US Fish and Wildlife Service rejects Endangered listing for long-tailed macaque

Photo: _KUBE_/Adobe Stock

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently rejected a petition from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other advocacy groups seeking to list long-tailed macaque monkeys—Macaca fascicularis—as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The decision concludes a review by USFWS, which determined that the petition lacked credible information of any impacts on long-tailed macaque populations or the species overall from potential threats, whether individually or collectively, that would justify listing the species as endangered.¹

The USFWS decision comes after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) decided to reevaluate the "Endangered" designation of long-tailed macaques in response to a petition from the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) that challenged the IUCN's original listing. The IUCN directed the authors of the previous status review, Hansen et al 2022, to reconsider their assessment in light of scientific concerns raised by the NABR.

The long-tailed macaque was listed as Endangered in 2022 following the IUCN’s March 2022 assessment report, which reported that a primate specialist from the IUCN had proposed in 2008 that the conservation status of long-tailed macaques needed to be more urgently reviewed to focus on the threats these animals faced.²

According to the New England Primate Conservancy, the specialist mentioned threats from high demand in trade and rapid development in Southeast Asia, comparing the species' potential decline to that of the passenger pigeon, which went from abundant to extinct in just 50 years due to intense hunting and persecution in the mid-1800s.² The possibility of this happening to the long-tailed macaque was raised given the high demand for the species in global and domestic trade, as well as the hunting and persecution they were facing.²

However, the petition from the NABR contended that the 2022 review by Hansen et al misrepresented existing scientific data.¹ Additionally, a separate petition currently pending with the IUCN claims that the authors of the Hansen et al 2022 review have conflicts of interest that “require further investigation by the IUCN.”¹

In a recent news release, the NABR expressed support for the USFWS’ decision to reject the petition to list the long-tailed macaque as Endangered. “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," Matthew R. Bailey, president of the NABR, said in the release.¹ "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."

References

1. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services rejects petition to list long-tailed macaques under the Endangered Species Act. News release. National Association for Biomedical Research. October 7, 2024. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-u-s-fish-and-wildlife-service-rejects-petition-to-list-long-tailed-macaques-under-the-endangered-species-act-878733830.html
2. Long-tailed macaque. New England Primate Conservancy. July 2022. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://neprimateconservancy.org/long-tailed-macaque/