Group Seeks Federal Action to Protect the Last Remaining Solitary Pet Chimpanzee in the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Today, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is seeking federal action to protect the last known solitary “pet” chimpanzee in the United States. The chimpanzee, named Bow, is held in a private home in Missouri and illegally exhibited for profit.

ALDF submitted a complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleging that Missouri resident Aya Katz is knowingly engaged in the unlicensed exhibition of Bow, an endangered chimpanzee, by posting videos of him on social media in violation of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Katz was previously cited for that unlicensed exhibition in 2023. ALDF also alleges that Bow is held in solitary confinement and subject to other inappropriate conditions in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The DOJ has authority to enforce the AWA and ESA. The complaint seeks to have Bow relocated to a Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS)-accredited chimpanzee sanctuary.

 

“Bow belongs in a true sanctuary, not a human home. He deserves to live a life in a more natural environment among fellow chimpanzees, not used as clickbait for personal profit,” said Brittany Peet, Transparency and Regulatory Affairs Program Director at ALDF. “Bow’s plight is a cruel reminder of a once-rampant industry fueled by chimpanzee breeders who tore infant chimpanzees from their frantic mothers and sold them for tens of thousands of dollars to anyone willing to pay.”

Bow is widely believed to be the last solitary pet chimpanzee remaining in the U.S., following ALDF’s recent efforts to secure the rescue of Toby, a solitary chimpanzee who had been held as a pet in Indiana for nearly all his life. Toby was relocated to GFAS-accredited sanctuary, Center for Great Apes, in Wauchula, FL on June 9, 2026, following his owner’s passing.

“Even if the woman keeping Bow captive is well intentioned, she cannot replicate the intricate family structures that chimpanzees need to flourish or contend with their need for constant stimulation,” said Peet. “It’s time for the federal government to end Bow’s cruel captivity and enforce the law so we can rescue the last remaining solitary pet chimpanzee and give him a new life at a sanctuary.”

Katz exhibits Bow on videos on YouTube, including via a paid, members-only channel, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. He continues to be held in solitary confinement in Katz’s home, despite scientific consensus that denying chimpanzees the opportunity to socialize with others of their kind constitutes extreme psychological trauma. Following a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Katz was cited by the USDA in 2023 for engaging in regulated activity without a license. Prior to the citation, Katz evaded the USDA inspector. Since the citation, Katz has continued to regularly exhibit Bow on YouTube and other social media platforms.

 

Chimpanzees are listed as endangered under the federal ESA. Keeping Bow in solitary confinement, as well as other apparent aspects of Bow’s captivity, including his apparent veterinary medical issues, likely violates the ESA’s protections for endangered animals. No primate is suited to life as a pet, and chimpanzees are uniquely ill-suited given their incredible intelligence, intense strength, and need for constant stimulation. Violence is a normal and expected part of chimpanzee societies, and when chimpanzees held as pets have predictably escaped or lashed out, it has resulted in horrific injuries to humans and almost always the killing of the chimpanzee. Advocates have worked tirelessly to end this horrific cycle, working one-by-one to rescue individuals and to seek changes to laws that allowed the industry to continue, such as closing the loophole in the ESA that denied protections to captive chimpanzees. They have also worked to pass the Captive Primate Safety Act, which would ban the private ownership of chimpanzees, among other primates.

The complaint has received support from nine top chimpanzee experts, including veterinarians, primatologists, and a psychologist from notable organizations such as Association of Zoos & Aquariums-accredited zoos, Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries-accredited sanctuaries, and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance.

 

The supporting expert opinions are available upon request.