Complaint Urges Federal Officials to Confiscate the Last Remaining Solitary Pet Chimpanzee in U.S.

On October 20, 2026, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) submitted a complaint to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and 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 other inadequate 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 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. 

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. ALDF included the USFWS & the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the complaint because USFWS has jurisdiction over the ESA and DOJ has authority to pursue enforcement of both the AWA and ESA.        

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.   

What action has been taken? ALDF submitted a complaint to the USDA alleging that Missouri resident Aya Katz is knowingly engaged in the unlicensed exhibition of Bow, an endangered chimpanzee, by posting videos with him on social media in violation of the AWA. ALDF included the USFWS and the DOJ on the complaint because USFWS has jurisdiction over the ESA and DOJ has authority to pursue enforcement of both the AWA and ESA. 

Why this action is important: Bow’s rescue would represent a culmination of decades of work by animal advocates, primatologists like Dr. Jane Goodall, and veterinarians to end the chimpanzee pet trade in the U.S. We know that Bow’s life and well-being matter to him and we owe it to him, to the chimpanzees who came before him who never got the chance to live life in sanctuary, and to the advocates who got us here, to complete the job. This would result in not just a new life for Bow, but would also be a massive victory for the animal advocacy movement. However, thousands of other primates are still being abused and exploited in biomedical research, the entertainment industry, and the pet trade. Securing the rescue of the final solitary chimpanzee “pet” would mark a long-sought win as ALDF and advocates continue efforts to protect all of our primate cousins.