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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
B, 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.
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Neeko is a pigtail macaque who was confined to a small
animal carrier (shown in the photo on the left) for
the first 7 years of his life. The owner lived in an
apartment in Dallas, Texas and feared letting Neeko
out of the carrier so he fed Neeko a semi-liquid diet
through a sports straw. As a result, Neeko did not have
the ability to digest any solid food.
Deprived of sunlight, Neeko's skin was ghostly pale
and his face was gaunt. Rarely removed from the animal
carrier for brief periods of time for a diaper change,
Neeko suffered from such severe urine scald that hair
would not grow on the areas of his body where he was
diapered.
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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.
Unfortunately, the "sanctuary solution" is about to run
out for these owners -- the few legitimate sanctuaries for nonhuman
primates in the United States are either almost at capacity, or
at full capacity.
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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INSTEAD OF CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUFFERING
INHERENT IN THE 'PET' PRIMATE TRADE…
If you truly love primates and wish to help them, consider volunteering
at a reputable primate sanctuary, or sponsor a monkey/ape in an
established sanctuary. [Click
here for AESOP-Project's recommended primate sanctuaries.]
There are dozens of sanctuaries across the United States which
are full to the brim with "unwanted" primates who are
cast-offs from the 'pet' primate trade and they require support
from the public.
Don't become part of the problem. Educate yourself and your family
and friends. Discourage those around you from contributing to the
suffering inherent in the tragic 'pet' primate trade.
Click here for more information about
nonhuman primates in private sector possession.
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