In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classified all chimpanzees as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
The rule, announced on June 12 and published in June 2015, ended the legal distinction between wild and captive chimpanzees in the United States. Wild chimpanzees had already been listed as endangered, while captive chimpanzees had been treated under a separate threatened classification and special rule.
The change followed growing concern about habitat loss, poaching, disease, and the illegal pet and bushmeat trades. It also followed a 2010 petition from conservation groups, including the Jane Goodall Institute, asking the service to extend endangered status to captive animals. The rule took effect on September 14, 2015.
“Protected” is a broad description, not the official classification asked for here. “Threatened” was the former status applied to captive chimpanzees, which is precisely what the 2015 decision changed.