthermore%2C%20NHP%20naturally%20develop%20cancers,and%20patients%20with%20human%20cancer.
cancer research/therapies
5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5886327/ behavioral
pharmacology
6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8402317/ COVID 19
vaccine development
7 See Hilborn, R., & Smith, D. R.
(2023). Is the long–tailed macaque at risk of extinction? American
Journal of Primatology,
e23590. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23590
Contact: Eva Maciejewski
emaciejewski@nabr.org
(202) 967-8305
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SOURCE National Association for Biomedical Research