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So You Want A Pet "Monkey?" Did You Know:
1. Prosimians, monkeys, apes and humans are all primates. We share
many characteristics and we share diseases. As our closest
relatives, non-human primates can transmit mild to highly dangerous
diseases to their owners, their owners' family and friends. Diseases
like the common cold, internal parasites, hepatitis A, tuberculosis
and even the often fatal Herpes B virus.
2. Non-human primate ownership can be regulated at the local, state
or national level. Even if legal at the state level, numerous cities
and counties have made it against the law to keep pet primates;
illegal possession can result in fines and confiscation of the
innocent victim, your pet.
3. To be made into a "pet," baby primates are taken away from their
mothers when only hours or days old. Evolved to have continual (24
hr/day) body contact with their moms, infant primates are left to
hug towels or stuffed animals. Depression is not restricted to human
primates, these infants and mothers typically suffer depression from
the forced separation.
4. Infant females taken away from their mothers' care don't develop
the parental skills necessary to raise their own young. A vicious
cycle of rejected infants that must be raised by humans in order to
physically survive is started.
5. Primates are social. Under natural conditions they live in social
groups and have constant companionship. Now think about the number
of minutes per day you spend with other pets such as a dog. Thirty
minutes? Two hours? Primates need more, much more. Once the decision
has been made to remove the infant primate from its mother's care in
order for it to become Your pet, You become its social life.
Planning to have a job, go out with friends, see a movie, shop?
Continuing to lead your normal life and leaving your pet to spend
the majority of its day alone is both unnatural and inhumane.
6. Given good care and proper nutrition, non-human primates can lead
very long lives. Twenty five to 30 years is not unusual for the
smaller species while macaques, baboons and spider monkeys can
easily reach 40 and apes can live to be 55 years old. A high school
senior who buys an infant macaque can get a job, get married, raise
a family and become a grandparent before the pet macaque dies of
natural causes. Most people are not able to make that type of
life-long commitment to a domestic pet yet alone a challenging
exotic pet.
7. Once they reach sexual maturity, non-human primates become more
unpredictable and dangerous. Even small primates are deceptively
strong and all primates have damaging canines. Gentle one minute,
they can inflict severe wounds when suddenly frightened, surprised,
confused or frustrated. Owners are often shocked and feel betrayed.
Believing they should not risk further aggression, responsible
owners typically make the decision to reduce contact with the pet.
8. Non-human primates that become emotionally bonded to their
owners, a trait that pleases and is encouraged by the master, can
become jealous and attack visiting family, friends, neighbors, new
boy/girlfriend or even the mailman. Owners can be held responsible
for resulting medical bills and may be subject to lawsuits.
Vacations could be out of the picture; finding a qualified caretaker
who is accepted by the pet primate and willing to risk chance of
being bitten may prove impossible.
9. Many small animal veterinarians do not want to accept the risk of
injury or disease transmission and will not treat non-human
primates. Additionally, few have the training to provide expert
care.
10. Non-human primates are intelligent, curious and active. Unless
caged, they can destroy furniture, curtains and any household
decorations. They can throw their food around and easily rip off
their diapers and soil the house.
11. Tired of dealing with the array of problems caused by pet
primate ownership, most owners end up wanting to get rid of their
pet. Lacking infant appeal, adult non-human primates are difficult
to place. They may be transferred from inadequate to bad to worse
homes, bought by an animal dealer or sent to an animal auction, shot
or euthanized. Exotic animal sanctuaries are at capacity, zoos don't
have the space for former pets. Rarely is the story ending a happy
one.
12. Baby primates raised to adulthood by humans have not acquired
all the necessary social skills to live with others of their own
kind. If an owner is able to convince a sanctuary or roadside zoo to
take his pet, integrating the imprinted primate into a peer group
can be life threatening. Sending inappropriate signals to its new
and strange companions, the former pet can be harassed, intimidated,
and even attacked. If accepted, ex-pets can nevertheless remain
social outcasts, individuals who through no fault of their own are
caught between two worlds and can't live successfully in either.
Neurotic behavior and depression are common consequences.
13. You may be the best pet-primate owner in the world, but by
purchasing an infant primate, you are perpetuating a business that
leads to miserable lives for many of the very animals you profess to
adore.
If you're still interested in owning a primate, please read as many
of the articles listed at Monkey Madness as you can, then continue
to study up on the subject and talk to people that have experience
in the field. Whether you buy a monkey or not you won't regret
having studied up on the subject as much as possible before making
your decision.
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