HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

22

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

requesting the board of agriculture to amend ITS rules to prohibit the possession, propagation, sale, transfer, or harboring of nonhuman primates in Hawaii, with certain exceptions.

 

 

WHEREAS, section 150A-6.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, prohibits a person from possessing, propagating, selling, transferring, or harboring animals on the List of Prohibited Animals attached to Chapter 4-71, Hawaii Administrative Rules; and

WHEREAS, the following nonhuman primates are currently included in the List of Restricted Animals attached to Chapter 4-71, Hawaii Administrative Rules:

Scientific Name Common Name

FAMILY Callithricidae Monkey, marmosets,

Callithricidae (all species tamarins

in family)

FAMILY Cebidae

Cebidae (all species in family) New world monkey

FAMILY Cercopithecidae Old world monkey;

Cercopithecidae (all species in baboon; colobus; langur;

family) macaque

FAMILY Hylobatidae

Hylobates (all species in genus) Gibbons

FAMILY Lemuridae Lemur, bush baby

Lemuridae (all species (Galago)

in family)

FAMILY Lorisidae

Nycticebus coucang Loris, slow

Perodicticus potto Potto

FAMILY Pongidae

Gorilla gorilla Gorilla

Pan troglodytes Chimpanzee

Pan paniscus Chimpanzees

Pongo pygmaeus Orangutan

; and

WHEREAS, while it is currently legal for individuals in the state to privately possess, propagate, sell, transfer, or harbor nonhuman primates, most owners of nonhuman primates lack the knowledge, skill, and devotion necessary to prevent zoonosis, or the transmission of disease from primates to humans; and

WHEREAS, some of the most serious health risks to humans from nonhuman primates are viruses like the Herpes B virus, which may remain latent in a primate species with no outward indication and yet be lethal to another primate species, including humans; and

WHEREAS, surveys have shown that from 70 to 100 percent of adult macaques in both the wild and captive populations are infected with the Herpes B virus, which is a zoonotic infection that causes deadly meningoencephalitis when transmitted to humans; and

WHEREAS, in addition to viruses, bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis are highly contagious between nonhuman primates and humans; and

WHEREAS, examples of exotic diseases that have been transmitted to humans from animals include AIDS, ebola, monkey pox, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and bird flu; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the threat of disease transmission, nonhuman primates are physically dangerous and remain wild animals that may attack humans when excited or threatened; and

WHEREAS, nine states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming) have banned the private possession of nonhuman primates; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the Board of Agriculture is requested to amend its rules to make it unlawful for any person with the exception of accredited zoological parks, nonprofit wildlife sanctuaries, registered or accredited research facilities, persons with disabilities in need of aid from a nonhuman primate, or short-term permit for performance in a commercial film or movie, carnival or circus, or public display, exhibition, or presentation to possess, propagate, sell, transfer, or harbor nonhuman primates in the state, as currently identified in the List of Restricted Animals – For Private and Commercial Use, attached to Chapter 4-71, Hawaii Administrative Rules; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Agriculture is requested to report to the Legislature upon the adoption of rules; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture.

 

 

Report Title:

Nonhuman Primates; New Rules to Prohibit Possession