New HBO Docuseries “Chimp Crazy” Highlights Urgent Need For Federal Ban On Primates As Pets

A new docuseries called “Chimp Crazy” is set to premiere on August 18th on HBO Max. The four-part series is produced and directed by filmmaker Eric Goode (“Tiger King”) and aims to expose the dangerous and cruel trade in primates as pets and the people behind the madness.

The series focuses on a captive chimpanzee named Tonka and examines the broader issues surrounding the thousands of primates who are bred, trafficked, sold, and kept in wildly unnatural conditions in private homes.

“What is truly crazy is that it’s still legal to keep primates as pets,” said Kate Dylewsky, assistant director of government affairs at AWI. “The heart-wrenching stories of chimpanzees caught up in the pet trade must serve as a wake-up call: These wild animals do not belong in our homes and pose a serious threat to our communities. Let’s pass the Captive Primate Safety Act so that this docuseries can serve as a historical narrative, instead of reflecting an ongoing animal welfare and public safety crisis.”

The Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 8164/S. 4206) was reintroduced in May by U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). This bill is narrowly crafted to target sales and private possession of primates, and would not include zoos and other exhibitors, universities, labs, or sanctuaries. However, it would prohibit the private ownership of primates.

The total number of primates kept as pets in the United States (e.g., apes, monkeys, lemurs, and lorises) is unknown, but estimates indicate they number in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. These wild animals are torn from their mothers as infants, sold at auctions or over the internet, and face a lifetime of isolation and imprisonment as pets. Upon reaching maturity, they can quickly become strong and unpredictable, and are often forced to undergo unnecessary, painful procedures, such as tooth extraction, in an effort to “tame” them.