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Monkeys and apes are our closest living
relatives in the animal world and their facial features
bear a striking resemblance to human primates. As
such, many individuals purchase baby monkeys/apes
believing that these primates will be a suitable "substitute"
or a "surrogate" for human children. Others
are inundated with images of nonhuman primates in
advertisements, on television and in the movies which
depict infant and adolescent primates as "cute
and cuddly". Often the naive viewers are given
the impression that nonhuman primates would make ideal
'pets'. These individuals are - at best -misguided.
There are tragic consequences (for all concerned primates,
human and nonhuman) that can result when a formerly
dependent baby monkey/ape reaches sexual maturity.
NONHUMAN PRIMATES IN THE PRIVATE
SECTOR - RISKS
Of serious concern are the safety risks posed to
the community by nonhuman primates in private possession.
Nonhuman primates pose safety and health risks to
their possessors and any person coming into contact
with them. Nonhuman primates are notorious for harboring
deadly and contagious illnesses such as tuberculosis,
Hepatitis, and Simian Herpes B. [Click
here to read more about zoonoses acquired from 'pet'
primates.]
QUICK FACTS
Importation
of nonhuman primates as 'pets' is prohibited
by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The
World Organization for Animal Health has a
position statement against the importation
of nonhuman primates as 'pets'. The American
Zoological Association and the National Association
of State Public Health Veterinarians have
position statements against private sector
possession of nonhuman primates.
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BITES FROM NONHUMAN PRIMATES CAN
CAUSE SEVERE LACERATIONS
Wounds may become infected, with the potential to
reach the bone and cause permanent deformity. Many
reported monkey bites have resulted in serious injury
to the individual who possessed the monkey/ape, to
a neighbor, or to a stranger on the street.
It is estimated that for every reported monkey bite,
at least ten bites go unreported.
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The young woman whose hand is pictured
here says: "I thought Kaylie was
the perfect child. I bottle-raised her
from infancy. She slept with me, went
to do shopping errands with me and was
part of the family. When she was a baby
capuchin, I would never have imagined
that as a three-year-old Kaylie would
attack me with no warning."
"The nerves in my hand and wrist
were so severely severed that I will
likely never regain use of my hand despite
all of the surgeries I have endured."
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"Kaylie lost her life. She was
euthanized by authorities. Anyone who
acquires a monkey thinking it will be
a suitable pet is embarking upon a tragic
journey… painful and heartbreaking."
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Children are especially vulnerable to being attacked
since monkeys and apes are naturally inclined to establish
dominance hierarchies.
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This nine-year-old Montgomery County,
Texas boy was playing in his yard when
he was suddenly attacked by a neighbor's
'pet' macaque monkey.
Of the attack, the boy says, "The
monkey started jumping. He got this arm,
then he jumped to this arm and started
yanking, and going back and forth to a
leg and both my arms, like, taking turns
on all of them." [Source: ABC 13
Eyewitness News]
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THE PLIGHT OF 'PET' MONKEYS
Regardless of how well-intended, there are very few
people who have the knowledge and/or resources to
provide captive monkeys/apes with adequate care for
a lifetime. Baby monkeys/apes entered in to the 'pet'
trade are robbed of the opportunity to be raised by
their biological mothers, and as they mature their
natural inclinations are stifled by attempts to mold
them in to 'obedient pets'. When formerly dependent
baby monkeys/apes reach adolescence, they begin to
exhibit aggression. In accordance with their natural
behaviors, monkeys/apes bite and scratch. Often, the
end result is displacement (following negligent/abusive
treatment, both physically and mentally) of the monkey/ape.
Some monkeys/apes are condemned to living the rest
of their lives alone in a cage with little or no personal
contact with other living beings. Others are "sent
away" because of their "bad" behaviors.
Some monkeys/apes may even be euthanized by the owner.
QUICK FACTS
Many
individuals who purchase exotic animals, including
monkeys and apes, intending to make them in
to 'pets' do not consider the following:
Exotic
animals need physical and psychological enrichment;
spacious and secure enclosures; companionship
of conspecifics, and they have specialized
dietary and nutritional needs. Depending on
the species, costs associated with responsibly
caring for an exotic animal can run in to
thousands of dollars a year. Many insurance
companies refuse home owner's coverage to
those in possession of species deemed 'dangerous'.
