Tell Congress to Pass the Captive Primate Safety Act

UPDATE (5/5/25): The Captive Primate Safety Act has been reintroduced in Congress by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), and Nancy Mace (R-SC) in the House of Representatives, and by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in the Senate. Its new bill numbers are H.R. 3199 and S. 1594.

In nearly half of all U.S. states, some form of private ownership of primates as pets is still allowed. The dark and dangerous world of the primate pet trade in America was thrust into the spotlight in 2024 with the release of the shocking documentary Chimp Crazy. The film tells the unbelievable story of one chimpanzee caught in this disturbing subculture and exposes the misguided, and at times criminal, nature of the industry. Despite a patchwork of permitting laws across the country, there are no federal protections in place to prevent the kind of egregious abuse depicted in Chimp Crazy.

Primates kept as pets across the United States are frequently sold away from their mothers by inhumane breeders when they are far too young, causing lasting trauma to both the mothers and babies caught up in this cruel and unethical trade. These highly intelligent, emotionally complex animals often suffer from inadequate diets, inappropriate living conditions, and extreme psychological stress from being kept isolated from other members of their species. Human homes are not designed to meet the physiological needs of non-human primates, who require large natural habitats with access to the outdoors, including trees, climbing perches, and other enrichment materials.

Keeping chimpanzees and other primates in human homes, forcing them to wear human clothing, and feeding them an unhealthy human diet of sugary soda and fast food is abusive and irresponsible behavior that is far too common in the world of exotic pet ownership.

Chimpanzees and other large primates are also incredibly dangerous animals to keep as pets. Once fully grown, they are extremely strong, and the stress of being kept as pets can cause them to lash out, endangering the lives of humans in their vicinity. In the past 30 years, there have been at least 300 cases of people being injured by non-human primates kept in private captivity.

Thankfully, members of the United States Congress are working on legislation to crack down on the abusive primate pet trade. The Captive Primate Safety Act would stop the private possession of these animals by prohibiting private ownership and interstate or foreign commerce of non-human primates. The Act defines ‘prohibited primate species’ as any live species of non-human primate, including species of chimpanzee, galago, gibbon, gorilla, lemur, loris, monkey, orangutan, tarsier, or any hybrid of such species.

Now that Chimp Crazy has exposed the disturbing realities of the primate pet trade, it’s time for our lawmakers to act and push this crucial legislation forward.

Take Action

Please join Species Unite in calling on Congress to pass the Captive Primate Safety Act.

Further action:

You can make an even bigger impact by reaching out to your congressional representative and asking them to cosponsor this bill. You can use this link to find your representatives. Simply type in your zip code and your representatives will appear, click on the linked names over each person’s photo to go to their individual contact pages. There you can fill out an online form asking them to support the Captive Primate Safety Act (S.4206 / H.R.8164).

You can send a note as simple as:

Dear Representative [Name],

I am your constituent, and I am requesting that you become a cosponsor of the Captive Primate Safety Act. The Documentary Chimp Crazy has revealed in shocking detail the dark side of the primate pet trade and now Congress must act to stop this absurd animal abuse while the world is watching. Please do your part to help get this bill passed.

Sincerely,