MONKEYS AS PETS

Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/29/06

It is hard to sit and watch monkeys at the zoo without an irresistible longing to bring one home. The books I have read to all of my six children, Curious George, by Margaret and Hans Rey didn’t help matters, nor do the cute baby monkeys you see on television and in the movies. Without exception, baby monkeys are cute, cuddly, intelligent tricksters; little elves that develop strong bonds to their surrogate parent. This goes for the smallest of marmosets to the largest of the apes – the first 6-8 months are delightful – if messy.

However, when the honeymoon is over, the reality check begins. Now I have friends (most are professional performers) who have maintained thirty to forty-year relationships with monkeys and apes who become true family members. But my estimate is that only one out of about 10,000 people in the United States has the traits for such a relationship – and fewer still of these has the inclination. It is much like having a special needs child to whom you have committed to devote your life to. That is; to plan your life around their needs rather than your own. The monkey may be loving with you, but fly into a jealous rage with other members of your Family. You will have to stay homebound most of the time. Your to friendships will have to be with like-minded individuals. The majority of your neighbors will consider you quirky, eccentric and a blight on the neighborhood. City, County, State and Federal officials will not be favorably disposed toward you. So anyone who says monkeys are bad pets or monkeys are good pets oversimplifies the issue. It is not the monkey that is the problem; it is the monkey-human interaction that usually becomes the problem.

Perhaps, you have not considered some of the challenges of monkey ownership. Just as it is not uncommon for good people to absentmindedly abuse dogs and cats, by providing inadequate supervision, health care, habitat and environmental enrichment; it is just as common to do the same with primates once the mystique has worn off and they age, becoming more demanding. You will age too over the 30 years or so that the animal lives. Primates are not domesticated animals. They are destructive, messy, possessive, and possess all the basic emotions of human beings but without the inhibitions we have. Because of this, they can be quite dangerous to you, other family members and guests. They are exceedingly fun loving as well as destructive and messy. There are also many legal issues in keeping pet monkeys; the number of laws and regulations regarding their ownership is ever growing.

As a United States Public Health Service Officer, I have cared for monkey for 35 years. There are very few veterinarians who will care for monkeys when they get ill or who will perform annual health checkups. These checkups need to include tuberculosis testing, possibly viral testing, vaccinations and blood examinations. Most of its teeth will eventually be extracted to prevent injury to you or other monkeys. Neutering the monkey will not change its disposition. Proper caging is challenging and bulky. Monkeys are masters at escape and the cost of a humane, home made; government-approved, indoor-outdoor cages for medium size primates is many hundreds of dollars - thousands of dollars if a profession contractor builds it. People who purchase monkey as pets tend to feed them the foods they eat themselves. Monkeys that live off generalized human table scraps inevitably do poorly and do not live very long.

Lets say that none of the above issues concern you or you have accepted them or your just hell-bent on having a monkey. Say you have unlimited financial resources, acreage and enthusiasm. The next thing to consider is what will happen to this poor animal if things don’t work out or if you situation changes in the next 30 – 40 years. You will age too over the 30 years or so that the animal lives. Many things have happened during the last 30 years of my life that I had never anticipated. Things will happen in your life too, a when they do, who is going to take responsibility and care for this monkey? Will he/she have to endure the psychological trauma of loosing its adoptive family and moving to new or poorer facilities or being bulk-loaded in some overcrowded sanctuary? Will the police destroy the animal? Will you be sued over its actions? Will it end up in some roadside carnival? There are many, many more displaced, second, third and fourth hand monkeys in the United States than there are reputable sanctuaries that will accept them.
Monkeys are too social and intelligent animals to make good pets for the vast majority of people. Their pediatric dependency and friendliness fade as they mature to adults when they generally become aggressive and attack the ones that love at the slightest, or with no provocation. The monkeys you see on television or out in public are juveniles, borrowed from the zoo, returned when they become unmanageable and replaced with new infants – a never ending cycle that, in my opinion, should not be allowed. Adults are rarely seen outside of cages. Even hand rearing an infant primate will not alter this natural change in monkey behavior. It will, however, make the pet an outcast, often unable to adjust to a monkey troop and result in a lifetime of neurotic behavior.

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