No More Pet Chimps in Connecticut

After the brutal attack by chimp on a defenseless woman in Connecticut, the state has finally passed a bill that outlaws the keeping of chimps, gorillas and orangutans as pets. This bill had been ignored for weeks until the proposer lamented that the his bill was being ignored prompting its revival and a unanimous pro vote that is something of a phenomenon in my opinion.

The bill in – i must say – should cause primate lovers and conservationists to rejoice as a step forward in saving the great apes. It should be emulated by all states in the US, all European countries, China and all other wildlife pet-obsessed peoples and it should encompass all wild animals as we know them today.

The Hartford Courant wrote from the State Capitol that:

In the waning hours of the regular legislative session Wednesday, state lawmakers revived and unanimously approved a previously stalled bill prompted by the Stamford chimpanzee attack — a ban on the private ownership of gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

Interestingly, this matter had been postponed for weeks because of worries by legislators and pet owners because the proposal, in its original form was too sweeping and it would – for example – have included ferrets.

One issue that had stalled the bill’s progress, for example, was the proposed ban on wolverines. It turned out that ferrets, which many people own as pets, are related to wolverines, and ferret owners expressed concerns about that part of the bill, said state Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chairman of the legislature’s environment committee.

The proposal passed on 151-0 in the House and 36-0 in the Senate.

Now that is something you don’t see in Kenya’s parliament except when the Members are voting for their own salaries.

It would be interesting to see how parliament would treat the issue of a Furadan ban as proposed by Hon. John Mututho, the MP for Naivasha. Furadan is a carbofuran-based pesticide and nematicide that has been killing lions, hyenas, vultures and other wildlife in Kenya

The story of the ban is contained on here

General Assembly Votes To Ban Chimps, Other Animals, As Pets.