“On May 5, 2025, the Captive Primate Safety Act (HR 3199/S 1594) – legislation that would ban the private ownership of primates in the US – was reintroduced in Congress. The introduction of this important bill was further heralded by Rep Mike Quigley – the House champion of the bill – touring the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary on Friday, May 9. His timely visit allowed the congressman to meet some of the victims of the primate pet trade and learn more about their stories.”

“‘Monkeys and apes belong in the wild — not in living rooms,’ said Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-05), co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. ‘This bill will ban private possession of these animals, ensuring that we are safe and primates are able to live freely. As the lead sponsor of the 2022 Big Cat Protection Law, I’m proud to sponsor the Captive Primate Safety Act to advance the same protections for primates.’ Monkeys housed at the sanctuary include Wally, a Rhesus macaque who, despite his small size, caused his former owner serious injury by biting off part of her ear, and Gizmo, an illegally kept vervet monkey, who was surrendered after attacking his owner’s son-in-law. These are just two of the sanctuary residents who were surrendered or confiscated after attacking their owners while kept as pets,” says Quigley’s office in a press release.

It’s not clear if any opponents of the bill will use “chimps don’t rip people’s faces off, their owners let them rip people’s faces off,” as a slogan because that one would need a lot of fine-tuning.