In many locales, it may be difficult or even
impossible to find a veterinarian who is qualified
and experienced to handle/treat exotic species.
New bills/laws banning private sector possession
of wild/exotic animals are being introduced/passed
at unprecedented rates (many of these bills/laws
do not have "grand fathering" clauses.)
Unlike domestic dogs/cats, some animal species
(for example, nonhuman primates) can have
life-spans of 30-40 years.
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The life for so-called 'pet' monkeys
and apes is far removed from what they would experience
in their natural habitat. Unfortunately, monkeys and
apes have become popular in the exotic animal 'pet'
trade and they are easily obtainable. A quick search
on the internet alone reveals forty-eight web sites
which currently specialize in selling baby monkeys
and apes.
Though infant monkeys and apes (like all mammalian
species) are completely dependent on their caretakers,
nonhuman primates are not domesticated, and their
instincts remain very much intact in captivity. Adult
monkeys and apes exhibit aggression and instinctively
bite and scratch. Individuals possessing primate species
often attempt to change the nature of the monkey/ape
rather than the nature of the care provided. Such
tactics include confinement in small barren enclosures,
chaining, shocking, beating "into submission,"
or even painful mutilations, such as tooth and nail
removal.
Nonhuman primates do not make good 'pets'. They require
special care, housing, diet, and maintenance that
the average person cannot provide. When in the hands
of private individuals monkeys and apes typically
suffer due to poor care. A life in a backyard, basement
or garage cage cannot even begin to meet these very
social primates' instinctual needs and desires, such
as seeking a mate, raising young, foraging, basking
in the sun, and establishing territories. Nonhuman
primates are social animals, and they need to be around
their own kind for healthy mental development. Human
substitutes are not enough to fill this need.
WHERE DO BABY MONKEYS AND APES
COME FROM
Baby monkeys and apes destined for the 'pet' trade
are literally "pulled" away from their protective
mothers when they are only hours or days old. Remember,
commercial gain (not compassion) is the breeder's
motivation.
The infant monkeys/apes and their biological mothers
typically suffer depression from the forced separation.
"Breeder" females are often purposely impregnated
at a frequency which can be 4-6 times higher than
the species would breed in natural circumstances,
leading to serious and often fatal/crippling maladies
like hemorrhaging and severe bone mass depletion.
Bottom-line: purchasing an infant primate is always
consumerism supporting an unscrupulous (and sometimes
illegal) trade.
Raised by humans, the baby monkeys/apes never have
the chance to develop as they should, thus they become
psychologically maladjusted. They have little or no
chance of leading life in accordance with their instincts
as nature intended.
All things considered, it is usually a 'Lose-Lose-Lose-Win'
situation when individuals acquire monkeys/apes to
be 'pets'. The infant primate's biological mother
loses when her baby is torn from her breast to be
sold as a 'pet'. The surrogate parent often loses
when the monkey/ape matures and becomes 'unmanageable'.
The monkey /ape usually loses by having her/his instincts
stifled; by not receiving proper care; when inappropriate
harsh discipline is administered in attempts to control
the nonhuman primate; and through surgical mutilation,
such as tooth removal. The only "winner"
in this scenario is the dealer or breeder who profited
from selling the baby monkey/ape.
Like all wild animals, monkeys and apes should be
living in their natural habitats, not in situations
where humans attempt to force domestication on them.
This capuchin's owner
had all of his teeth surgically removed.
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Individuals
possessing primate species often
attempt to change the nature of
the monkey/ape rather than the
nature of the care provided. Such
tactics include confinement in
small barren enclosures, chaining,
shocking, beating "into submission,"
or even painful mutilations, such
as tooth and nail removal.
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Click
here to go to IPPL's article and call for letters
regarding endangered primates as victims of the pet
trade
Click
here to go to IPPL's article 'The US Pet Monkey Trade'
Click
here for more information about monkeys/apes kept
as "pets"
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